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Occasional Paper 96: RAN Encounters with Papua New Guinea’s Big Rivers

November 18, 2020

By David Michael

The passing of Commodore Sam Bateman RAN, (Rtd) in October 2020 reminded many people of his Command of the PNG based patrol boat, HMAS Aitape and its significant 1969 passage up Sepik River. As Aitape was not the first or only RAN vessel to navigate PNG’s big rivers this paper provides a summary of big river encounters by other RAN ships.

The Sepik River

The Sepik River flows 1,100 km through Papua New Guinea and Indonesia. Today it remains largely undeveloped and pristine. Exploration of the region by Europeans commenced soon after establishment of German protectorate (Kaiser-Wilhelmsland) in 1884. Formerly the Kaiserin Augusta, the Sepik is one of the largest rivers on the island of New Guinea. It rises in the central highlands of PNG and flows north-westward (crossing just over the border into the Indonesian portion of the island) and then, turning east, follows the great Central Depression, receiving numerous tributaries draining from mountains to the north and the Central Range to the south before entering the Bismarck Sea through its delta. It drains an area of some 77,700 square km. For most of its lower course the river meanders through a wilderness of palm swamp and lagoons with large floating islands of vegetation drifting in the channel. The amount of sediment carried down this channel is so great that the waters of the ocean are discoloured for 32 km beyond the mouth, which is more than 1.6 km wide. The river is navigable for more 480 km by vessels drawing 4 metres of water or less, and by canoe for some 900 km.

Fly River

The Fly River is one of the largest rivers of the island of New Guinea, flowing almost wholly through Papua New Guinea. For a short stretch of its middle course, it forms the border between Papua New Guinea and Indonesian. Rising in the Victor Emanuel Range in the central highlands, the Fly—fed by its principal tributaries, flows south and southeast for more than 1,100 km to the Gulf of Papua and the Coral Sea. It drains an area of some 69,900 square km. The river was named by F.P. Blackwood, captain of the ship HMS Fly, who explored the estuary in 1842. The lower reaches of the river are navigable for 850 km in all seasons for boats drawing less than 2.4 metres of water. There are few settlements of any size along the river, but a port at the town of Kiunga, some 490 miles (790 km) inland, ships copper and gold mined in the Star Mountains. Environmental degradation along the upper course of the river system caused by the mining activity has been a source of political tension in the area.

River Passages by RAN Vessels

The March 2016 edition of the Naval Historical Review carried a story by Leyland Wilkinson entitled ‘River Cruises and the Big River’ described two wartime passages by RAN vessels up the big rivers of PNG.

He wrote, ‘Probably the most memorable however, was the 193 miles (310 km) passage up the Sepik River in Papua New Guinea in December 1914 during WWI by HMA Ships Parramatta, Warrego and Nusa, while HMAS Yarra guarded the river entrance. They were directed inland to search for any German military presence, passing along unknown waters that were home to crocodiles, disease carrying insects, and indigenous natives with cannibalistic tendencies, apart from any possible enemy action. Again, at the end of WW II, after the Japanese surrender in October 1945, the patrol boat ML 1347 under the command of LEUT Marsden Hordern, RANVR transited more than 130 miles (210 km) up the Sepik to Kanduonum in search of Japanese forces and Australian POWs.’

‘Possibly the longest river transit was undertaken by the LCH HMAS Tarakan, commissioned in June 1973 under the command of LEUT Chris Ritchie, RAN, a future Chief of Navy. In September of that year she visited PNG and undertook a 490 mile (790 km) passage up the Fly River to the river port of Kiunga where PNG Defence Force vehicles were embarked and transported to Port Moresby.’

Two letters were latter received by the Society in response to Leyland Wilkinson’s article.

Vice Admiral Chris Ritchie wrote ‘I was pleasantly surprised to see mention of HMAS Tarakan’s transit up the Fly River as possibly the longest river transit undertaken by a ship of the RAN.

It certainly was a memorable task; five and a half days in the river to reach Kiunga, a fast river assisted a three-day return trip, a few unplanned beachings and a bow door literally hanging on by a thread as a consequence of a heavy south easterly swell as we left the river and entered the Gulf of Papua.

My purpose in writing, however, is to correct the record a little and share the honour with HMAS Wewak. Wewak, under the command of LEUT George Scown, RAN had taken the engineering team to Kiunga a few months before our passage. The river levels had then become too low to extract the equipment and personnel once their work was completed so they had an enforced wait in Kiunga until it was deemed possible for another LCH to make the trip. Tarakan got the job and was in the Fly River from 4 to 13 September 1974.

HMAS Wewak departing the port of Lae in Papua New Guinea in 2007 during Operation PNG ASSIST for villages affected by floods after Cyclone Guba. RAN image/

Tarakan had been on her way back to Brisbane after performing a similar extraction of equipment for the army from Belawan in Northern Sumatra to Darwin. LCH’s certainly got around in those days. We shall miss them!

Commodore Sam Bateman wrote the following letter which provided more detail about the 1969 passage of HMA Ships Aitape and Ladava up the Sepik River.

‘The article by Leyland Wilkinson doesn’t really capture the full extent of activity by RAN vessels in the rivers of Papua New Guinea in the 1960s and early 1970s.

On the Sepik, Attack Class patrol boats of the PNG Division of the RAN made several visits during this period to the river port of Angoram about fifty river miles upstream. Then in February 1969, HMA Ships Aitape and Ladava ascended the river as far as the Government station of Ambunti about 230 river miles from the mouth of the Sepik. This was about thirty miles further upstream from the point reached by HMA Ships Parramatta and Warrego in 1914.

An account of the passage by Aitape and Ladava is available on the film ‘Navigating the Sepik’. I was in command of Aitape at the time and the late Peter Blenkinsop the Ladava.

Voyages by patrol boats into the Sepik stopped in the 1970s due to concerns about the risks of propeller damage from floating logs. These risks were higher if the patrol boats steamed on both engines while in the river. While the Aitape and Ladava encountered numerous floating islands of debris and logs during their passage up river to Ambunti, they steamed mostly on one engine and avoided any underwater damage. The theory was that having two shafts under power doubled the risks of a serious log strike – perhaps even more with the risks of one driving shaft throwing a log into the other driving shaft.

On the Fly, LCDR Jerry Lattin took the patrol boats Aitape and Ladava up the river to Kiunga in 1970. Jerry commanded Aitape and the late Dave Angus the Ladava. There is an account of this passage in Ian Johnston’s Historic RAN Voyage up the Fly River, Australian External Territories, Vol. 11, No.3, July-September 1971, pp. 19-22.

