1.
Castlemaine, Victoria
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It is the administrative and economic centre of the Shire of Mount Alexander. The population at the 2011 Census was 6,751 and it was named by the chief goldfield commissioner, Captain W. Wright, in honour of his Irish uncle, Viscount Castlemaine. Castlemaine began as a gold rush boomtown in 1851 and developed into a regional centre, being officially proclaimed a City on 4 December 1965. It is home to cultural institutions including the Theatre Royal. The first European settlers named it Forest Creek and as the population grew it became known as Mount Alexander, in 1854, Chief goldfields commissioner, Captain W. Wright, renamed the settlement to Castlemaine in honour of his Irish uncle, Viscount Castlemaine. Castlemaine exists on the lands of the Dja Dja Wurrung people. They were regarded by other tribes as being a people, not only because of their rich hunting grounds. Early Europeans described the Dja Dja Wrung as a strong, physically well-developed people, nevertheless, the early years of European settlement in the Mount Alexander area were bloodied by clashes between intruder and dispossessed. Major Mitchell passed through the region in 1836, following his discovery, the first squatters arrived in 1837 to establish vast sheep runs. On 20 July 1851 gold was discovered near present-day Castlemaine at Specimen Gully on Barkers Creek, the gold was discovered by Christopher Thomas Peters, a shepherd and hut-keeper on the Barkers Creek, in the service of Dr William Barker on his Mount Alexander run. When the gold was shown in the quarters, Peters was ridiculed for finding fools gold. Barker did not want his workmen to abandon his sheep, and this letter was published on 8 September 1851. By the end of the year there were about 25,000 on the field, on 28 January 1852, William Henry Wright was one of nearly 200 men who were assigned or affirmed as Territorial Magistrates for Victoria. Not long after, he took control of the Mount Alexander diggings and set up a government camp on Forest Street near the junction of Barker and this was to be the new township of Castlemaine. The first reference in a newspaper to the township is found in the Geelong Advertiser of 13 March 1852 with the following notice. - The Lieutenant Governor has appointed John Fletcher, Esq. J. P. to be Police Magistrate at Castlemaine, a court house was established on what is today known as Goldsmith Crescent, Castlemaine near to the new government camp. The first official Post Office at Castlemaine, named Forrest Creek, at the same time he described the Forest Creek diggings as having many businesses like stores and licensed hawkers and at least 8000 persons on the two creeks. On 15 February 1853 town lots were offered for sale, by that time the first Castlemaine District Hospital had been opened, the gaol had been built, and Castlemaine was moving from ‘tent’ town to bricks and mortar
2.
Williamstown, Victoria
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Williamstown is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia,9 km south-west of Melbournes central business district in the local government area of the City of Hobsons Bay. Williamstown is also the town where the Australian Television Program Blue Heelers was filmed. Indigenous Australians occupied the area long before maritime activities shaped the historical development of Williamstown. The Yalukit-willam clan of the Kulin nation were the first people to call Hobsons Bay home and they roamed the thin coastal strip from Werribee to Williamstown/Hobsons Bay. The Yalukit-willam referred to the Williamstown area as koort-boork-boork, a term meaning clump of she-oaks, literally She-oak, She-oak, the head of the Yalikut-willam tribe at the time of the arrival of the first white settlers was Benbow, who became one of John Batmans guides. Cn}} The first European to arrive at the now known as Williamstown was Acting-Lieutenant Robbins. The mouth of the Yarra River was later inspected in May, the site of what became Williamstown they named Port Harwood, after the captain of one of their ships. After reaching the coastline of Port Phillip, Captain Coltish chose the area now known as Port Gellibrand, within weeks of the first consignment, a stream of vessels began making their way across Bass Strait. Because of the harbour, many of these new arrivals decided to settle in the immediate area. It served as the Settlement of Port Phillips first anchorage and as the centre for port facilities until the late 19th century, Williamstown was initially considered along with the sites that became known as Geelong and Melbourne for the capital of the new colony at Port Phillip. Although Williamstown offered excellent proximity to anchorage, Melbourne was ultimately due to its abundance of fresh water. Wiliamstown remained an important port of the new colony, and the first streets of old Williams Town were laid out in 1837 with that in mind, the first land sales in the area took place in 1837. A 30-metre stone jetty was built by labour in 1838 where Gem Pier now stands. That same year a service between Melbourne and Williamstown was established aboard the steamer Fire Fly. It was used to convey passengers, as well as sheep, the first lighthouse, a wooden one with an oil-burning beacon at the top, was erected at Point Gellibrand in 1840. In that same year a water police superintendent was appointed to Williamstown, Williamstown remains the present-day home of the Victorian Water Police. A bluestone lighthouse was built in 1849–50 to replace the wooden one. It only operated as a lighthouse until 1860, when a Pile Light was built and anchored off Shelly Beach, the first Williamstown Post Office opened on 1 March 1850
3.
