Naval History Podcast Series – Season 3

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Commander Greg Swinden and his expert panel of Lieutenant Tim Döbler (Federal German Navy), Rear Admiral James Goldrick and Dr David Stevens discuss the creation of the Royal Australian Navy and much more.

  • Commander Greg Swinden and his expert panel of Lieutenant Tim Döbler (Federal German Navy), Rear Admiral James Goldrick and Dr David Stevens discuss the creation of the Royal Australian Navy.

    Further reading: 
    • Feakes, White Ensign - Southern Cross: A Story of the King's Ships of Australia's Navy, Ure Smith Publication, 1951.
    • Stevens, D.M. The Australian Centenary History of Defence: The Royal Australian Navy, Volume III, Oxford University Press, 2001.

  • Commander Alastair Cooper and his expert panel of Vice Admiral Peter Jones, Mr Peter Shannon and Commander Greg Swinden discuss the role HMAS Adelaide played in the installation of a Free French regime in New Caledonia in 1942.

    Further reading: 
    • Gill, GH, Royal Australian Navy 1942-1945, Collins, 1968.
    • Jones, PD, Australia's Argonauts: The Remarkable Story of the First Class to enter the Royal Australian Navy, Echo Books, 2016.
    • Stevens, D.M. The Royal Australian Navy in World War II, Allen & Unwin, 1996.
    • Swinden, G. HMAS Adelaide 1922-1946: A Short History of the Cruiser, The Naval Historical Society of Australia, 1996.

  • Commander Greg Swinden and his expert panel of Commander Jerry Lattin, Commander Viv Littlewood, Dr Tristan Moss and Dr Brian McDonnell discuss the RAN's involvement in Papua New Guinea from 1945 to the lead up to independence.

    Further reading: 
    • Bastock,J, Australia's Ships of War, Angus & Robertson, 1975.
    • Moss,T, Guarding the Periphery: The Australian Army in Papua New Guinea, 1951-75, Cambridge University Press, 2017.

  • Commander Greg Swinden and his expert panel of Commodore Sam Bateman, Mr Jim Nockels and Commander Viv Littlewood discuss the RAN's involvement in the establishment of the Maritime Element of the Papua New Guinea Defence Force.

    Further reading: 
    • Bastock, J, Australia's Ships of War, Angus & Robertson, 1975.
    • Moss,T, Guarding the Periphery: The Australian Army in Papua New Guinea, 1951-75, Cambridge University Press, 2017.

  • Commander Greg Swinden and his expert panel of Commodore Sam Bateman, Commander Jerry Lattin, Commodore Lou Rago and Vice Admiral Chris Richie discuss the operations of patrol boats and landing craft in Papua New Guinea waters.

    Further reading: 
    • Bastock, J, Australia's Ships of War, Angus & Robertson, 1975.
    • Moss,T, Guarding the Periphery: The Australian Army in Papua New Guinea, 1951-75, Cambridge University Press, 2017.

  • Commander Alastair Cooper and his expert panel of Vice Admiral Peter Jones, Dr Joe Straczek, Dr Ian Pfennigwerth and Craig Collie discuss the creation of a RAN code-breaking capability in the interwar period. They go onto to discuss the formation of the Fleet Radio Unit Melbourne (FRUMEL).

    Further reading: 
    • Collie, C, Code Breakers: Inside the shadow world of signals intelligence in Australia's two Bletchley Parks, Allen & Unwin, 2017.
    • Jones, PD, Australia's Argonauts: The Remarkable Story of the First Class to enter the Royal Australian Navy, Echo Books, 2016.
    • Pfennigwerth, I, A Man of Intelligence: The life of Captain Theodore Eric Nave, Australian codebreaker extraordinary, Rosenberg Publishing. 2006.

  • Commander Alastair Cooper and his expert panel of Vice Admiral Peter Jones, Dr Joe Straczek, Dr Ian Pfennigwerth and Craig Collie discuss the operations of the Fleet Radio Unit Melbourne and its code-breaking legacy.

    Further reading: 
    • Collie, C, Code Breakers: Inside the shadow world of signals intelligence in Australia's two Bletchley Parks, Allen & Unwin, 2017.
    • Jones, PD, Australia's Argonauts: The Remarkable Story of the First Class to enter the Royal Australian Navy, Echo Books, 2016.
    • Pfennigwerth, I, A Man of Intelligence: The life of Captain Theodore Eric Nave, Australian codebreaker extraordinary, Rosenberg Publishing. 2006.

  • Commander Alastair Cooper and his expert panel of Dr Tom Lewis, Mr John Perryman and Dr David Stevens discuss the naval war in northern Australia against Japan during World War II.