One of Jerry’s multifarious jobs after leaving the RAN was to command small bulk carriers on the Fly River and elsewhere between Bangkok and Townsville. The main role of these vessels was to carry copper-concentrate downstream from the Ok Tedi mine to the mouth of the Fly where the concentrate was transhipped into larger bulk carriers for export overseas. Jerry wrote about his experiences with navigating the Fly in an article in The Journal of the Australian Naval Institute (Shiphandling Corner – Brown Water Mariners – Cargo Ships on the Fly River, The Journal of the Australian Naval Institute, Vol. 28, No. 3, Spring 2002, pp. 33-38).

There were other voyages up the river to Kiunga in the 1970s by RAN LCHs, as well as the one mentioned by HMAS Tarakan in Leyland’s article. I travelled down river myself from Kiunga in Wewak under the command of LEUT George Scown in 1973, if I remember correctly. Before going up the Fly, Wewak also entered the Bamu River, an adjacent river to the Fly flowing into the Gulf of Papua. The Bamu has a strong bore in it and we experienced it in rather dramatic circumstances one night. Wewak was beached on the river bank when the bore came up the river. Effectively, it’s like an instant high tide and the ship was swept bodily sideways off the bank. Fortunately, George had the situation under control with main engines running and special sea dutymen closed up in anticipation of the bore’s arrival, and no damage was done.

The work of RAN vessels in opening up the Fly to river transport associated with the Ok Tedi mine is acknowledged in the seminal article The Fly River: A Continuing Hydrographic Challenge by P. Done, published in the International Hydrographic Review, Monaco, Vol. LXII (2), July 1985.’

References:

Encyclopaedia Britannica online, available at, https://www.britannica.com/

Leyland Wilkinson, River Cruises and the Big River, Naval Historical Review March 2016, available at https://www.navyhistory.org.au/river-cruises-and-the-big-river-2/

HMAS Aitape, Seapower Centre Australia, available at https://www.navy.gov.au/hmas-aitape

Navigating the Sepik, Defence Public Relations, Video, available at https://www.navy.gov.au/history/videos/navigating-sepik

Occasional Paper 95: Grandfather was a cableman

November 18, 2020

By Fairlie Clifton

Fairlie Clifton is a long-term member of the Naval Historical Society and foundation member of the Australian National Maritime Museum where she volunteers as a guide. Her passion for naval history is fuelled in part by her strong nautical background. She has personal experience at sea in square riggers, yachts and cargo vessels. Similarly, the service of several family members in the Royal Navy and loss of another in HMAS Sydney II makes naval history very personal for her.

You may think the object in the photo below is a paperknife. It is not. There’s a tale here, perhaps several tales.

In 1890 my paternal grandfather, Frank Bellis Vincent Graves, joined Eastern Telegraph Company (ETC) as a cadet at the company’s head office in London. His whole working life was spent with the company, most of the time being posted to ETC’s cable stations in far distant places around the world, some of which I had never heard of (and my geography is good). He was born in India, taken by his mother to England as an eight year old to be educated – usual British Empire thing.

In the 1890s ETC was probably the most powerful corporation in the world. It was formed in 1872 when four much smaller submarine cable laying companies merged after they had each been laying sections of cable between the UK and the Far East. In 1872 Australia was linked to the system by a cable from Bombay via Singapore. Other nations had cable laying companies but ETC was by far the most dominant; after all, there was a large empire to service. As the networks expanded, only very fit, young, adventurous and mostly single men were employed as ‘cablemen’ and sent off to various, often remote cable stations around the world, there creating a little piece of England. By 1902 there was an ‘All Red Line’ of British cables around the world.

By George Johnson (1836-1911) – The All Red Line – The Annals and Aims of the Pacific Cable Project, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6576300

During the First World War cablemen were classed as essential war workers and were required to stay with the company and not sign up for active service. However, many of these young men were torn between their desire to join up and the need for their services to keep Empire communications going. A few did resign and then enlist. Unfortunately many of those who remained were frequently accused of cowardice and presented with white feathers, which must have been very hurtful. The company was protective of them and issued a special wartime service lapel badge for them to wear. Pay was also increased as some compensation.

A few cablemen left the company to work on cable ships, which in both World Wars were considered to be prizes of war and liable to be sunk on sight. One of the ETC’s cable laying ships, Levant II, was from the earliest hours of the Gallipoli landings busy laying and maintaining cables close to shore to provide communication for allied troops. She remained in the area throughout the Gallipoli campaign and had some narrow escapes. Her master was subsequently awarded the DSC and five members of the crew were mentioned in dispatches.

Even while continuing to work for ETC, cablemen experienced some dangerous situations at station postings in WWI. One of the most famous ETC stations, certainly to us in Australia, was the strategically important Cocos Keeling station on Direction Island, which in November 1914 was captured by a well-armed landing party from the German cruiser SMS Emden. The cable boys on shore were quick to send off an SOS when they realised an enemy ship was approaching. The message was picked up by a passing troop convoy, and the news reached ETC London HQ in minutes. One of the convoy escorts, HMAS Sydney I, was despatched at full speed to intercept Emden, which was destroyed in the ensuing battle close to shore.

Before Sydney’s arrival the station staff were herded into their mess under guard while the Germans destroyed equipment. They also cut through the Perth cable and tried unsuccessfully to hack through another, not realising that this one was a decoy which had been hastily rigged by station staff. When it came to dynamiting the radio mast, the cable boys politely asked if this could be done so as not to damage the tennis court. The Germans obligingly complied.

Having become stranded following the destruction of their ship, the Germans commandeered a schooner anchored in the lagoon and set sail. Their seven-month journey home by various means over sea and over land is in itself an extraordinary tale. Meanwhile, back at Cocos Keeling, repair of equipment commenced immediately and the station was back in action by the time the Germans reached Bombay.

In September 1914 there was a very similar raid on the mid-Pacific Fanning Island cable station. On that occasion the German raiding party had got away safely as there was no allied ship to attack their ship, the cruiser SMS Nürnberg, which had been detached from the Imperial German Navy’s East Asia Squadron for this raid. Fanning, almost on the equator (3°51′36″N159°21′52″W) is now part of Kiribati and is very remote indeed. Nürnberg rejoined her Squadron, which then defeated the RN’s West Indies Squadron at the Battle of Coronel off the coast of Chile. Her crew may have survived that battle but perhaps not the next one a month later, the Battle of the Falkland Islands, when almost all the German ships, including Nürnberg, were destroyed.

During the Second World War cable laying and cable repair ships were constantly in action all over the world, and a number were sunk by enemy action. The slow, careful work required to lay or lift cables, often in difficult sea conditions, can make them an easy target. In WWII the ships often moved through narrow swept channels between minefields and quickly moved in behind troop landings to lay new cable. Soon after the D-Day landings a cable ship was used to lay PLUTO (Pipeline Under the Ocean) from the Isle of Wight to the Cherbourg peninsula to supply petrol to the fighting forces.