South West Pacific theatre of World War II
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The South West Pacific theatre, during World War II, was a major theatre of the war between the Allies and Japan. It included the Philippines, the Dutch East Indies, Borneo, Australia and its mandate Territory of New Guinea and this area was defined by the Allied powers South West Pacific Area command. In the South West Pacific theatre, Japanese forces fought primarily against the forces of the United States, New Zealand, the Netherlands, the Philippines, United Kingdom, and other Allied nations also contributed forces. The South Pacific became a theatre of the war following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941. Initially, US warplans called for a counteroffensive across the Central Pacific, during the First South Pacific Campaign, US forces sought to establish a defensive perimeter against additional Japanese attacks. This was followed by the Second South Pacific Campaign, which began with the battle of Guadalcanal, shortly after the collapse of ABDACOM, supreme command of the South West Pacific theatre passed to MacArthur who was appointed Supreme Allied Commander South West Pacific Area on 30 March 1942. In the other theatre in the Pacific region, known as the Pacific Ocean theatre. Both MacArthur and Nimitz were overseen by the US Joint Chiefs, most Japanese forces in the theatre were part of the Southern Expeditionary Army, which was formed on November 6,1941, under General Hisaichi Terauchi. The Nanpo gun was responsible for Imperial Japanese Army ground and air units in Southeast Asia, the Combined Fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy was responsible for all Japanese warships, naval aviation units and marine infantry units. The Official Chronology of the U. S. Navy in World War II, a Battle History of the Imperial Japanese Navy. The American Heritage Picture History of World War II, in the Service of the Emperor, Essays on the Imperial Japanese Army. Griffith, Thomas E. Jr. MacArthurs Airman, General George C, kenney and the War in the Southwest Pacific. From Down Under to Nippon, Story of the 6th Army in World War II, United States Army Center of Military History. Japanese Operations in the Southwest Pacific Area, Volume II – Part I, - Translation of the official record by the Japanese Demobilization Bureaux detailing the Imperial Japanese Army and Navys participation in the Southwest Pacific area of the Pacific War
4.
New Guinea campaign
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The New Guinea campaign of the Pacific War lasted from January 1942 until the end of the war in August 1945. The campaign resulted in a defeat and very heavy losses for Empire of Japan. As in most Pacific War campaigns, disease and starvation claimed more Japanese lives than enemy action, most Japanese troops never even came into contact with Allied forces, and were instead simply cut off and subjected to an effective blockade by the US Navy. Garrisons were effectively besieged and denied shipments of food and medical supplies, according to John Laffin, the campaign. was arguably the most arduous fought by any Allied troops during World War II. The struggle for New Guinea began with the capture by the Japanese of the city of Rabaul at the tip of New Britain Island in January 1942. Rabaul overlooks Simpson Harbor, a natural anchorage, and was ideal for the construction of airfields. Over the next year, the Japanese built up the area into a major air, the Japanese 8th Area Army, under General Hitoshi Imamura at Rabaul, was responsible for both the New Guinea and Solomon Islands campaigns. The Japanese 18th Army, under Lieutenant General Hatazō Adachi, was responsible for Japanese operations on mainland New Guinea, the colonial capital of Port Moresby on the south coast of Papua was the strategic key for the Japanese in this area of operations. Capturing it would both neutralize the Allies principal forward base and serve as a springboard for the invasion of Australia, for the same reasons, General Douglas MacArthur, Supreme Commander Allied Forces South West Pacific Area was determined to hold it. MacArthur was further determined to conquer all of New Guinea in his progress toward the eventual recapture of the Philippines, General Headquarters Southwest Pacific Area Operational Instruction No. Due north of Port Moresby, on the northeast coast of Papua, are Huon Gulf, the Japanese entered Lae and Salamaua, two locations on Huon Gulf, unopposed in early March 1942. MacArthur would have liked to deny this area to the Japanese, the Japanese at Rabaul and other bases on New Britain would have easily overwhelmed any such effort. Operation Mo was the designation given by the Japanese to their plan to take possession of Port Moresby. After this failure, the Japanese decided on a longer term, simultaneous operations from these two locations, one amphibious and one overland, would converge on the target city. Buna was easily taken as the Allies had no presence there. The Japanese occupied the village with a force of 1,500 on 21 July. Then began the grueling Kokoda Track campaign, an experience for both the Japanese and Australian troops involved. On 17 September, the Japanese had reached the village of Ioribaiwa, the Australians held firm and began their counterdrive on 26 September. the Japanese retreat down the Kokoda Trail had turned into a rout
5.
