The Naval Historic Society (NHSA) now offers three Navy harbour cruises so you can learn about the Navy bases and activities from 1788 to the present. NHSA is a non-profit organization run by volunteers. A comprehensive commentary is provided supported by information and photos on TVs to bring the commentary to life. A complementary booklet with lots of information and photos is provided as a souvenir.
Each cruise visits several locations seen from the water. At the start of each cruise the strategic importance of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) will be covered as well as an overview of the RAN fleet today.
CRUISE 1 – WEST OF THE HARBOUR BRIDGEHMAS WATERHEN. The Navy mine warfare and clearance diver base.
Cockatoo Island. Learn about shipbuilding, ship repair and submarine refits. Also, the conversion of merchant ships to troop and hospital ships.
Spectacle Island. This is where the high explosive ammunition was held for the RAN ships.
Snapper Island. Where many young people were trained in Navy skills.
A virtual tour of HMAS VAMPIRE to learn what life was like on board at “action stations” on a Daring class destroyer.
CRUISE 2 – EAST OF THE HARBOUR BRIDGE
Dawe’s Point. The story of the observatory built by Lt William Dawes and the construction of the gun battery.Sydney Cove. The story of Fort Macquarie and the Navy activities to protect ships and the colony after the arrival of the first fleet
Garden Island. The first use of Garden Island as a garden and its later development. The construction of the Captain Cook Graving Dock was second largest project after the Snowy Mountain Scheme and larger than the construction of the harbour bridge. The story of the hammerhead crane and the role of HMAS KUTTABUL. The decision in 1987 to establish two Navy bases – Fleet Base East and Fleet Base West to cover both the Pacific and Indian oceans.
HMAS RUSHCUTTER. One of the oldest RAN shore bases, commissioned in 1920. A training facility for the Navy Reserve for anti-submarine, diving, and radar over the years.
Clarke Island. The storage of gun barrels during WW II. The midget submarines were brought here after they were salvaged.
Rose Bay. The story of HMAS TINGIRA that trained over 3,000 sailors from 1912 to 1927.
Watson’s Bay. HMAS WATSON the training centre for maritime warfare. Watson’s Bay was the home base for pilot boats and the lifeboat over the years.
Georges Head. The location of the western end of the boom net during WW II.
Chowder Bay. The base to protect the harbour by mines during the 1880’s. Now a fuel installation for the RAN.
Bradley’s Head. Ships were degaussed here during WW II to protect them against German magnetic mines. The story of our first battle and first victory involving HMAS SYDNEY I and the SMS EMDEN.
PLATYPUS. Home of the six OBERON class submarines in Neutral Bay. Find out what life was like on board a submarine. The current COLLINS class submarines are based at Henderson in Western Australia.
CRUISE 3 – THE JAPANESE MIDGET SUBMARINE ATTACK ON SYDNEY HARBOUR
This cruise visits all the “battlefield” locations where action occurred during the battle of Sydney on the night of 31st May and the morning of 1st June 1942.Lady Bay. This is where there was an underwater loop to detect ships coming into and leaving the main harbour.
Georges Head. The western end of the boom net to stop submarines from entering the harbour and where midget submarine M-27 was entangled in the net.
Taylors Bay. Midget submarine M-22 was destroyed here by depth charges.
Clarke Island. The salvaged submarines were taken here for inspection.
The location where midget submarine M-24 fired its torpedoes. The boat then follows the track of the torpedoes past the location of USS CHICAGO at her buoy to HMAS KUTTABUL at Garden Island where the torpedo exploded.
A comprehensive commentary and photos will be provided on the way to Lady Bay to set the scene in WW II both in the world and Australia.
A comprehensive commentary and photos will also be provided covering what happened after the attack, including the shelling of the eastern suburbs and Newcastle.
EVENT INFORMATION:
Cost: $70 per person (group of 10 or more rate). $75 for individuals.
Cruise Dates Last Friday of the month except December.
Check-in Time: 09:30am
Boarding Time: 09:45pm for 10:00am DEPARTURE
End Time: 1:00pm
Departure Point: King Street Wharf 3, Darling Harbour, Sydney NSW – opposite Erskine St
Access: Ferry to Barangaroo, or Train and walk from Wynyard or Town Hall Stations.
Vessel: MV BENNELONG operated by Caprice Charter Cruises Pty Ltd. This boat can take 70 people on board.
Refreshments: Morning tea is included
COVID Protocols: Pre-boarding checks and onboard procedures as determined by the operator.
SPECIAL NOTE: As this event is being conducted by the Naval Historical Society of Australia, a ‘not-for-profit’ organisation, the cruise can only proceed if sufficient tickets are sold to cover boat charter costs.In the event that sufficient tickets are not sold, a decision will be made 14 days prior to the event on whether to proceed or not.
If a cruise has to be cancelled by NHSA, all concerned will be advised and they will be offered a transfer to another cruise or a full refund of the ticket value (not including booking fee) will be made to ticket holders .
Ticket Cancellation/Refund Policy:More than 30 days full refund of ticket,
30 -15 days - 75 % of ticket value.
14 – 7 days - 50% of ticket value.
Less than 7 days – no refund