1

GREENBANK NAA NEWSLETTER GREY FUNNEL DITS

Disclaimer: The material contained in this publication is in the nature of entertainment for the members. Contributions are

acknowledged, with thanks, from service organisations. The editor expressly Disclaims all and any liability to any person, whether an

association member or not. Views expressed may not necessary be those held by the Executive or the members.

Editor: Tony Holliday tonyholliday13@gmail.com 0403026916

Series No. 3 Date: Issue JULY 2020 No. 7

GREENBANK NAVAL ASSOCIATION Sub Section

Events for July and August 2020 Wednesday 08 July 1200-1300 Executive Meeting RSL Rooms Sunday 12 July 1030-1200 Normal Meeting RSL Rooms Wednesday 29 July 1000-1030 Executive Meeting RSL Rooms Tuesday 04 August 1900-2100 Normal Meeting RSL Rooms Wednesday 26 August 1000-1030 Executive Meeting - RSL Rooms Vietnam Veterans service Date and time to be advised by RSL Sub Branch Merchant Mariners Day Services have been cancelled. Editorial: Edward (Teddy) Sheean

The Honours and Awards Appeal Tribunal in 2019 unanimously recommended a retrospective VC be awarded to this gallant young naval sailor. This approval was accepted by the Defence Personnel Minister. However, the award was rejected following advice from the Chief of the Defence Force who expressed the view that backing a retrospective VC could lead to other appeals and may not be accepted by the Queen. Let us not let this long fight for recognition end here, let us keep the fight going. Appeal against this bad decision and sign the petition today.

Read his story below: Editors Request:

Articles for the newsletter can be handed in at meetings, or by email: articles may be edited to fit the newsletter.

The contents of this edition of the newsletter have been obtained from information provided from Len Kingston-Kerr whom I thank greatly,

various publication publications and NAA information emailed in.

mailto:tonyholliday13@gmaiul.com

2

Royal Australian Navy - Personality

Ordinary Seaman Edward (Teddy) Sheean: Let us re capture the brave story of this heroic young sailor from Tasmania. Ordinary Seaman Sheean was a member of the ships company of HMAS Armidale At approximately 13:00 on 1 December five Japanese bombers were spotted by Armidale's lookouts. Without adequate air cover there was little hope of surviving the attack and a signal was sent to Darwin requesting urgent fighter cover. For the next half an hour Armidale's gunners beat of successive Japanese attacks and the ship escaped serious damage. In the meantime, a signal was received from Darwin advising that the much-needed fighters would arrive at 13:45. Shortly before 15:00 Armidale was attacked by nine bombers, three fighters and a float plane. The fighters split up and came in at low level straffing Armidale's decks with machine-gun fire. With her gunners thus distracted, the torpedo bombers mounted their attacks from different directions as Richards manoeuvred desperately to avoid their torpedoes. Despite the brave resistance, the ship was hit twice by torpedoes, immediately heeling over to port. At that point Richards gave the order to abandon ship. Rafts were cut loose, and a motorboat freed from its falls before men took to the water. Their ordeal, however, was far from over. The Japanese airmen then pressed home further attacks machine gunning the survivors. Leading Seaman Leigh Bool who survived the ordeal later recalled:

Two or three [aircraft] went right across the ship and they apparently were using their torpedoes as bombs. These did no damage although several of the torpedoes hurtled low right across the ship. However, the others hit us within two or three minutes of the commencement of the attack. We were hit on the port side forward, causing the ship to heel over at an angle of 45 degrees. The Armidale was going fast and the captain ordered us to abandon ship. Ratings were trying to get out lifesaving appliances as Jap planes roared just above us, blazing away with cannon and machine guns. Seven or eight of us were on the quarterdeck when we saw another bomber coming from the starboard quarter. It hit us with another torpedo, and we were thrown in a heap among the depth charges and racks. We could feel the Armidale going beneath us, so we dived over the side and swam about 50 yards astern as fast as we could. Then we stopped swimming and looked back at our old ship. She was sliding under, the stern high in the air, the propellers still turning. Before we lost her, we had brought down two enemy bombers for certain, and probably a third. The hero of the battle was a young ordinary seaman, Edward Sheean, not long at sea, who refused to leave the ship. Sheean had no chance of escape. Strapped to his anti-aircraft gun, he blazed away till the last. One of the Jap bombers, hit by his gun, staggered away trailing smoke, just skimming the surface until it crashed with a mighty splash about a quarter mile away

