By Rohan Goyne I refer to the excellent article Antarctica the forgotten Continent by Hugh Farmer in the Naval Historical Review Vol. 38 No2 June 2017 and offer the following ...
‘Mission to Kerguelen’ – An Australian Military Operation in the Sub-Antarctic islands in 1941
AK 121 Aroetta
A previous edition of this magazine (March 2017) outlined the exploits of HDML 1321 and favourably mentioned her commanding officer, Lieutenant Ambrose Palmer, RANR. This article explores an earlier career of ...
HMAS Platypus – a Submarine Naval Base
By Peter R. Smith This paper was prepared by the Submarine Institute of Australia to help mark the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the formation of a submarine base ...
Occasional Paper 15: Battle of Bita Paka 11 September 1914
September 2017 The Battle of Bita Paka (11 September 1914) was fought south of Kabakaul, on the island of New Britain, and was a part of the invasion and subsequent ...
Occasional Paper 14: LCDR Mackenzie Jesse Gregory
September 2017 LCDR Mackenzie Jesse Gregory RAN Ret, (9/02/1922- 27/08/2014) was to my mind a fine example of the qualities a Naval Officer needed to have. He could communicate well, ...
HMAS Platypus celebrates 50 years
Watch Channel 7 news coverage of Sydney’s former submarine base 50th anniversary event at Neutral Bay Sydney. ...
Proto Oxygen Breathing Apparatus
Provided by Alan Walker ‘The Proto breathing apparatus was a 2 hour duration set, and always were operated in pairs so if one got into trouble the other was a ...
Occasional Paper 12: Personal Experiences: Aftermath Of Japanese Submarine Attack: Sydney Harbour
August 2017 The following are accounts of individual contributions made by two remarkable people in the aftermath of the Japanese midget submarine attack in Sydney Harbour on 31 May 1942. ...
Occasional Paper 13: Local Australian/USA Submarine Initiative Helps Turn the Tide of War Against Japan in 1942
August 2017 The following story provided by Commodore Bob Trotter OAM RAN (Ret’d), National President of the Submarine Association is about a little-known part of the shared Australia/USA submarine history ...
Occasional Paper 10: The Loss of HMAS Kuttabul
The following address was delivered Captain Christopher Skinner RAN Rtd during the 75th anniversary ceremony conducted by HMAS Kuttabul on Garden Island, Sydney 1 June 2017. Good morning to you ...
Occasional Paper 9: The Sinking of HMAS Armidale on 1 December 1942
July 2017 The following address was delivered by Dr Kevin Smith OAM to members of the Naval Historical Society of Australia in Sydney 18 April 2017. In 1798 at the ...
Occasional Paper 11: The Remarkable Short Life of HMAS Nestor, The Ship That Never Came Home
July 2017 The following address was delivered Commander Walter Burroughs RAN Rtd during the 75th anniversary ceremony conducted by the RAN on Garden Island, Sydney 16 June 2017. I am ...
Letter: Who Took the Flag – QC Owns Up
I read with interest Fifty Years under the Australian White Ensign by Norman Rivett (Naval Historical Review Vol 38 No 1 March 2017). I have a story of my own to ...
Letter: Climate Change
After some lengthy exchanges John Wells seeks one last word: I wish to thank the Editor for giving me the opportunity for ‘right of reply’ to David F. Flakelar’s rebuttal ...
Book Review: HMAS Sydney II in Peace and War
By Wes Olson, Privately Published at Hilton, WA in 2016, 610 Pages with maps and photographs. Available direct from the author at email: wes.dale@westnet.com.au. Price $60.00 plus postage. Aside from ...
Book Review: HMAS Canberra – Casualty of Circumstance
By Kathryn Spurling, Publishers New Holland, Sydney, 2016. Paperback, 255 pp with b & w illustrations, maps and portraits. Available most bookshops from $33.00 with discounts available. The author served ...
HMAS Leeuwin
Recent planning for the redevelopment of the ex HMAS Leeuwinsite has aroused considerable interest amongst the naval community and we are pleased to have some further thoughts from Roy Stall, ...
Secret Devices used to defeat Napoleon Bonaparte
By Mick Graham-Smith In February 2016 this paper was presented to the Western Australian Chapter of the Naval Historical Society. They considered it of such merit that it should be ...
Antarctica – the forgotten continent
This article has been compiled from research conducted by Hugh Farmer, one of our new members providing invaluable volunteer assistance at the Boathouse. Antarctica occupies about 14,000,000 km2of mainly mysterious ...
The ‘Battle’ of May Island
By Laurie Watson In the many memorial services to commemorate the centenary of World War I events, that commemorating the Battle of May Island is very likely to pass under ...
The Ship that Started the Second World War
By Walter Burroughs In September 2016 the author was a passenger on a cruise ship which berthed at the Baltic port of Gdansk in almost the same position as a ...
The Gospel of St John and LCDR Donald Mckenzie RAN
Recently one of our members and cherished chaplains, the Reverend Dr Gareth Clayton, presented the Society with a copy of the Gospel of St John which had been given into ...
HMAS Patricia Cam
Graeme Andrews, one of our long serving members with a sharp wit and fine pen, wrote an excellent article Cam’s Trawlers first published in the May 2006 edition of Afloat magazine. After ...
Docking the ex-HMAS Sydney
On 12th June 2017, Ex-HMAS Sydney was docked at the Western Australian Government owned Australian Marine Complex Common User Facility in Henderson Western Australia by AMC Management, the Facility Manager ...
Harbour Defence Motor Launches, Seaward Defence Motor Launches & Seaward Defence Boats
Wooden Ships and Iron Men – unofficial motto of RAN HDMLs1 The March 2017 edition of this magazine contained an article HDML 1321 and what she represents which states that after ...