Of course, destroying enemy submarine cables was always an important task. And if the supply of cable was particularly short – well, just do a snip here and a snip there and make off with a piece of cable to be put to your own use. Italy lost 450 miles of cable in this way, lifted from a depth of 2000 fathoms despite U-boat activity in the recovery area.

Back to the mystery object

For a number of years in the late 19^th and early 20^th century ETC head office sent out promotional gifts at the end of each year, and this 32cm long object was one of them. They are not paper knives but map turners, probably smaller versions of the ones used to turn the pages in the huge map books which were used at head office. On the black handle is the date (1894 on the mystery object) and the year’s calendar, six months on each side. On the blade is a map of the world, northern hemisphere on one side and southern on the other, with the company’s vast network of cables shown in red. They were manufactured in Mauchline (pron. ‘mock-lin), a small town in the Scottish Lowlands, using local sycamore wood which is light and can be cut very finely. This trade also had its origin in the early- to mid-19^th century when railways were expanding, populations were becoming more mobile, and people wanted souvenirs of their holidays. For about 70 years British tourist souvenirs were made of Mauchline ware, which is now apparently very collectable.

Quite by chance when investigating ETC history on line, I found a picture of one of these map turners and asked Mr Google about it. I found that the National Library of Australia and the Queensland Museum each have one in their map collections. I also found three on UK eBay at prices ranging from £300 to £770 and all with minor scratches and signs of use. Finally, just for fun, I looked on local eBay and found one there, in Australia, with an asking price of A$150. I had to have it, of course. It occurred to me that the seller was not really aware that the object could have some value, and this impression was borne out when it arrived, packed in an unpadded PO bag, diagonally so that it only just fitted in, and wrapped in two sheets of kitchen paper towel and a strip of folded cardboard torn from a box and very roughly taped. It survived, and it’s in mint condition!

A bit of history

Laying all those submarine cables entailed fleets of specialised cable laying and cable repair ships owned by cable manufacturers, cable owners and communications companies, with Great Britain leading the way. In the early days inventing and manufacturing suitable cable was a great challenge.

The invention and laying of submarine telegraph cables was, of course, one of the extraordinary achievements of the Victorian age. In prosperous Victorian times there was a ready supply of entrepreneurs to invest in this costly and risky new technology which within a few short years provided instant communication between continents and, as a result, extraordinary change in world affairs. This instantaneity was not necessarily well received by Her Majesty’s overseas ambassadors, governors-general, admirals and generals, previously independent VIPs, some of whom regarded the new technology as a tiresome inconvenience and were seriously miffed by having head office just a few Morse taps away.

Submarine cable laying started in the early 1850s with short lengths of cable around Britain and across the Channel and in 1858 extended to the first, but not successful, transatlantic cable. The first successful permanent transatlantic cable was laid in 1865/66 with more advanced technology, followed by the first cable to India in 1870. By 1892 and until the 1920s Britain owned and operated two-thirds of the world’s submarine cables which serviced the Empire, and about the same proportion of cable ships. The first trans-Pacific cable became operational in 1902, linking North America, Australia and New Zealand. ETC continued to grow into the 20^th century until in 1934 the company became known as Cable & Wireless plc, still a prominent company in British communications.

Manufacturing submarine cable was big business in the 19^th century and is big business in the 21^st century. The early challenge, of course, was how to develop a completely watertight cable which could withstand the deep-sea environment.

Late 1840s: Early telegraph cables consisted of copper wires protected by bindings of jute, tar, soapstone and steel wire, and insulated by gutta percha. Gutta percha, a remarkable plant-based substance from Malaya, was widely used for many domestic and industrial purposes in Britain in the mid to late 19^th century but particularly for cable insulation. Synthetic materials replaced it in the 20^th century but it is still used in dentistry.

1892: two-thirds of the world’s submarine cables owned by Great Britain

1896: 30 cable ships in the world, of which 24 were owned by British companies

1900: global telegraphic cable network established

1950s: switch to coaxial telephone cable communication – costly and limited capacity

1970s: fibre-optic technology developing

1986: first international fibre-optic cable laid across English Channel

1988: first trans-ocean fibre-optic cable laid / fibre-optic starting to outperform satellites

1990s: development of global communications highway in tandem with internet growth

2000s: well over 1 million kilometres of fibre-optic cable connecting the world – and growing see Submarine cable map 2019: https://submarine-cable-map-2019.telegeography.com/

CS Cable Innovator 14,277 grt – designed for laying fibre-optic cable / completed 1995

The submarine cable network now carries 98% of the world’s cross-ocean digital traffic, including email, texts, financial transactions and top-secret military and government communications. The network’s carrying capacity is much greater than that of satellite communication and is more efficient.

Once laid, submarine cables are prone to damage by volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, sealife, currents, anchors and fishing vessel equipment, particularly the latter. In the 1990s burying cables in the ocean floor began. Cable breakdowns do occur, even with the most modern technology, although nowadays these faults can be detected quickly from on shore as well as on board. To see how this is done, have a look at this video on You Tube, 20,000 Cables under the Sea

Manufacture of the world’s cables is provided by only a handful of companies in a very competitive market. The largest manufacturing companies today are Prysmian SpA, followed by Nexans SA.

And what about the ships that lay and maintain the cables?

It is 170 years since the first successful submarine cable was laid in 1850/51 from Dover to Calais. After other shorter cables were laid, mostly around northern Europe, it was not long before a transatlantic cable was envisaged. For this, huge amounts of capital for such a risky and costly venture were needed and, of course, a suitable ship. There were some failures before the first successful permanent telegraph cable was laid across the Atlantic Ocean by Great Eastern, a mighty iron sailing steamship designed by Brunel.

Cable laying was Great Eastern’s second career after her five years as a passenger ship, which was not a commercial success. Being the largest ship in the world and exceptionally strongly constructed, she was the only ship able to carry the 2500 nautical miles of cable needed to lay the Atlantic cable successfully. She laid the cable from Ireland to near St John’s, Newfoundland where in July 1866 she was greeted by thousands of people and great celebrations, as well as special church services to give thanks for this great enterprise.

Most cable laying in the 1850s to 1870s was done using temporarily converted vessels. In 1872/73 two purpose -built cable layers were built in Britain, and one cable repair ship in Denmark. Over the next century private cable, telegraph, communications and oil companies built up their fleets, together with the British government and GPO, the French and Japanese governments, the US, and several European and Japanese companies also owning ships. The Royal Navy and US military operated a small number of ships, mostly in the first half of the 20^th century. Up to year 2000 by far the greater proportion of cable ships (about 50%) and most of the largest (10,000-14,000 grt) were owned by British entities. In that year about 100 cable laying and repair ships were operating around the world, and many more were expected in order to meet the rapidly increasing demands of data traffic.