Bathurst-class corvette
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The Bathurst-class corvettes were a class of general purpose vessels produced in Australia during World War II. Originally classified as minesweepers, but widely referred to as corvettes, the Bathurst-class vessels fulfilled a broad anti-submarine, anti-mine, sixty Bathurst-class corvettes were built in eight Australian shipyards to an Australian design. 36 were constructed for the Royal Australian Navy,20 were built on British Admiralty orders but manned and commissioned by the RAN, three more were ordered for construction in India, but were cancelled. Four of the Netherlands Bathursts were sold onward to the Indonesian Navy, the rest of the RAN and Admiralty ships were sold for scrap to help fund other projects. Two vessels are preserved as museum ships, in February 1938, the Australian Commonwealth Naval Board identified the need for a general purpose local defence vessel that was easy to construct and operate. The ships had to be capable of both anti-submarine and mine-warfare duties, in an initially unrelated development, three Bar-class boom defence vessels were ordered by the RAN in 1937. When the requirement was lowered to two ships in early 1938, the third, HMAS Kangaroo, was earmarked for construction as a prototype of the local defence vessel. McNeil completed his drawings in February 1939, his design was for a 680-ton vessel, with a speed of 15.5 knots, and a range of 2,850 nautical miles. The prototype would have been armed with a 4-inch gun, equipped with asdic, although closer to a small sloop than a local defence vessel, the increase in size and speed meant the design was more versatile than originally envisioned. Before construction could begin, the number of vessels was increased back to three, and Kangaroo was laid down as a boom defence vessel. The design underwent the normal procurement process, and in September 1939, the ships were officially designated Australian Minesweepers to hide their intended anti-submarine role, although the Bathursts were popularly referred to as corvettes. Each ships company varied in size, the complement was 85. Sailors were accommodated in ten-man messdecks, which were small, poorly lit rooms that were perpetually damp from seawater, in anything but calm weather, hatches and portholes would have to be closed, sunlight and fresh air was a rarity inside the hull. Because of the conditions, high rates of sickness were experienced, officers slept in cabins with bunks, and ate and relaxed in each ships wardroom, complete with bar and steward service. The difference in conditions between officers and sailors prompted tensions between two groups. Six large escort vessels based on a version of the Bathurst design were considered for construction in mid-1941. The corvettes carried up to 40 depth charges, which were deployed by 4 throwers and 2 chutes, many of the 12-pounder carrying corvettes were refitted with the 4-inch during their service life, while one of the Oerlikons was often replaced with a Bofors 40 mm gun. Due to the variety of shipyards constructing the corvettes, as well as the roles the Bathursts were pressed into
6.
