The small fishing vessel MV Krait holds a special place in Australian maritime and military history. Named after a small deadly snake, it played an import part in Operation Jaywick’s which sank several Japanese ships anchored in Singapore Harbour in September 1943. This is the Krait’s story. The MV Krait started life as a JapaneseContinue reading “The Krait’s Remarkable Career”
Category Archives: Western Australia History
The Batavia Tragedy – 1629
On 4 June 1629, the Dutch East Indies Company (VOC) ship Batavia slammed into a reef off the Western Australian coast stranding some 340 people far from any help. But that was just the beginning of one of maritime history’s most appalling chapters. Forty or so people died when the ship broke apart but aContinue reading “The Batavia Tragedy – 1629”
The Life and Loss of HMSC MERMAID
Between 1818 and 1820 the small cutter HMSC Mermaid played an important role in charting Australia’s vast coastline. So, it is perhaps ironic that her last voyage should have been cut short on an uncharted reef off the north Queensland coast. The Mermaid was an 84-ton cutter launched in Calcutta in 1816. She arrived inContinue reading “The Life and Loss of HMSC MERMAID”
The Mystery of the Zuydorp
In August 1711 the Zuydorp sailed from the Netherlands bound for Batavia (Jakarta) in the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia). However, after rounding the Cape of Good Hope, the ship vanished without a trace. For more than 200 years the fate of the ship and all those on board her remained a mystery. The Zuydorp wasContinue reading “The Mystery of the Zuydorp”
Von Mucke’s Great Escape
Before the German Cruiser Emden was engaged by HMAS Sydney, a fifty-strong party was sent ashore at Cocos Island to destroy the telegraph station linking Australia to South Africa. As the two ships exchanged shells in a battle that lasted ten hours, the shore party could do little but watch on and hope for theContinue reading “Von Mucke’s Great Escape”
Tales from the Quarterdeck 