Development of cable ships was broadly as follows:

Late 19^th century: compound single screw propulsion / mostly small ships averaging 1500 grt and 155-250’ length

1890s: triple expansion, twin screw propulsion

1900: ships growing larger, operating over greater distances / smaller vessels retained for inshore work

1950s: diesel-electric propulsion and some oil engines / bow thrusters

1900-1960s: ocean going ships typically about 2500-4500 grt / largest about 9,000 grt

1970-2000: largest vessels 9,000-15,000grt

21^st century: multi-purpose ships /ROVs to assist repairs and retrievals / computer controlled positioning systems to hold ship steady at precise locations

Seen in profile, a typical 20^th century ocean going cable ship had elegant lines – long, lean and with clipper like bows. The bridge and accommodation superstructure was placed midships, leaving space forward and aft for circular tanks for new cable storage. Generally, there were 2-3 such tanks (4 for the largest ships), 2-3 bow sheaves, and 1-2 stern sheaves. Repair work was done via the bow sheaves, and new cable was paid out through the stern sheaves. Most ships were cable layers and repairers, while some were solely repair ships.

CS Colonia laid some of the world’s longest cables 1905-1940. War loss 1944. Note high masts for better radio reception.

The work carried out on board was slow, tough and painstaking, often in difficult sea conditions and for long periods. Accommodation and amenities provided on board were therefore of a higher standard than on other ships.

A big change has taken place in the design of cable ships in the 21^st century. The newest ships are powerful, snub-nosed multi-purpose vessels with the superstructure placed up front, and designed to lay cable in much deeper water. With the ships being held in one precise position, repair and maintenance can be done via the stern sheaves, removing the need for bow sheaves. The newest technology makes grappling and retrieving cable much easier. Two such vessels now being fitted out are:

CLV Leonardo da Vinci: LOA 171m / speed up to 14kts / designed to operate safely in winds up to 130kph / and lay cable in depths >3000m. Owned by Italian power/telecommunications company Prysmian Group, which now owns four cable ships. For a close-up look at her being towed through the Bosphorus Strait on her way from Tulcea in Romania to Norway for final fitting out, have a look at this You Tube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNgWCGBakR8&ab_channel=CavitEgeTul%C3%A7a

CLV Aurora: LOA 149m / 17,000 dwt / up to 14kts / owned by French energy/telecommunications company Nexans. Next generation multi-purpose cable installation ship. Built Ulstein, Norway. See Aurora on You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_pROFi83Hc&ab_channel=NexansNorwayAS

Strategic significance

Submarine cables have long been intelligence targets. At the start of WWI Britain quickly cut the five cables linking Germany to the rest of Europe and to North America, which put Germany at a considerable disadvantage, it having only wireless communication. The cable war resumed in WWII, with German and Italian cables being cut by Britain very early on. In the Cold War the cable networks of both sides were under close surveillance, and it is known that the US Navy planted listening devices on Soviet underwater communication lines. More recently Russia has been probing the locations of the US’s cables, using deep sea submersibles capable of cutting cables at depths where repair would be difficult. Not surprisingly, Russia is laying a submarine cable across the Arctic ocean to increase its defence capability.

Should new conflicts begin in the world, severing or jamming cables to interrupt vital communications will be just as likely as it was in the two World Wars, and even before then. Both China and Russia are closely monitoring western networks, using submarines and sophisticated oceanographic ships to tap secret communications, and focusing particularly on cable choke points such as the Straits of Malacca, the South China Sea and the Luzon Strait, to name three in our region.

The Australian government considers its submarine cable links to be vital to the national economy, and their protection is an emerging strategic problem. But how to protect them? They are out of sight but can be detected, and routes are shown on publicly available maps that alert shipping to their presence. 100-150 years ago the security risk was lessened by trusted companies laying British cables in British controlled or friendly territory but that’s not so easy in today’s fragmented world.

It seems that the cable wars are continuing in the 21^st century as they have since the late 19^th century. Grandfather would no doubt be astonished if he knew!

References:

History of the Atlantic Cable & Undersea Communications From the first submarine cable of 1850 to the worldwide fibre optic network.

Bill Burns, publisher and webmaster – https://atlantic-cable.com/

Evolution of Cable & Wireless, Part 1 by Bill Glover available at https://atlantic-cable.com/CableCos/CandW/index.htm

Direction Island Cable Station and the Battle of Cocos https://atlantic-cable.com/Article/1914BattleOfCocos/index.htms

Cable Laying at Gallipoli 1915-1916
Diary of A L Spalding, available at https://atlantic-cable.com/CableStories/Spalding/index.htm

Not Another Hero: ETC’s creation of the Soldier Hero and Company Man
by Wendy Gagen available at, https://atlantic-cable.com/Article/TCS/indexwg.htm

Occasional Paper 94: Lieutenant Commander Mackenzie (Mac) Jesse Gregory RAN (Ret): 9 February 1922-27 August 2014

November 18, 2020

By Rex Williams, President Victorian Chapter of the NHSA

As President since 2003 and active member during the period Mackenzie (Mac) Gregory was at the helm, Rex grew to love and respect Mac who he considered the grandfather he never had. Similarly, coming from a civilian background Rex attributes his passion for and now deep knowledge of naval history to his friendship with Mac Gregory.

Mac Gregory was my close friend and colleague. Truly an Officer and a Gentleman, always anxious to help in any way he could. Generous to a fault, he happily spent hours researching families ’requests for information on a loved one’s Naval service. He was an excellent speaker and author, ever ready to promote our Navy and her people. Fiercely loyal to the concepts and objectives of our Naval Historical Society, he was a Past President of the Victoria Chapter, and at the time of his death was Vice President and Historian, offering advice and support when requested.

His’ Ahoy’ website is treasure trove featuring 28,323 articles on naval, maritime Australian historical subjects and more. My purpose in writing this treatise is to encourage you to explore his website: http://ahoy.tk-jk.net/. Mac also wrote the books; ‘WWII. The war at Sea’, ‘War in the Pacific 1941-1945 ‘and’ Fighting Sailors and Famous Sea Battles Down the Ages’.

My account of Mac’s Naval Career and some of the highlights of a life well lived cannot hope to cover the whole story and I urge you to visit his website. My sources are the website, Mac’s books and my memories of many conversations with him. Another great source is the transcript of an interview for the Australians at War Film Archive. This is available as Occasional Paper 14: on the NHSA website.

Mac was born in Geelong in February 1922. His Father was a Steward in the Navy based at Osborne House with the J class Submarines, having served previously in the British Army in WW1. His Dad generally worked for Admirals, mostly it was the first Naval Member, and Mac’s early childhood was spent in Toorak where he attended Christchurch Grammar. In later years the family moved to Coburg where he attended Coburg High.