3

Ordinary Seaman Edward 'Teddy' Sheean, an 18 year old rating from Latrobe, Tasmania, was one of those injured during the attacks. In spite of injuries to his chest and back he helped to free one of the ship's life rafts, before scrambling back to his post on an Oerlikon gun, mounted behind the bridge. Strapping himself to his weapon he opened fire shooting down one bomber and keeping other aircraft away from his comrades in the water. He was seen still firing his gun as Armidale slipped below the waves just after 15:10 in position 10°S, 126°30´E. Sheean was posthumously awarded a mention in dispatches for his bravery and one of the Australian built Collins class submarines, HMAS Sheean, is named in his honour

When the marauding Japanese departed, the survivors found themselves in the water with two boats (a motorboat and a whaler) a Carley float and a raft that had been successfully freed from the sinking corvette. The men remained together until the afternoon of 2 December when Lieutenant Commander Richards made the difficult decision to set out for help in the motorboat which at that time carried 16 of his ship's company and some Dutch service personnel. The motorboat had enough fuel for about 100 miles but from the outset the motor proved unreliable forcing those on board to row for the first 28 hours. The motor was eventually encouraged to start, and the vessel was later sighted by a reconnaissance aircraft from Darwin on Saturday 5 December. By then the boat was approximately 150 miles WNW of Darwin and roughly 150 ESE of where Armidale had sunk. The sighting of the motorboat was the first confirmation to naval authorities in Darwin that Armidale had been lost.

4

ROYAL AUSTRALIAN NAVY – ADMIRALS

VADM G J Willis: Chief of Navy (1979-1982) Guido James Willis, known as James, was born on 18 October 1923, in Learmonth, Victoria. He attended Wesley College, Melbourne, where his father and grandfather had both been educated, and in 1937 he entered the RAN College (Flinders Naval Depot). His younger brother Alan entered the RAN College in 1940. They both became admirals, the first two brothers to serve together at that rank in Australia.

Beginning a career that led him to become Chief of the Naval Staff, James Willis joined his first ship, HMAS Canberra, on Boxing Day 1940, and went on convoy escort duties and pursuit of German raiders. In December 1941 he joined the destroyer HMS Kingston in Alexandria and spent four months running the gauntlet, escorting convoys to Malta. Shortly after he was transferred to the battleship HMS Valiant, the Kingston was sunk.

After studying in Britain, Willis returned to Australia in April 1943 and joined the destroyer HMAS Nepal as gunnery control officer. In August 1943, aged 19, he was promoted lieutenant. Nepal operated throughout the Indian Ocean during the next two years. In late 1944 she bombarded the Burmese coast in support of a Gurkha battalion.

In early 1945, Willis was transferred to the British Pacific Fleet and took part in the final attacks against the Japanese. He spent the last months of the war as executive officer in HMAS Barcoo, operating in the Dutch East Indies. When the war ended, the ship was engaged in recovering Allied prisoners of war and rounding up isolated groups of Japanese soldiers. After a short period at HMAS Cerberus (Flinders Naval Depot), he was appointed to his first command, the corvette HMAS Latrobe, and in 1947 went to England for specialist training and exchange service with the Royal Navy. Joining the aircraft carrier HMAS Sydney in Plymouth, he returned to Australia with her in 1949, the year he married for the first time. Joining HMAS Warramunga as the flotilla navigating officer, he served for six months in the Korean War, in a ship not built for such cold climates. Willis went back to the UK for further training, was promoted lieutenant commander, and did two years exchange service on the senior staff of HMS Dryad, the navigation school, before attending the RN Staff College at Greenwich. Returning to Australia in HMAS Tobruk, he joined HMAS Sydney as fleet navigating officer and when HMAS Melbourne arrived in Australia, was transferred to her. Promoted commander in 1956, he was in charge of the naval contingent lining the streets of Melbourne at the opening of the 1956 Olympic Games. Leaving HMAS Melbourne in December 1956, Willis had a series of shore postings of increasing importance, which gave him broad experience in operational planning, personnel administration and materiel procurement. He also had appointments as commanding officer of HMA Ships Quiberon, Vampire and Yarra, and was promoted captain in 1962. In 1967,

