THIS IS THE WAY IT HAPPENED … Swan to Shanghai, 1981: Trials of the heavenly duck. By Max Sulman (This article was first published in NOCN 84, 1 March 2011.) During the 1970s there was a gradual easing of tension between China and the West. There were cautious overtures which led to visits to the […]
HMAS Australia, 1911-1924: the first flagship (This article was first published in NOCN 84, 1 March 2011.) Builders: John Brown & Co, Clydebank Launched: 25 October 1911 Commissioned: 21 June 1913; Captain Stephen Radcliffe RN. Displacement: 18,500 tons standard; 22,000 tons full load. Length: 179.83 metres (590 ft) Beam: 24.38 m (80 ft) Draught: […]
THIS IS THE WAY IT HAPPENED … The unguided missile by Jonathan Brett Young (This article was first published in NOCN83, 1 December 2010.) It was the last opportunity for the frigate to carry out a live missile firing in the Far East before returning to Australia and a major refit. The gunnery officer was […]
THE CHRISTMAS MESSAGE A tale of two cruisers by Colin Baxter (This Message was first published in NOCN 83, 1 December 2010.) The recent discovery of the sunken wreck of the WW II cruiser HMAS Sydney brought to a close one of the greatest maritime mysteries of our time. The ship’s loss left a nation […]
HMAS Whyalla: her last long voyage By John Ellis Following the outbreak of World War II, the Government asked BHP if they could develop a shipyard for the war effort. In 1940, BHP Newcastle recruited seven shipbuilding personnel from the United Kingdom to establish a shipyard at Whyalla, SA. One was soon dismissed after expressing […]
HMAS Fremantle: A young Lieutenant goes west by John Jobson It was late in 1952, as a fully qualified Lieutenant, that I received my appointment as third officer of HMAS Fremantle. She was one of 60 Bathurst class corvettes built in Australia during WW II. Constructed in Brisbane, she was to be recommissioned in Williamstown […]
Evolution of aircraft carriers XII: The wartime European carriers Twelfth article in a series by Scot MacDonald. Reprinted with permission Naval Aviation News May 1963 pp 60-64. “Experience with regard to the suitability of the present type of aircraft carrier must still be evaluated. Examination of enemy naval strategy in ocean warfare leads, however, to […]
Evolution of aircraft carriers XIII: The turbulent post-WW II years Thirteenth article in a series by Scot MacDonald. Reprinted with permission Naval Aviation News, October 1963 pp. 64-68. There has been a spectacular advance in aircraft design technology. The transition from propellor-driven aircraft to jet power has been fast. We are now undergoing another evolution […]
USN Carrier Evolution I: Genesis by Scot MacDonaldReprinted with permission: Naval Aviation News Feb 1962 pp 2-8. This is the first of a series of articles written in the early 1960s. Jules Verne, author of startling science-fiction during the last half of the 19th century, would have relished some of the sketches, plans, and ideas […]
USN Carrier Evolution II: Post Jutland Second article in a series by Scot MacDonald. Reprinted with permission: Naval Aviation News, March 1962, pp 9 – 15. “It is impossible to resist the admiral’s claim that he must have complete control of, and confidence in, the aircraft of the battle fleet, whether used in reconnaissance, gunfire […]