Cadt Midshipman Mackenzie Gregory, aged 17, on board H.M.A.S. Australia 12^th of October 1939

At age 13, Mac was successful in applying to be being accepted into RAN Naval College, then situated at Flinders’ Naval Depot, now known as HMAS Cerberus. Due to graduate in 1939, Mac’s year didn’t graduate but were instead sent to sea owing to the probability of war. An iconic photograph was published in the Sun News- pictorial in September 1939 of Cadet Midshipman Mackenzie Gregory on the foredeck of HMAS Australia looking at the guns preparing for war. Mac’s war turned out to be either at sea or on courses in England. And what a war it was! The first 9 months of the war in HMAS Australia were spent around the Australian coast and between May and July 1940 Australia was engaged in convoy duties and whilst base at Scapa Flow they were sent up to Bear Island, 900 miles from the North Pole. In September 1940 Australia was a unit of the Dakar Squadron, as part of Operation Menace to neutralise the French Fleet. She was engaged in the general bombardment of French ships and was subject to air attack by the French. In a further bombardment she sustained two hits aft and her Walrus aircraft was shot down. After that they spent time in the Mediterranean on convoy duty to Malta. Back in the UK they were based at Liverpool and in dry dock to repair damage received. It was December 1940 and Liverpool was badly bombed over three nights with a 500 lb bomb hitting the side of the dock. Part of a Middy’s job at the time was to rush around the upper deck and kick off the incendiaries that landed there over the side!

Back at sea the ship successfully rescued 9 crew members of 13 from a Sutherland Flying boat which having run out of fuel landed in the ocean in the face of an Atlantic gale! A dramatic story on its own.

Promoted Acting Sub-Lieutenant, his ship rounded the cape enroute to Aden and then into the Mediterranean. Then to Cape Town, Durban and Ceylon where he and his colleagues enjoyed 3 weeks leave. The midshipmen the returned to the UK by troop ship to undertake their Sub-Lieutenant’s courses, some of which was conducted in Brighton where they were subjected to heavy bombing. The threat of invasion was very real and at times they were called out to go and man the beaches overnight.

Back to Australia by troop ship via Halifax and the Panama Canal. Whilst home Mac got engaged to his childhood sweetheart Gladys.

Posted to HMAS Canberra and now in the war against Japan Canberra took the last troops into Singapore in February 1942, then undertook convoy work before returning to Sydney in May. Canberra was in Sydney harbour when the midget sub marines attacked on May 31^st/ June 1. Mac. commented that “It was a mad night in Sydney.”

HMAS Canberra was later part of the bombardment force for Operation Watchtower, the attack on Guadalcanal. Mac mentions Major Martin Clements, the extremely courageous and able Coastwatcher on Guadalcanal who provided vital information to the Americans. Martin was a very active member of our Victoria Chapter, and he shared his experiences with us. Indeed, a very brave man.

The subsequent Battle of Savo Island commenced on August 9, 1942 and Mac has covered it in great detail on his website. It makes gripping reading!. Mac commented in his book, and I quote, “Serving as a Sub-Lieutenant RAN in HMAS Canberra, I was on her bridge as her Officer of the Watch when the Battle of Savo Island commenced on August 9,1942, we were subsequently sunk, losing eighty-four dead, with another one hundred and ten wounded.”

After survivor leave, Mac was posted to HMAS Adelaide. During this time whilst not far out of Fremantle on convoy duty they came across a merchant ship which turned out to be the German raider Ramses. In combination with a Dutch ship, the Heemscherk they sank her and whilst they were hauling in the German sailors, up paddled a dog and cat which got preferential treatment! They also rescued 10 allied merchant ship captains who had been captured by the Germans.

His next posting was to HMAS Shropshire and how he reached his ship, is a story on its own. It involved train to Brisbane and then finding a way to obtain priority on a flight to Manus Island in an American DC3. It took two days to fly there sitting on the floor amongst the mail in an unheated plane. When he reached Manus, no one knew where his ship was. He sat for 2 days in a hut in heavy rain, but when it cleared there was Shropshire about 600 yards away, anchored in the harbour. Mac was subsequently to write “I recall with affection the Officers and sailors who formed the crew of HMAS Shropshire at their peak 1280, the best ship, with the best ships company it was ever my privilege to serve in.”

In January 1945 Shropshire was in action firing full 8” gun broadsides in a softening up operation prior to landings by US Marines at Lingayen Gulf in the Philippines. The ship had been subjected to several Kamikaze attacks from Japanese aircraft, and had some close calls, but shot down several of their attackers Their port pom pom was an 8 barrelled anti-aircraft gun, each barrel capable of firing 800 rounds a minute. Leading Seaman Roy Cazaly was Captain of the gun mounting, and an incredible marksman. On January 6, Mac was Officer of the Watch on Shropshire’s bridge and squinting into the sun when he saw an aircraft diving straight for the bridge. They cleared the bridge, and flattened out on the deck of the bridge wing. There was a tremendous explosion; liquid splashed all around them. Immediate thoughts were that it was petrol which would burst into flames at any moment! With great relief Mac found it was salt water. Roy Cazaly had swung his gun around and shot the enemy plane in two. His skill saved Mac’s life and he never forgot him. Roy received The Distinguished Service Medal for his efforts! Roy was the son of ‘Up there, Cazaly’ the hero of Mike Brady’s song!

As the allies pushed north towards Japan, Shropshire took part in many landings, was subjected to the horrors of the dreadful Kamikaze attacks, and yet had not lost one man to enemy action. She was a lucky and very efficient ship, extremely well equipped to repel aircraft. Just how well she was equipped and how it occurred to be so, is a delightful story on Mac’s website. It was, however with great trepidation that they faced that next and final operation, the invasion of Japan.

Shipmates cheered and were most thankful that Harry Truman made the decision to use ‘The bomb’. Following the capitulation of Japan, Shropshire set off from Subic Bay for Tokyo Bay arriving on 31 August. The surrender was signed on September 2 on board US Missouri in Tokyo Bay.

Mac. spent the entire 1939-1945 conflict at sea or overseas, in HMA Cruisers Australia Canberra, Adelaide and Shropshire, and in the Royal Navy schools in the UK, carrying out his Sub-Lieutenant’s courses. Shropshire was chosen to take the victory contingent to England and Mac. stayed on in the UK to qualify, in Royal Navy schools as a Torpedo Anti-Submarine Officer, and upon return to Australia he was posted to the destroyer HMAS Warramunga. Some welcome shore time ensued from 1950 to 1953 when he served as Aide-de-Camp to the Governor General, Sir William Mc Kell at Government House Canberra.