Oerlikon 20 mm cannon
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The Oerlikon 20 mm cannon is a series of autocannons, based on an original German 20 mm Becker design that appeared very early in World War I. It was widely produced by Oerlikon Contraves and others, with various models employed by both Allied and Axis forces during World War II, and many still in use today. During World War I, the German Reinhold Becker developed a 20 mm caliber cannon and this used a 20x70 RB cartridge and had a cyclic rate of fire of 300 rpm. It was used on a scale as an aircraft gun on Luftstreitkräfte warplanes. Because the Treaty of Versailles banned further production of weapons in Germany. SEMAG continued development of the weapon, and in 1924 had produced the SEMAG L, the Oerlikon firm, named after the Zürich suburb where it was based, then acquired all rights to the weapon, plus the manufacturing equipment and the employees of SEMAG. In 1927 the Oerlikon S was added to the product line. This fired a larger cartridge to achieve a muzzle velocity of 830 m/s, at the cost of increased weight. The purpose of development was to improve the performance of the gun as an anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapon. An improved version known as the 1S followed in 1930, three sizes of gun with their different ammunition and barrel length, but very similar mechanisms, continued to be developed in parallel. In 1930 Oerlikon reconsidered the application of its gun in aircraft and introduced the AF and AL, designed to be used in flexible mounts, the 15-round box magazine used by earlier versions of the gun was replaced by drum magazine holding 15 or 30 rounds. In 1935 it made an important step by introducing a series of guns designed to be mounted in or on the wings of fighter aircraft, designated with FF for Flügelfest meaning wing-mounted, these weapons were again available in the three sizes, with designations FF, FFL and FFS. The FF fired a larger cartridge than the AF, 20x72RB. The FF weighed 24 kg and achieved a velocity of 550 to 600 m/s with a rate of fire of 520 rpm. The FFL of 30 kg fired a projectile at a velocity of 675 m/s with a rate of fire of 500 rpm. And the FFS, which weighed 39 kg, delivered a high velocity of 830 m/s at a rate of fire of 470 rpm. Apart from changes to the design of the guns for wing-mounting and remote control, for the FF series drum sizes of 45,60,75 and 100 rounds were available, but most users chose the 60-round drum. The 1930s were a period of global re-armament, and a number of foreign firms took licenses for the Oerlikon family of aircraft cannon
7.
Depth charge
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A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare weapon. It is intended to destroy a submarine by being dropped into the nearby and detonating, subjecting the target to a powerful. Most depth charges use high explosive charges and a set to detonate the charge. Depth charges can be dropped by ships, patrol aircraft, Depth charges were developed during World War I, and were one of the first effective methods of attacking a submarine underwater. They were widely used in World War I and World War II and they remained part of the anti-submarine arsenals of many navies during the Cold War. Depth charges have now largely replaced by anti-submarine homing torpedoes. A depth charge fitted with a warhead is known as a nuclear depth bomb. These were designed to be dropped from a plane or deployed by an anti-submarine missile from a surface ship, or another submarine. All nuclear anti-submarine weapons were withdrawn from service by the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia and they were replaced by conventional weapons whose accuracy and range had improved greatly as ASW technology improved. The first attempt to fire charges against submerged targets was with aircraft bombs attached to lanyards which triggered them, a similar idea was a 16 lb guncotton charge in a lanyarded can. Two of these together became known as the depth charge Type A. Problems with the lanyards tangling and failing to function led to the development of a chemical pellet trigger as the Type B and these were effective at a distance of around 20 ft. A1913 Royal Navy Torpedo School report described a device intended for countermining, at Admiral John Jellicoes request, the standard Mark II mine was fitted with a hydrostatic pistol preset for 45 ft firing, to be launched from a stern platform. Weighing 1,150 lb, and effective at 100 ft, the design work was carried out by Herbert Taylor at the RN Torpedo and Mine School, HMS Vernon. The first effective depth charge, the Type D, became available in January 1916 and it was a barrel-like casing containing a high explosive. There were initially two sizes—Type D, with a 300 lb charge for fast ships, and Type D* with a 120 lb charge for ships too slow to leave the area before the more powerful charge detonated. A hydrostatic pistol actuated by water pressure at a pre-selected depth detonated the charge, initial depth settings were 40 or 80 ft. Because production could not keep up with demand, anti-submarine vessels initially carried two depth charges, to be released from a chute at the stern of the ship
8.
