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NAVAL-HISTORY.NET '.... excellent source for naval history ..... First and Second World Wars, campaign summaries and more.' Imperial War Museum, London

HMAS Sydney (NavyPhotos/Bruce Constable)

Act/Stoker 1c Leslie G Bowles C/KX 133234, HMS Achates, missing presumed killed 31 December 1942, RIP   CASUALTY LISTS of the ROYAL NAVY and DOMINION NAVIES by Don Kindell, Researcher   pre-World War 1 Submariners by Date   WORLD WAR 1 including RN Division by Date & Ship 1914 August - September - October - November - Battle of Coronel - December 1915 January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December 1916 January - February - March - April - May - Battle of Jutland - June - July - August - September - October - November - December New  1917 January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December 1918 to follow   Inter-War 1919-39   by Name Abbas-Byron, Cadagan-Eyres, Fahey-Izzard, Jackett-Myers, Nancarrow-Ryder, Sabiston-Zammit   by Date & Ship post-Armistice 1918 - 1919 - 1920 - 1921 - 1922 - 1923 - 1924 - 1925 - 1926 - 1927 - 1928 - 1929 - 1930 - 1931 - 1932 - 1933 - 1934 - 1935 - 1936 - 1937 - 1938 - 1939   WORLD WAR 2   by Name Aall-Azzopardi, Baatstoe-Bearder, Beardmore-Boddington, Boddy-Brougham, Broughton-Byworth, Cabban-Chutter, Ciappara-Cooney, Cooper-Czeruy, Dabb-Dickens, Dickenson-Dyson, Eachus-Ezard, Faal-Fyvie, Gaal-Goodlip, Goodman-Gyss, Haag-Hawkridge, Hawksby-Hollands, Hollett-Hyslop, Iago-Justice, Kai-Kyte, La Barre-Lewington, Lewis-Lyver, M Nasu-Matten, Matthew-Mills, Millson-Myram, Na-Nye, Oakden-Ozon, Pace-Pettitt, Pettman-Pywell, Qadir-Quy, Rabbitt-Roach, Roan-Ryrie, Sa’at-Simm, Simmance-Spiller, Spillett-Szymalski, Taafe-Thorley, Thorn-Tyte, Udai-Vyner, Wackett- Webster, Wedderburn-Williams, Williamson-Wythes, Xerri-Zurek   by Date & Ship 1939 September - October - November - December 1940 January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December 1941 January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December 1942 January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December 1943 January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December 1944 January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December 1945 January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August/September    Post-War (comprehensive expansion in preparation)   by Date & Ship  1945 - 1946 - 1947 - 1948 - 1949 - 1950 - 1951 - 1952 - 1953 - 1954 - 1955 - 1956-59 - 1960-69 - 1970-79 - 1980-89 - 1990-99 - 2000-present   WORLD WAR 2 NAVAL and MILITARY BACKGROUND by Gordon Smith, Naval-History.Net   1939 Atlantic & Europe at the Start Battle of Atlantic starts, River Plate   1940 Invasion of Norway, Blitzkrieg, Dunkirk Italy at war, France falls Mediterranean at the Start Battle of Britain U-boats in Atlantic, Taranto   1941 Cape Matapan, Crete, Hunt for 'Bismarck' Invasion of Russia, Malta Convoys Indian & Pacific Oceans at the Start Pearl Harbor, 'Repulse' & 'Prince of Wales'   1942 Singapore falls, 'Channel Dash' Russian convoys, St Nazaire, Sirte Gulf Dieppe, Midway, Alamein, Guadalcanal N Africa Landings, Stalingrad, Barents Sea   1943 Battle for Tunis, Battle of Atlantic peaks Sicily, Kursk, Salerno, 'Tirpitz' attacked Aegean, 'Scharnhorst' sunk, Burma   1944 Russian convoy battles, Anzio, Cassino Normandy, V-1's, Saipan, S of France U-boat Inshore campaign, V.2's, Leyte Gulf   1945 Iwo Jima, Okinawa, Defeat of Germany A-Bombs dropped, Defeat of Japan     Dedications     This site is partly dedicated to my father, Ordnance Artificer George Smith (above at Gibraltar in 1942, before Malta convoy Operation 'Pedestal'), lost in the sinking of HMS Charybdis (below) off the Brittany coast on 23rd October 1943. Few crew survived and just a handful of bodies were washed ashore on Guernsey.   When they were buried by the German authorities, thousand's of Channel Islander's attended, and ever since, Guernsey has commemorated the cruiser's loss, usually with a Royal Navy guardship present - an unusual honour given the thousands of British warships and auxiliaries sunk in two World Wars alone. In 2003, Guernsey Post issued a stamp bearing a painting of HMS Charybdis as well as Hunt-class escort destroyer HMS Limbourne, torpedoed at the same time (by T-type small destroyers, not E-boats as often described). I am grateful to Guernsey Post for permission to reproduce this rather beautiful stamp.     ©Guernsey Post Limited 2003   ..... it is also dedicated to my grandfather, Chief Yeoman of Signals George Smith DSM. He joined the Royal Navy in 1904, and was sunk twice in World War 1 - destroyer HMS Medusa and cruiser HMS Cassandra. Post-war, he served with the North Russian Expeditionary Force 1919, cruised the Baltic in 1921, escorted the Prince of Wales on his Round-the-World Tour in 1923 and was on the China Station in the 1920's. He joined the Royal Naval Shore Signal Service in 1928 and served as a Chief Officer (photograph above) through World War 2 and into the 1950's.   He was an early and avid photographer, and perhaps because of his experiences as a Signalman, a natural communicator. A lovely man, I am proud to continue making all his work available on the Internet. He would have appreciated and understood the value of the Web.     Comments   'Naval History Net - excellent source for naval history of the First and Second World Wars, campaign summaries and more.' - Imperial War Museum (London)   'an absolutely splendid site, invaluable for unravelling the intricacies of naval warfare - the perfect complement to the more general history of the wars' - Bamber Gascoigne of University Challenge, now www.historyworld.net.   'a superb introduction to the war at sea and the Royal Navy in particular'. Also listed in the  author's Top Ten Military Sites - A Guide to Military History on the Internet by Simon Fowler, Pen & Sword 2007   'simply one of the most comprehensive sources of Royal Naval historical information online, ...... an invaluable resource for historians, genealogists ...' - Britain at War, February 2008   Naval-History.Net started in 1998 with books written by Gordon Smith:   'an invaluable reference book on the war at sea (in World War 2) .... as well as an informative guide to naval strategy', Lloyds List   'contributed tremendously to my knowledge of the war', Francois Heisbourg, Director, International Institute for Strategic Studies, London     For more information   Download Naval History research (Word file, 50Kb zipped)   Search Google and other search engines; try a good Local Library   Links Page - selected Internet sites, arranged by subjects           Naval-History.Net site search     WORLD WAR 1, 1914-18                 revised ROAD TO WAR, Franco-Prussian War to Sarajevo, 1871-1914 New  EXPANSION and ORGANISATION of the IMPERIAL GERMAN NAVY 1897-1918 - A Note         MEN         CASUALTY LISTS of the Royal Navy and Dominion Navies, 1914-1918 in Date Order by Don Kindell   George W Smith DSM (left), Chief Yeomen of Signals, 1888-1977, his service record Samuel R Hitchin, First Mate, SS Highland Brae, his Diary as a POW on German auxiliary cruiser Kronprinz Wilhelm in 1915 John R Hunter, Lieutenant RNVR, later Captain OBE, RCNVR, 1892-1971, Canadian Motor Launch skipper, his photographic record William T G Jones, Seaman, lost with collier SS Mersario, torpedoed by U.39 off the Moroccan Atlantic coast, 1 October 1917                   SHIPS         British Vessels Lost at Sea including Naval, Merchant Ships and Fishing Vessels, from "British Vessels Lost at Sea, 1914-18", HMSO   British - Elco-built Motor Launches                   NAVIES         Austro-Hungarian Navy French Navy Hellenic or Greek Navy Imperial Japanese Navy Turkish or Ottoman Navy United States Navy                   MEDALS         New Victoria Cross at Sea, including RN Division and Royal Marines 1914-1919 New Albert Medal at Sea, including Merchant Navy and British Army, also one award of the Edward Medal 1915-1919 New Medal of Honor, US Navy and Marine Corps 1915-1918 New Pour le Merité or "Blue Max", Imperial German Navy including naval aviation           INTER-WAR, 1918-39       MEN         CASUALTY LISTS of the Royal Navy and Dominion Navies, 1918-1939 in Date and Name Order* by Don Kindell                   SHIPS         Royal Navy WARSHIP SERVICE Summaries by Lt Cdr G Mason                   EVENTS         Versailles Treaty to Polish Blitzkrieg 1919-39 Russian Civil War 1919 North Russian Expeditionary Force 1919 Baltic Sea Cruise by the Royal Navy 1921 Point Honda Disaster of the US Navy 1923           WORLD WAR 2, 1939-45       MEN         CASUALTY LISTS of the Royal Navy and Dominion Navies, 1939-1945 * by Don Kindell   George Smith (left), CPO/Ordnance Artificer, 1916-43, his service record Horace Carswell DSM, MM, BEM, Chief Steward, and Russian Convoy PQ.17 Sidney Kerslake RNR, Leading Seaman, 1920-99, Norwegian campaign