    Further reading: 
    • Lewis, T, Darwin Sayonara, Boolarong, 1991.
    • Lewis, T, Wrecks in Darwin Waters, Turton and Armstrong, 1991.
    • Lewis, T, Sensuikan I-124, Tall Stories, 1997.
    • Lewis, T, A War at Home, Tall Stories, 1999.
    • Lewis, T, Zero Hour in Broome. Avonmore Books, 2010.
    • Lewis, T, Darwin's Submarine I-124. Avonmore Books, 2011.
    • Lewis, T, Carrier Attack. Avonmore Books, 2013.
    • Lewis, T, Honour Denied – Teddy Sheean, A Tasmanian Hero. Avonmore Books, 2016.
    • Lewis, T, The Empire Strikes South. Avonmore Books, 2017.
    • Stevens, D.M. The Royal Australian Navy in World War II, Allen & Unwin, 1996.

  • Commander Alastair Cooper & his expert panel of Dr Greg Gilbert, Mr John Jeremy & Dr David Stevens discuss the significant contribution Cockatoo Island Dockyard made to the RAN.

    Further reading: 
    • Jeremy, J, Cockatoo Island: Sydney's historic dockyard, UNSW Press, 1998.
    • Jeremy, J, The Island Shipyard - Shipbuilding at Cockatoo Island 1870-1987, 2014.
    • Visit www.cockatooisland.gov.au/visit/history
    • Stevens, D.M. The Australian Centenary History of Defence: The Royal Australian Navy, Volume III, Oxford University Press, 2001.

  • Commander Alastair Cooper and his expert panel of Dr Greg Gilbert, Mr John Jeremy and Dr David Stevens discuss the significant contribution Cockatoo Island Dockyard made to the RAN.

    Further reading: 
    • Jeremy, J, Cockatoo Island: Sydney's historic dockyard, UNSW Press, 1998.
    • Jeremy, J, The Island Shipyard - Shipbuilding at Cockatoo Island 1870-1987, 2014.
    • Visit www.cockatooisland.gov.au/visit/history
    • Stevens, D.M. The Australian Centenary History of Defence: The Royal Australian Navy, Volume III, Oxford University Press, 2001.

  • Commander Alastair Cooper and his expert panel of Commodore Hec Donohue, Mike Turner and Commander David Wright discuss the RAN's extensive mine warfare effort during World War II.

    Further reading: 
    • Gill, GH, Royal Australian Navy 1939-1942, Collins, 1957.
    • Gill, GH, Royal Australian Navy 1942-1945, Collins, 1968.
    • Jones, PD, Australia's Argonauts: The Remarkable Story of the First Class to enter the Royal Australian Navy, Echo Books, 2016.
    • Stevens, D.M. The Royal Australian Navy in World War II, Allen & Unwin, 1996.
    • Turner, M & Donohue, H, Australian Minesweepers at War, Seapower Centre Australia, 2018.

  • Vice Admiral Peter Jones and his expert panel of Dr Fred Lane, Commodore Norman Lee and Commodore Jack McCaffrie discuss the only wartime employment of an Australian aircraft carrier.

    Further reading: 
    • Frame, T.R., Goldrick, J.V. P & Jones, P.D. Reflections on the RAN, Kangaroo Press, 1991.
    • Stevens, D.M. The Australian Centenary History of Defence: The Royal Australian Navy, Volume III, Oxford University Press, 2001.
    • Australian Naval Aviation Museum, Flying Stations: A Story of Australian Naval Aviation, Allen & Unwin, 1998.

  • Professor Rob McLaughlin & his expert panel of Flight Lieutenant Greg Pierce, Mr Rick Pelvin & Mr Peter Poland discuss the dangerous but strategically important Tobruk Ferry Service during World War II.

    Further reading: 
    • Gill, GH, Royal Australian Navy 1939-1942, Collins, 1957.
    • Gill, GH, Royal Australian Navy 1942-1945, Collins, 1968.
    • Poland, A, Tobruk and Beyond: War Notes from the Mediterranean Station 1941-1943, 2018.
    • Stevens, D.M. The Royal Australian Navy in World War II, Allen & Unwin, 1996.

  • Professor Rob McLaughlin & his expert panel of rear Admiral Peter Briggs, Mr James McPherson & Mr Jim Smail discuss the tragic loss and remarkable discovery of HMA Submarine AE-1.

    Further reading: 
    • Jose, AW, The Official History of Australia in the War of 1914-18 Volume IX: The Royal Australian Navy, University of Queensland Press, 1981.
    • Stevens, DM, In All Respects Ready: Australia's Navy in World War One, Oxford University Press, 2014.
    • White, MWD, Australian Submarines: A History, Australian Teachers of Media, 2015.