5

Willis attended the Imperial Defence College in London and returned to Australia for three years’ service as the Director-General of Operations and Plans in the Navy Office. He returned to sea as captain of HMAS Melbourne, and in 1972 went to Navy Office as commodore in charge of the Light Destroyer Project. He was promoted rear admiral in 1973, then in succession was Chief of Naval Personnel, Chief of Naval Materiel and Assistant Chief of the Defence Force Staff.

In 1976, he was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO). The same year, after the dissolution of his first marriage, he married Marjorie Campbell-Smith. Promoted vice admiral he became Chief of the Naval Staff in April 1979, representing Australia at the US Chief of Naval Operations Seapower Symposiums in 1979 and 1981. He watched his wife launch the guided missile frigate HMAS Sydney in Seattle in 1981 and arranged the purchase of the British carrier, HMS Invincible, a deal which to his great disappointment did not proceed. Willis was knighted in 1981, the last Chief of the Naval Staff to receive this honour. After his retirement in 1982, he and his wife divided their time between Canberra and their home at Kyla Park near Tuross Head, NSW. He was the first chairman of the Foundation of the Anglican Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn and was involved in community organisations. In 1998, the couple moved to Adelaide.

Vice Admiral James Willis passed away, in Adelaide, on 15 June 2003. He was survived by his wife Marjorie, children Susan, Janet and Alan, stepsons Michael, Andrew and Alexander and 11 step-grandchildren.

Royal Australian Navy senior officers at a mess dinner in Canberra, ACT on 9 March 1981. L-R: Rear Admiral Stevens, Rear Admiral Lynam, Rear Admiral Rourke, Rear Admiral Swan, Vice Admiral Willis, Rear Admiral Loosli, Rear Admiral Leach, Rear Admiral Doyle and Rear Admiral Robertson.

6

Naval Sea Battles

Battle of Savo Islands: The Battle of Savo Island, also known as the First Battle of Savo Island and, in Japanese sources, as

the First Battle of the Solomon Sea (第一次ソロモン海戦, Dai-ichi-ji Soromon Kaisen), and colloquially among Allied Guadalcanal veterans as The Battle of the Five Sitting Ducks,

The Battle in Brief

The Battle of Savo Island was naval action fought in the early hours of 9 August 1942 in which the Japanese surprised US and Australian warships sinking four allied cruisers including HMAS Canberra. On 7 August 1942, the US Marine 1st Division landed on the Japanese held islands of Guadalcanal and Tulagi in the Solomon’s. The Japanese had nearly completed construction of a major airfield, named Henderson airfield by the Americans, which if operational would have threatened lines of communications between the United States and Australia. Eight cruisers including the HMAS Australia, HMAS Canberra and HMAS Hobart, with eight destroyers commanded by British Rear Admiral Victor Crutchley VC protected the transports and troops ashore. A Japanese force of seven cruisers and one destroyer, commanded by Vice Admiral Gunichi Mikawa sailed down New Georgia Sound, known as “the Slot” to attack the allied fleet. The Japanese task force was spotted by reconnaissance aircraft, but poor reporting and message handling delays obscured the significance of the intelligence. Early on 9 August, the Japanese cruisers entered the channel between Savo Island and Guadalcanal. The Japanese opened fire at 1.43 am and ceased fire about 30 minutes later by which time HMAS Canberra and three American cruisers the Vincennes, Astoria and Quincy had been fatally damaged. The Japanese suffered little damage, although an American submarine sunk the heavy cruiser Koko off New Ireland the following day. Savo Island was the first Japanese reaction to the Marine landing on Guadalcanal. For the next four months the Japanese air, land and naval forces fought to retake the island. In December the Japanese decided to evacuate its troops from Guadalcanal and the evacuation was completed by February 1943.