and Russian Convoys Edward Palmer BEM, Coxswain, Naval Harbourmaster launch and attack on HMS Foyle Bank July 1940 Harold Siddall, Stoker, 1916-97, from Scapa Flow to Crete, and on to a German Stalag Henry Sutton, Petty Officer, HMS Blackpool, and his Letter from Normandy, June 1944   Frank Taylor, Able Seaman, HMS Scarab, Mediterranean service 1943-44 Maurice Whiteing, Leading Air Mechanic, HMS Indomitable in the Far East, 1944-1945, photographic record Basil Woolf MID, Petty Officer, the Battle for Walcheren, 1st November 1944                   SHIPS           SERVICE HISTORIES of Royal Navy Warships in World War 2  - by Name, by Type and Class* by Lt Cdr G Mason including New Class background   Major BRITISH WARSHIP LOSSES * with commanding officers, loss locations and casualties British Naval Losses * by Name, Date, Theatre, Type of ship, from "British Vessels Lost at Sea, 1939-45", HMSO   Capture of British Yard Minesweeper BYMS-72 during the 1943 Aegean Campaign Thames Barges at War, off the British & US Normandy beaches HM Harbour Defence Motor Launch No.1001, RN and later career HMS Indomitable in the Far East 1944-45, a photographic record                   ROYAL NAVY         Naval Life and Customs by Lt-Cdr John Irving RN - a gem of a book Ranks, Trades, Pay & Allowances, Badges of Rank 1942 Warrant Officers in the Royal Navy - a history Officer/Rating Relationships in the Royal Navy 1941-1972 Pennant Numbers - with Addendum on the Pacific 1944-45  by Lt Cdr G Mason                   CAMPAIGNS, BATTLES, EVENTS         BRITISH and OTHER NAVIES in World War 2, Day-by-Day by Don Kindell - Ship Movements, Actions, Losses *   ROYAL, DOMINION and ALLIED NAVIES Month-by-Month across all Theatres*   Naval and Military CAMPAIGN SUMMARIES by Type of Warfare, Navies, Theatres *   Royal Navy, Royal Marine, Single-Ship Battle Honours 1939-45, with links to Campaigns Naval-related Code Names - Alphabetically - Chronologically by Lt Cdr G Mason Royal Navy Minelaying Operations by Lt Cdr G Mason                   CONVOYS         CONVOY ESCORT MOVEMENTS of ROYAL and DOMINON NAVY VESSELS by Don Kindell  including Armed Merchant Cruisers, Canadian Corvettes   "THE SUPPLY OF MALTA 1940-1942", including the Malta Convoys by the late Arnold Hague   "ROUTE TO THE EAST" - the WS (Winston’s Special) Convoys * by the late Arnold Hague   Russian Convoys including Russian Front Summary Maps   Allied Convoy Codes, courtesy HyperWar Foundation                   MEDALS         Victoria Cross at Sea, 1940-45 George Cross, Empire Gallantry Medal, Albert Medal at Sea, 1939-45 Medal of Honor at Sea, 1941-45*   Imperial Japanese Navy and Order of the Golden Kite - A Note                   TECHNICAL         Allied Anti-Submarine Weapons - A Note High Frequency Radio Direction Finding - HF/DF or Huff Duff - in RN Warships New Zealand's Contribution to Radar Development in World War 2 Hydrographic Survey Work in the RN up to the 1980's  all by Lt Cdr G Mason SOS - The Early Days of Wireless at Sea by Louis C. Kleber                   MAPS, POSTERS, MAGAZINES, VE-DAY         Campaign and Battle Maps Posters of the Royal Navy in World War 2 Service Magazines of the World's Forces VE Celebrations and the Forces taking part in London, June 1946             POST-WAR, 1945-present       MEN         CASUALTY LISTS of the Royal Navy 1945-present * by Don Kindell                   SHIPS         Royal Navy WARSHIP SERVICE Summaries by Lt Cdr G Mason   Loch-class Frigates in the Dutch East Indies 1945-1946 Salvage Operations by RN Frigates 1950-1964 Modernisation of Town and Colony-class Light Cruisers  all by Lt Cdr G Mason                   EVENTS         Royal Navy Chronology - 1946-1950 - 1951-1960 - 1961-1970 by Lt Cdr G Mason   "BATTLE ATLAS OF THE FALKLANDS WAR 1982" by Land, Sea and Air *   Passing Through - a Photographic record of Ascension Island during the Falklands War                 * these pages have their own Custom Search         The wreck of HMAS Sydney (above left), tragically lost with all hands in action with Kormoran on the 19th November 1941 has been found in the Indian Ocean together with that of the German raider - click her for outline information and access to full details     SERVICE HISTORIES of Royal Navy Warships in World War 2 by Lt Cdr G Mason RN (Rtd) including New Class background   Names in bold include photo collections, personal reminiscences, or links out. *  histories not compiled by Lt Cdr Mason   also listed by