In his final posting, Mac. served as Fleet Torpedo Anti-Submarine Officer on the staff of the Flag Officer Commanding the Australian Fleet, in the aircraft-carrier HMAS Vengeance. Vengeance was part of the escort which accompanied the Queen during her visit to Australia in 1954 and members of the crew formed the Queen’s guard of 120 sailors who accompanied her Majesty throughout her visit. Mac, in company with his friend LCDR (later CMDR) Hugh Jarrett and Lieutenant Stacey, were part of the guard and accompanied her Majesty all around Australia. Jarrett and Stacey were the named officers and Mac was the spare. When the Queen was visiting Canberra, Mac told Stacey to be sick and he and Hugh officiated!

In September 1954, after 20 years of service and at age 33, he resigned his commission.

When the USS Canberra visited Melbourne, in the 60’s, Mac arranged for his son, Raymond, to be christened in the ships bell, with the CO of Canberra proudly standing as God father. In 2001, as a result of extensive lobbying by Mac and his friends, the US Navy decided to present the USS Canberra Bell to Australia as an act of friendship and to celebrate the 50^th anniversary of the signing of the ANZUS treaty. It was to take place on 10 September 2001 whilst our Prime Minister, John Howard was visiting Washington DC. Both Mac and his second wife, Denise were invited to attend. Both President Bush and John Howard mentioned Mac in their speeches, and chatted to them both later. Mac and Denise were due to fly back home the next day, however this was cancelled owing to a request from John Howard to go with him to Arlington cemetery the next day in order to pay homage to the only Australian buried there. This request from the PM actually saved the lives of Mac and Denise. The flight they had been booked on was American Airlines Flight 77, the flight that was crashed into the Pentagon without any survivors on 11 September 2001.

Mac and Gladys raised four children in total and had a happy life together, until, sadly Gladys died. Mac found happiness again some years later when he met Denise on a cruise. He died on 27 August 2014, aged 92. His family scattered his ashes from the end of Station Pier, Port Melbourne, in accordance with his wishes.

A dream held by both Mac and his friend Don Boyle for a Naval Memorial at Port Melbourne came to fruition on 27 November 2015, when the Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral Tim Barrett AO CSC RAN unveiled and dedicated a bronze statue of the lone sailor, ‘Answering the Call’. The statue is situated on the foreshore at Port Melbourne, opposite Dow Street, and is across the road from the former HMAS Lonsdale. The statue commemorates the men and women of all rates and ranks of the RAN who have served from colonial times, through war and peace, and serve today and into the future. He is looking out to sea, towards the entry to Port Phillip Bay at the Rip, no doubt dreaming of adventures to come.

Occasional Paper 93: Boxing in the Navy

October 6, 2020

By John Smith

John Smith, our senior researcher, joined the RAN College in 1946 and retired as a Commander having specialised in gunnery. He served in many RAN ships and had operational service in Korea, the Malayan Emergency and Vietnam. Post navy he had various managerial positions, the last being CEO of the Sydney Maritime Museum. He is a former Vice President and has been a volunteer since 2003.

Aeons ago, when I was serving in the Navy, junior officers and ordinary seamen were expected to be able to Box the compass. That is that they should be able to recite the compass points of the magnetic compass in clockwise order and this in the days when gyro compasses were practically universally installed in warships. Indeed the 1964 Seamanship Manual still contained the magnetic compass rose.

However, this article is about a different form of boxing, i.e. the often so called gentlemanly art of boxing in accordance with the Queensberry rules. For many years it was a popular public spectator sport. How many of you remember taking a tram from the city to that ramshackle building, the Rushcutters Bay Stadium in Sydney to watch a boxing match (when it was built it was the largest roofed in structure in the World and held 12000 people).

It is therefore to be expected that it should be popular in the navy. After all, it was easy to set up if space was available for the ring and suitable superstructure nearby from which the crew could watch and barrack. There was always plenty of rope to fence it off and it could be carried out either at sea or in harbour, onboard or ashore.

In the twentieth century it was considered to be an official Naval sport and the rules for matches were included in the book “The Royal Navy and Royal Marines Sports Handbook”.

The earliest reference I can find to boxing in the Royal Navy is quoted in Michael Palin’s book “Erebus The Story at A ship” where on New Year’s day 1842, the crew of HMS Terror, then in the Antarctic came across to Erebus and danced on deck until five in the morning, after which there were one or two pugilistic matches in the forecastle, which peaceably ended.

In the Navy, boxing was a popular inter departmental and internship competition, and the first annual Royal Australian Navy Boxing championships were held in June 1920.

In 1921, the firm WJ Sanders crafted the solid silver Colin Rodgers Cup for the annual Fleet boxing championship. It is now in the Naval Heritage Collection.

Another interesting trophy which is on display in the RAN Heritage Centre, Garden Island, Sydney is the 2UW/Daily Telegraph Boxing Tournament Shield competed by the Navy, Army & Air Force and which was won by the Navy.

The first RAN Fleet Championship in June 1920 may well have been a preparatory event for the Naval Boxing event held on 5 July 1920 to mark the visit of the Prince of Wales. It was open to the public.

In the Royal Navy in World War I, the Grand Fleet spent much of its time in Scapa Flow which was not exactly a tourist attraction or indeed, good run ashore. The following extract from Australia’s Argonauts by Peter Jones is an interesting, report of the newly formed RAN’s boxing prowess. “In dealing with this morale challenge Admiral Jellicoe and his successor Admiral Beatty were able to sustain generally good morale. They did so by an active sea training regime and a vigorous sporting program. The centerpiece of the latter was the annual boxing championship.

In 1917 it was held on 22-23 August onboard the battleship HMS Ajax at anchor in Scapa Flow. In the lead up to the event ships conducted preliminary contests in the different weight divisions to decide upon their ship’s champions. To the surprise of the Grand Fleet officers the Australian midshipmen figured prominently in the officers’ bouts. Thousands of Grand Fleet officers and sailors watched from any upper deck vantage point to view the boxing ring set up on the battleship’s deck. In the preliminary fights, Leigh Watkins, Hugh MacKenzie, Harry Showers and Dick Cunningham all won their preliminary bouts. Frank Larkins was then unlucky to lose his match. Perhaps the most memorable match of the first day was Frank Getting’s light heavyweight match which had to be stopped in his favour. At the end of the day a Jervis Bay midshipman was left to contest the finals in each weight division. The following afternoon, Admiral Beatty and other flag officers, viewed the hard-fought finals from ringside seats. Dick Cunningham after weeks of sweating down and starving won the bantamweight championship bout with a technical knock-out in the first round. Harry Showers and Hugh MacKenzie had to fight each other in the preliminary final. Hugh MacKenzie won on points and then went on to win the middleweight in great style. Beatty presented the cups to the winners and Harry Showers received a good loser prize. Norman Calder wrote that he witnessed a great victory for Australia and wrote to Commander Grant (at RANC) with the stunning results.”