============================================== recapping the events::

On the morning of the 9 August 1942 the Royal Australian Navy's heavy cruiser HMAS Canberra (I) was sunk after being severely damaged during a naval battle off Savo Island in the Solomon Islands group. HMAS Canberra (I) had been forming part of the force screening the American invasion force which had started landing on Guadalcanal on 7 August.

The object of the landing was to capture the almost completed Japanese airfield at Lunga Point on Guadalcanal and thus ensure that the vital USA-Australia supply lines could not be threatened. However, in the end, it was this campaign which was to see the strength of the Imperial Japanese Navy sapped away and eventually open the road to Tokyo.

7

The initial landings and capture of the airfield at Lunga Point, renamed Henderson Field, met with only light resistance ashore. However, air attacks on the assault force commenced at about midday on the 7 August and were to continue during the period of the campaign. Fortunately for the Allied commanders Royal Australian Navy Coastwatchers were providing invaluable warnings of Japanese raids heading towards Guadalcanal.

Within two hours of the initial landings the commander of the 8th Fleet at Rabual, Vice Admiral Gunichi Mikawa, sailed with a cruiser force for Guadalcanal. The force under his command consisted of the heavy cruisers Chokai, Aoba, Furataka, Kinugasa, and Kako; the light cruisers Tenryu and Tatsuta and the destroyer Yunangi. As this force headed south, they were spotted and their position and course reported to the Allied commander, Rear Admiral Turner USN. However, when they were spotted the Japanese were sailing in an east south east direction and then altered course back to Rabual. Thus, the Americans concluded that the Japanese were not heading for Guadalcanal.

In order to protect the transports against any Japanese attack a screening force of cruisers and destroyers was deployed to patrol the approaches to Guadalcanal. This force was commanded by Rear Admiral VAC Crutchley VC, DSC RN and was deployed as follows:

The American destroyers Ralph Talbot and Blue patrolling to the seaward of Savo Island.

The Australian cruisers Australia (II) and Canberra (I) with the American cruiser Chicago and destroyers Bagley and Patterson patrolled an area to the south of Savo Island.

The American cruisers Vincennes, Astoria and Quincy with the destroyers Helm and Wilson patrolled an area to the east of Savo Island.

HMAS Canberrs

8

The Australian cruiser Hobart (I) with the American cruiser San Juan and the destroyers Monssen and Buchanan patrolled the area between Florida Island and Guadalcanal.

Unaware of the approach of the Japanese force Admiral Turner convened a staff meeting onboard the attack transport McCawley. Admiral Crutchley departed the patrol area with Australia (II) and proceeded to the meeting in the Transport Anchorage. As the meeting was in progress Admiral Mikawa and his force were making their approach to Savo Island.

At 01:30 on 9 August the Japanese force sighted the destroyer Blue and reduced speed. As they approached almost all of the enemy's guns were aimed at the unsuspecting ship. However, they were not sighted and proceeded to pass Savo Island. Shortly after passing Savo Island the Japanese sighted the Southern Screening Force with Canberra (I) the lead ship. At about the same time the Japanese were sighted by the destroyer Patterson and Japanese aircraft, launched from the cruisers some two hours earlier dropped flares over Lunga Point and the transport area.

These flares immediately silhouetted the cruisers Canberra (I) and Chicago and the Japanese opened fire with all weapons. Canberra (I) being the lead ship received almost the full force of the Japanese barrage and was immediately put out of action. Chicago was also badly damaged but still operational.

After rendering the Southern Screening Force ineffective the Japanese continued their sweep around Savo Island splitting into two columns and approached the Northern Screening Force at high speed.

Again, complete surprise was achieved with just as devastating results. The Japanese ships opened fire on the American ships at very close range and in a short space of time the cruisers Quincy and Vincennes were sunk with Astoria being badly damaged. During this part of the action the Japanese flagship Chokai received hits which damaged her operations room and killed a number of personnel. Being unaware as to the location and strength of the remaining Allied naval forces the Japanese did not press home their advantage and commenced to withdraw. On their way passed the outer screening destroyers the Japanese engaged and damaged the Ralph Talbot.

Dawn was to reveal to the Allies the full extent of the battle. The Japanese had sunk the cruisers Quincy and Vincennes; and the cruisers Canberra (I) and Astoria, and destroyers Ralph Talbot and Patterson were badly damaged.