Royal Australian Navy
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The Royal Australian Navy is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force. Following the Federation of Australia in 1901, the ships and resources of the colonial navies were integrated into a national force. Originally intended for defence, the navy was granted the title of Royal Australian Navy in 1911. Britains Royal Navy continued to support the RAN and provided additional blue-water defence capability in the Pacific up to the years of World War II. Then, rapid expansion saw the acquisition of large surface vessels. In the decade following the war, the RAN acquired a number of aircraft carriers. Today, the RAN consists of 47 commissioned vessels,3 non-commissioned vessels, the current Chief of Navy is Vice Admiral Tim Barrett. The Commonwealth Naval Forces were established on 1 March 1901, two months after the federation of Australia, when the forces of the separate Australian colonies were amalgamated. As a result, the force structure was set at one battlecruiser. On 10 July 1911, King George V granted the service the title of Royal Australian Navy. The first of the RANs new vessels, the destroyer Yarra, was completed in September 1910, in this time the focus of Australias naval policy shifted from defence against invasion to trade protection, and several fleet units were sunk as targets or scrapped. By 1923, the size of the navy had fallen to eight vessels, following the outbreak of the Pacific War and the virtual destruction of British naval forces in south-east Asia, the RAN operated more independently, or as part of United States Navy formations. As the navy took on a greater role, it was expanded significantly and at its height the RAN was the fourth-largest navy in the world. A total of 34 vessels were lost during the war, including three cruisers and four destroyers, after the Second World War, the size of the RAN was again reduced, but it gained new capabilities with the acquisition of two aircraft carriers, Sydney and Melbourne. The RAN saw action in many Cold War–era conflicts in the Asia-Pacific region and operated alongside the Royal Navy and United States Navy off Korea, Malaysia, and Vietnam. Since the end of the Cold War, the RAN has been part of Coalition forces in the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean, operating in support of Operation Slipper and it was also deployed in support of Australian peacekeeping operations in East Timor and the Solomon Islands. The strategic command structure of the RAN was overhauled during the New Generation Navy changes, the RAN is commanded through Naval Headquarters in Canberra. The professional head is the Chief of Navy, who holds the rank of Vice Admiral, NHQ is responsible for implementing policy decisions handed down from the Department of Defence and for overseeing tactical and operational issues that are the purview of the subordinate commands
9.
Displacement (ship)
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The displacement or displacement tonnage of a ship is the ships weight. The name reflects the fact that it is measured indirectly, by first calculating the volume of water displaced by the ship, by Archimedes principle, this is also the weight of the ship. Displacement should not be confused with other measurements of volume or capacity typically used for vessels such as net tonnage, gross tonnage. The process of determining a vessels displacement begins with measuring its draft This is accomplished by means of its draft marks, a merchant vessel has three matching sets, one mark each on the port and starboard sides forward, midships, and astern. These marks allow a ships displacement to be determined to an accuracy of 0. 5%, the draft observed at each set of marks is averaged to find a mean draft. The ships hydrostatic tables show the corresponding volume displaced, to calculate the weight of the displaced water, it is necessary to know its density. Seawater is more dense than water, so a ship will ride higher in salt water than in fresh. The density of water varies with temperature. Devices akin to slide rules have been available since the 1950s to aid in these calculations and it is done today with computers. Displacement is usually measured in units of tonnes or long tons and these bring the ship down to its load draft, colloquially known as the waterline. Full load displacement and loaded displacement have almost identical definitions, full load is defined as the displacement of a vessel when floating at its greatest allowable draft as established by classification societies. Warships have arbitrary full load condition established, deep load condition means full ammunition and stores, with most available fuel capacity used. Light displacement is defined as the weight of the ship excluding cargo, fuel, water, ballast, stores, passengers, crew, normal displacement is the ships displacement with all outfit, and two-thirds supply of stores, ammunition, etc. on board. Standard displacement, also known as Washington displacement, is a term defined by the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922. Naval architecture Hull Hydrodynamics Tonnage Dear, I. C. B, oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. George, William E. Stability & Trim for the Ships Officer, turpin, Edward A. McEwen, William A. Trim and Stability Information for Drydocking Calculations, conference on the Limitation of Armament,1922. Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States,1922, proceedings of the United States Naval Institute
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