Some of the Grand Fleet boxing Championships were held ashore at Flotta.

Back in Australia, boxing tournaments were also held at shore establishments such as Cerberus, Leeuwin and Nirimba. They were considered an important part of the training of cadet midshipmen at the Royal Australian Naval College as the following extract from Work Hard Play Hard, The Royal Australia Naval College 1813-1988 by LCDR I J Cunningham shows. “The ‘manly art of self defence’ was taught at the college as part of PT, with the first official tournament of matches between cadets being conducted in July 1918. The competitors were matched by weight and were all volunteers. Boxing was apparently not as popular as college authorities would have liked, because as a consequence of the disappointing number of entries for 1919, the decision was made that all cadets should enter the 1920 tournament. This set the pattern of boxing at the college for over forty years.

As is usual in boxing, all combatants were graded by weight. The age range of cadets, at least until 1956, was 13-17 years of age, and the weight divisions, starting from the “Paperweight” Division, were correspondingly diminutive. The “Heavyweight” Division was rarely contested. Preliminary elimination bouts were held to determine the last two contenders in each weight division, after which the boxing tournament culminated in a gala occasion as the finalists fought out their respective championships. Trophies were awarded to the victors with the overall best exponent being awarded the “Shelley cup”. The good losers received a cake, a traditional college reward and probably, from the point of view of a cadet, more immediately gratifying than any metal memento.

The boxing finals became a feature social and sporting event, and at FND were held at night, with the ring set up in the gymnasium, surrounded by seating for spectators (mainly officers, masters and their wives and the ship’s company).

Boxing continued at the college until 1976 although the last recorded tournament in the college magazine is for 1975. By the 1970s, compulsory participation had ceased, but with the increased numbers of cadets, there was never a lack of competitors. The reason for the cessation of boxing is not clear. One officer who as a cadet the time and who participated in the last tournament stated that he believed one officer’s wife was appalled at the ‘brutality’ and left the gymnasium in tears, shortly afterwards, boxing was discontinued at the college. On the other hand, social attitudes may have influenced those in command as boxing at all levels declined in popularity in the 1970s. In the 1980s, HMAS Nirimba was the only naval establishment that persisted with boxing of any kind. Instruction in boxing or the sponsoring of tournaments ceased thought out the RAN by 1985.”

Another occasion on which RAN boxing prowess was demonstrated occurred in the Mediterranean Fleet. In 1934 to 1936, HMAS Australia had an exchange cruise with HMS Kent in that Fleet. The following is an extract from the cruise book. “It was very soon after our arrival in the Old Country that the opportunity for gathering boxing bouquets was thrust upon the ship. Owing to injuries, a vacancy had occurred in the Royal Navy team in training at the P and RT School, Portsmouth for the Imperial Services Championships to be held at Aldershot. This was in the heavyweight division.

Rumors of our fistic capabilities had drifted across to Pitt Street, with the result that PO Writer Wilson was asked to step into the breach at the last minute to do battle for the Royal Navy. This on reputation alone. Caught somewhat out of condition, but mindful of the honour of the occasion, Wilson made the most of the short time available and journeyed to Aldershot, where he succeeded in annexing the heavyweight title of the Imperial Services. This is believed to be the instance of an Australian securing a Services title, and reflected very favorably on the ship.

The stage (or rather the ring) next shifted to Alexandria for the 1936 Championships of the Mediterranean Fleet. The number of the ships and the total personnel had increased enormously by the concentration necessitated by the political situation, and it was apparent that in each section and division a considerable amount of elimination would be necessary.

All boxing was held on board the “Glorious” where a spacious hangar provided ideal accommodation. The Novices was the first section called up for settlement. In this division, Leading Seaman Curtis succeeded in taking out the final of the Light-Heavies and A.C. Barnes was runner-up in the Welterweight. “Australia” came out of the tournament 5 points behind the winner, “Glorious” but on top of the Cruiser section.

In the Amateur Championships following. We took the 1st and 2^nd in the Heavies (P.O.Wtr. Wilson and Stoker Hill), and 1st in the Middleweight (Ldg.Smn. Madden). In addition, Ord. Smn. Hillen reached the final in the Featherweight and A.B. Ward the final in the Lightweight divisions. Although this tournament was not run on a “team” basis, we headed the list in final placings.

Followed a brief respite before the competitors in the Open section were called upon to shape up for eliminating. The unrestricted class gave the ship’s popular and well-known professional, Wall Hancock, a chance to gather glory for his ship. Wally had previously been bringing his ship’s name to the fore with his successes among the civilians, from four starters in the Open section we collected three titles – Heavy (P.O.Wtr. Wilson) Middle (Stoker Hancock) and Welter (Ldg.Smn Madden). This also secured the aggregate in final results, and is, we believe, without precedent on the Station. That one ship could secure three such titles speaks volumes for the prowess and keenness of our glove-throwers, and has left behind a very respected reputation in this branch of sport.

In summary, our successes on the cruise were as follows;

Imperial Services Heavyweight, 1935 – P.O.Wtr. Wilson

Mediterranean Fleet Championship 1935

Novices

Won Light Heavyweight (Ldg.Smn Curtis)
2^nd Welterweight (A.B. Barnes)

(won Cruisers’ Aggregate)

Amateurs

Won Heavyweight (P.O.Wtr. Wilson)

2^nd Heavyweight (Sto Hill)

Won Middleweight (Ldg.Smn Madden)

(Fleet Finals Aggregate)

Open

Won Heavyweight (P.O.Wtr. Wilson)

Won Middleweight (Sto Hancock)

Won Middleweight (Ldg.Smn Madden)

(Fleet Finals Aggregate).

In addition to the ratings mentioned above, the following men threw punches in the Mediterranean Fleet Championships, and thus did their share towards our fistic fame: – A.B. Lergessner, Ord.Smn. Dawson, Stoker Burrows, A.B. McDonald, A.B. Rimmer, Ord.Smn. Sanderson and Blk.Petersen.”

1922 RAN Boxing Tournament – Winners & Runners Up

Boxing is no longer an official sport in the R.A.N. Perhaps, interestingly, in the December 2019 issue of the Proceedings of the US Naval Institute is an article by Petty Officer McCoy titled BOXING CAN BOOST THE NAVY’S FIGHTING SPIRIT in which he recommends the reinstatement of boxing in the United States Navy.

Occasional Paper 92: First Royal Australian Navy Victoria Cross: Ordinary Seaman Edward “Teddy” Sheean.

October 6, 2020

By Dr John K Haken

The Victoria Cross for Australia continues the traditions of the Imperial Victoria Cross as our highest award for bravery. Like several other Commonwealth countries, Australia adopted a local honour system but retained the Victoria Cross as the principal bravery award. 96 Victoria Crosses were awarded to Australians under the Imperial system since the Boer War and subsequently 4 Victoria Crosses for Australia. However, none of these awards were made to naval personnel. A procedure sometimes followed in the past was to approve a lesser Award including the recent posthumous naval award to ordinary seaman Teddy Sheean.