Admiral Turner ordered that Canberra (I) be abandoned and sunk if she could not raise steam. Once all survivors had been evacuated, Selfridge fired 263 5-inch shells and four torpedoes into Canberra (I) in an attempt to sink her. Eventually a torpedo fired by the destroyer Ellet administered the final blow.

The transports were now only protected by two Australian cruisers Australia (II) and Hobart (I), the anti-aircraft cruiser San Juan and destroyers. Despite this naval weakness the landing operations continued, and the toe hold achieved on Guadalcanal became the launching pad for the American 'island hopping' campaign.

9

Aftermath - Allied

At 04:00 on August 9 Patterson came alongside Canberra to assist the cruiser in fighting her fires. By 05:00, it appeared that the fires were almost under control, but Turner, who at this time intended to withdraw all Allied ships by 06:30, ordered the ship to be scuttled if she was not able to accompany the fleet. After the survivors were removed, the destroyers USS Selfridge and USS Ellet sank Canberra which took some 300 shells and five torpedoes.

Later in the morning of August 9, General Vandegrift advised Admiral Turner that he needed more supplies unloaded from the transports before they withdrew. Therefore, Turner postponed the withdrawal of his ships until mid-afternoon. In the meantime, Astoria's crew tried to save their sinking ship. Astoria's fires, however, eventually became completely out of control, and the ship sank at 12:15.

On the morning of August 9, an Australian Coastwatcher on Bougainville radioed a warning of a Japanese airstrike on the way from Rabaul. The Allied transport crews ceased unloading for a time but were puzzled when the airstrike did not materialize. Allied forces did not discover until after the war was over that this Japanese airstrike instead concentrated on USS Jarvis south of Guadalcanal, sinking her with all hands. The Allied transports and warships all departed the Guadalcanal area by nightfall on August 9.

Aftermath - Japanese

In the late evening of August 9, Mikawa on Chōkai released the four cruisers of Cruiser Division 6 to return to their home base at Kavieng. At 08:10 on August 10, Kako was torpedoed and sunk by the submarine USS S-44 110 kilometres (70 mi) from her destination. The other three Japanese cruisers picked up all but 71 of her crew and went on to Kavieng.

Admiral Yamamoto signalled a congratulatory note to Mikawa on his victory, stating, "Appreciate the courageous and hard fighting of every man of your organization. I expect you to expand your exploits and you will make every effort to support the land forces of the Imperial army which are now engaged in a desperate struggle." Later on, though, when it became apparent that Mikawa had missed an opportunity to destroy the Allied transports, he was intensely criticised by his comrades.

Combatants: USN / RAN V Japanese Navy Strengths 6 Heavy Cruisers 5 Heavy Cruisers 2 Light Cruisers 2 Light Cruisers 15 Destroyers 1 Destroyer Losses: 3 Heavy Cruisers sunk 3 Cruisers damaged 1 Heavy Cruiser damaged 2 Destroyers damaged 1,077 Casualties 129 Casualties This battle resulted in a loss for the Allied Forces.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Selfridge_(DD-357)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Ellet_(DD-398)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coastwatchershttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Jarvis_(DD-393)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_S-44_(SS-155)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Admiral_Yamamoto

10

HAVE A LAUGH

Joke About Cop Pulling Over A Drunk Man “Haha”, thought the cop gleefully, when he saw the staggering man walking out of the bar towards the parking lot, “I’ll just wait until he pulls out

and then I’ll pull him over for drunk driving.” There was no doubt about it the man was as drunk as could be, after tripping over a rock and dusting himself off, the man slowly made his

way towards his car swaying every which way. After opening the passenger side door by mistake, the man finally opened the right door and sat down heavily in the driver’s seat. After dosing off for a few minutes the man seemed to awake out of his drunken slumber and slowly

put his keys in the ignition turning on the car. The man barely started pulling out before the cop turned on his sirens full blast and headed over to the car, “alright buddy” said the cop, “get on out and let me see you walk a straight line.” To the cops surprise the man easily walked a straight line. After passing the Breathalyzer test too, the cop was positively mystified, “how’d you get sober so quick?” question the cop. “Get sober?” responded the man with a smile, “I

always was sober, I was just distracting you so all my drunken buddies could escape without you noticing!”

====================================================

Tom’s wife was hosting a dinner party for some of her close friends, at their summer home. Moments before the guests were scheduled to arrive, she asked Tom if he would be ever so gracious to walk a block down to the beach to pick up some fresh snails for the party. On his

way to the beach he passed the local bar, and figured he’d stop in for a quick drink before heading down to the beach to search for the snails. One drink lead to the next, and before he

knew it, it was 5:00 in the morning and he hadn’t gotten his wife those snails. Quickly he hurried down to the beach, picked up a few snails, rushed home, and stumbled up the front

steps, dropping the snails. At that moment, his wife angrily opened the door asking him where he had been and how he had ruined her party. Tom, looked towards the snails and said

“C’mon you slow pokes! Just a few more steps and we’re there!”

===================================================

Sam goes to the doctor for his yearly checkup. “Everything is fine”, said the doctor, “You’re doing OK for your age.” “For my age?” questioned Sam, “I’m only 75, do you think I’ll make it to 80? “Well” said the doctor, “do you drink or smoke?” “No” Sam replied. “Do you eat fatty

meat or sweets?” “No” said Sam “I am very careful about what I eat.” “How about your activities? Do you engage in thrilling behaviors like speeding or skiing? “No” said Sam taken

aback, “I would never engage in dangerous activities.” “Well,” said the doctor, “then why in the world would you want to live to be 80?

=================================================

11

ROYAL AUSTRALIAN NAVY – SHIP HISTORY

HMAS Dubbo

HMAS Dubbo and her 14 sister FCPBs were the Navy's principal contribution to the nation's fisheries protection, immigration, customs and drug law enforcement operations. The vessels worked hand-in-hand with other Government agencies and each year they provided up to 1800 patrol days as part of the Coast watch-managed national surveillance effort. In the event of war, they would have been tasked to control the waters close to the Australian mainland. They were well prepared for their patrol duties and other operational requirements. In addition, were central to Australia's engagement with countries in the South West Pacific region and deployed throughout Southeast Asia and the Pacific in support of Australia's strategic interests. The Fremantle Class Patrol Boats (and now the Armidale Class Patrol Boats) also supported Special Forces operations and provided a useful transport capability, particularly in disaster relief and humanitarian assistance operations.

Dubbo was equipped with high definition navigational radar, high and ultra-high frequency communications equipment, gyro compasses and echo sounder. Dubbo was also fitted with a satellite navigation system that enables the ship’s position to be determined with great accuracy.

Dubbo was the second ship of this name within the RAN. HMAS Dubbo (I) was a Bathurst class corvette.

12

ROYAL AUSTRALIAN NAVY - NU SHIPS

HMAS Diamantina (ll)

HMAS Diamantina (II) is the fifth of six Huon Class Minehunter Coastal vessels delivered to the RAN between 1998 and 2002 and represents the latest in Mine Countermeasures (MCM) technology. Diamantina is able to undertake extended MCM operations in widely dispersed and environmentally diverse threat areas within Australia and regional waters.

The ship is the most advanced of its type in the world. Like her sister ships,

Diamantina is made of fibre reinforced plastic and has a unique single skin

solid hull that has no ribs or frames and provides high underwater shock

resistance and very low magnetic and noise levels. This hull is designed to flex

inwards if an undersea explosion occurs nearby. All machinery/equipment is

mounted on cradles or suspended from bulkheads to further enhance resistance to shock damage and

protect ship systems.

The minehunter's principal task is to keep Australia's maritime focal points for trade free from the threat

of mines. The ship uses high frequency sonar to search for, detect and then classify mine-like objects.

Once detected, the ship deploys a remote controlled mine disposal vehicle or clearance divers to

identify and, if necessary, neutralise the mine.