Victoria Crosses Awarded

A total of 1358 Victoria Crosses have been awarded to 1355 recipients to date. Of these 96 have been awarded to Australian servicemen. The following table provides the numbers awarded to Commonwealth naval personnel.

Award System	Navy	Number Awarded	Notes
Victoria Cross, Imperial	Royal Navy	117	I.
	Royal Australian Navy	0
	Royal Canadian Navy	3
	Royal New Zealand Navy	0
Victoria Cross for Australia	Royal Australian Navy	1 of 5 to RAN personnel	II.
Victoria Cross for Canada	Royal Canadian Navy	0	III.
Victoria Cross for New Zealand	Royal New Zealand Navy	0 of 1 to RNZN personnel	IV.

Notes

68 to ship-based Royal Navy personnel, 49 to other Royal Navy Services. The majority of awards employed the dark blue for the navy which was replaced on 22 May 1920 by the crimson ribbon previously specified for the army. The first Victoria Cross recipient was a sailor.
Victoria Cross for Australia was instituted in 1991

Victoria Cross for Canada was instituted in 1993

Victoria Cross for New Zealand was instituted in 1999

The recent much belated posthumous award of the Victoria Cross for Australia^[i] ^[ii]and replacement of the Mention in Despatches^[iii] follows years of agitation and several enquiries.

As Sheean’s Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Commander D. Richards did not provide a recommendation the Honours and Awards Tribunal denied the award of a Victoria Cross because “his actions did not reach the particularly high standards required for recommendation of a Victoria Cross” However Sheeans heroism and sacrifice, has been remembered and commemorated by many others. Eight of these commemorations are now described.

The Sheean Memorial consisting of a bass relief sculpture of Sheean in uniform is located in the main street of Latrobe, Northern Tasmania. It is at the entrance to the Sheean Walk of Remembrance. The Sheean Walk is 1.2 kilometres in length and features plaques relevant to conflicts of Word War 2 and later in Korea, Malaya, Borneo and Vietnam campaigns in which Australia was involved. During 2001 a plaque was unveiled following the commissioning of HMAS Sheean. Both the memorial and Walk projects were initiatives of the Latrobe Council financed by public subscription. The memorial was officially opened on 12 December 1992.

Teddy Sheean Memorial Relief at Latrobe Tasmania

Another memorial also in Northern Tasmania was erected by the RAN Corvettes Association of Australia and dedicated on 1 October 1987. The memorial is located in Shropshire Naval Memorial Park, Dial Street Ulverstone.

The Teddy Sheean Memorial Grants Program established by the Tasmanian Government through the Department of Communities in 2014 initially for 3 years provides grants for the maintenance of war memorials. The program was continued in 2018-2019 for another 3 years. The budget being $100,000 per year, distributed in 2 rounds of grants, each of $50,000.

The Royal Australian Navy honoured Teddy Sheean, by naming a Collins Class submarine HMAS Sheean. Sheeancommissioned on 23 February 2001. This was the first occasion a vessel of the RAN was named after a rating. The submarine was launched on 1 May 1999 by Mrs Ivy Hayes, a sister of Teddy Sheean. In addition the Sheean Award was established in the Seamanship School at HMAS Cerberus for the best trainee and the Ordinary Seaman Sheean Award for Gunnery was presented between 1986 and mid 1990’s for the Quartermaster/Boatswains Mate course.

The Australian Navy Cadets named a training unit NTS Sheean at Tewantin Queensland in his honour in 2003. The Veterans Affairs Minister announced in parliament that a full-size statue of Teddy Sheean will be erected in Latrobe. A painting of Teddy Sheean by Dale Marsh in 1978 firing his Oerlikon Gun on the deck of HMAS Armidale hangs in the Australian War Memorial. The bar at the Latrobe RSL Club is named The Sheean Bar as a lasting tribute.

Disquiet about the initial decision not to award a Victoria Cross continued over the decades and the matter was the subject of several enquires. The enquiry of 2013 (Valour Enquiry) recommended that The Victoria Cross for Australia not be awarded, a recommendation accepted by the Government. A second enquiry in 2019 by the Defence Honours and Awards Appeals Tribunal recommended that the award be made but the Government was not convinced and the award was not supported. As the matter was becoming a political issue, particularly in Tasmania, the Government appointed a third and independent enquiry. The enquiry was chaired by Dr Brendan Nelson, the former Director of the Australian War Memorial. The recommendation of this enquiry^[iv] to make the award was immediately accepted and acted upon by the Government of Australia.

The youngest of a large family of 14 children, Edward Sheean^[v] was born in northern Tasmania at Lower Barrington near Devonport on 28 December 1923. Soon after the family moved to Latrobe also adjacent to Devonport. Young Teddy worked as a farm labourer before enlisting in the Royal Australian Navy Reserve on 21 April 1941. After training in Hobart and Victoria he was posted to Sydney on 11 May 1942 and destined to form part of the crew of the newly constructed Bathurst Class minesweeper HMAS Armidale.

War service for HMAS Armidale commenced on 29 November 1942 when the vessel sailed for Timor in company of sister ship HMAS Castlemaine to evacuate troops and civilians. The ships escaped attack by Japanese aircraft after missing a rendezvous with the auxiliary patrol boat HMAS Kuru. Subsequently a decision was made that HMAS Kuru and HMAS Armidale would proceed independently to Timor. Unfortunately, enroute to Timor, HMAS Armidale^[vi] was torpedoed and bombed by Japanese aircraft.

After the order to abandon ship, Teddy Sheean although seriously wounded assisted in launching life rafts before manning his gun thus protecting the survivors. One aircraft was hit before Teddy Sheean sank with the ship on 1 December 1942 still firing. Of the 149 on board HMAS Armidale, there were 49 survivors.

[i] 1. Joint Media Release Prime Minister, Minister for Defence 10 August 2012

[ii] 2. R. Harris Sydney Morning Herald 12 August 2012

[iii] 3. London Gazette Supplement No 36072 2947 29 June 1943

[iv] 4. Historic Victoria Cross Report of Expert Panel 10 August 2012

[v] 5. N. Watson Edward Sheean Australian Dictionary of Biography Volume 16 Australian National University Australia 2002

[vi] 6. Kevin Smith, The sinking of HMAS Armidale on 1 December 1942, Occasional Paper No 9, Naval Historical Society of Australia published 1 July 2017

Article topics

The Sepik River

Fly River

River Passages by RAN Vessels

Mediterranean Fleet Championship 1935

Novices

Amateurs

Open

Victoria Crosses Awarded

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