The Huon Class Minehunters are all named after Australian rivers. Diamantina is the second RAN ship

to carry the name. HMAS Diamantina (I) was a River Class Frigate that was in service from 1945-

1980. She saw action during WWII, and from 1959 to decommissioning was employed as an

oceanographic survey vessel.

https://www.navy.gov.au/hmas-diamantina-i

13

PICTURE FUNNIES

14

NAVAL TERMS

Pipe Down: Means stop talking and be quiet. The Pipe Down was the last signal from the Bosun’s pipe at the end of each day which meant ‘lights out’ and ‘silence’. Chock- a - Block: Meaning something is filled to capacity or overloaded. Or alternately, If two blocks of rigging tackle were so hard together they couldn’t be tightened further, it was said to they were ‘chock a block’. Leeway: The weather side of a ship is the side from which the wind is blowing. The lee side is the side of the ship sheltered from the wind. Alternately, a lee shore is a shore that is down wind of a ship. If a ship does not have enough ‘leeway’ it is in danger of being driven onto the shore. Windfall: A sudden unexpected rush of wind from a mountainous shore which allowed a ship more leeway. Groggy: In 1740, British Admiral Vernon (whose nickname was ‘ Old Grogram’ for the cloak of grogram which he wore) ordered that the sailors’ daily ration of rum be diluted with water. The men called the mixture ‘grog’. A sailor who drank too much grog was a ‘groggy’.

=======================================

15

NAVAL TRADITIONS

Naval Uniforms: Cont; World War II also saw the institution of the Women’s Royal Australian Naval Service (WRANS) and the Royal Australian Navy Nursing Service (RANNS). From 1941, Australia’s first female sailors could be found performing a variety of critical jobs ashore dressed in navy blue jackets, skirts and felt fur hats. By the end of the war they too had added a more practical khaki coloured working rig to their kit that was better suited to the hot Australian climate.

Following Imperial Japan's entry into World War II in December 1941, Australia's naval forces were deployed variously throughout northern Australia and the Indo-Pacific where the climate necessitated a much more practical approach to naval dress. By the war's end in 1945, members of the Women's Royal Australian Naval Service could also be found serving in northern climes.

16

he women’s services were briefly disbanded after the war but in 1951 the WRANS was resurrected. In the same year, post war kit was approved which saw the introduction of light blue embroidered badges for ratings and the distinctive tri-crone hat for officers, CPOs and petty officers. Later the RANNS was also reinstituted and they too adopted their own distinctive uniforms and insignia, more befitting with their role as nurses.

Left: Post-war kit for members of the WRANS was approved in March 1951. At that time the tricorn hat in use by Britain's Women's Royal Naval Service was adopted for wear by officers and senior rates with winter uniform whereas as a white wide-brimmed hat was approved for use with summer rigs.

WRANS officer candidates embarked in a workboat in Sydney, they wear white HMAS CERBERUS cap ribbons to denote their status as potential officers. Above: A cap of the type seen in the accompanying image and an example of a distinctive blue-embroidered rate badge worn by post-war WRANS.

Australia’s reserve forces played a significant role throughout World War II serving in theatres the world over. Generally, they wore the same uniform as officers and ratings of the permanent forces although officers were easily distinguishable by their waved rank lace that appeared in two different styles. One for the Royal Australian Naval Reserve Seagoing (RANR(S)) and another for officer of the Royal Australian Naval Reserve (RANR) and Royal Australian Navy Volunteer Reserve (RANVR). All were coined to be officers of the ‘wavy navy’ because of their distinctive rank lace.

17

Left: Leading Signalman S Chant of the Royal Australian Naval Reserve dressed in 'blues' and wearing a cap ribbon of H.M.A. NAVAL RESERVE. Note also his marksman's 'cuff-rate' worn on his right lower sleeve. Right: Lieutenant W Frame, DSC, MM* wearing the distinctive 'criss-cross' rank lace of the Royal Australian Naval Reserve (Sea-Going).

Left: An example of an epaulette of the type worn by dental officers (orange distinction cloth) of the Royal Australian Navy Volunteer Reserve. Centre: Surgeon KM Morris, RANVR, wearing his double-breasted service jacket with RANVR lace clearly visible on his sleeve. The Wavy Navy lace was discarded in March 1951 and instead the letter 'R' was worn within the executive curl on rank lace to denote officers of all branches of the reserve forces.

To be continued: