The Battle of the River Plate: Excerpts from the Diary of Surgeon Commander Jack Cussen RN, PMO of HMS EXETER
Reprinted from the Journal of the Royal Naval Medical Service Commentary HMS EXETER, the second of two York Class heavy cruisers, was launched in 1929. She had a displacement of 8,400 tons, a complement of 628 and main armament of three twin 8-inch guns in addition to AA guns and torpedoes. At the outbreak of […]
A History of Australian Navy Health Sailor Uniforms and Ranks (Part 3)
Commander Neil Westphalen, Royal Australian Navy Reserve Purpose More than a century after its establishment, many Royal Australian Navy (RAN) uniforms and ranks continue to reflect those used by the (British) Royal Navy (RN). The first of this three-part article described the history of Navy sailor uniforms since 1509,[i] while the second examined the development […]
A History of Australian Navy Health Sailor Uniforms and Ranks (Part 2)
A History of Australian Navy Health Sailor Uniforms and Ranks (Part 2) Commander Neil Westphalen, Royal Australian Navy Reserve Purpose More than a century after its establishment, many Royal Australian Navy (RAN) uniforms and ranks still reflect those used by the (British) Royal Navy (RN).The first of this three-part article described the history of Navy […]
A History of Australian Navy Health Sailor Uniforms and Ranks (Part 1)
Commander Neil Westphalen, Royal Australian Navy Reserve Purpose Mariners have been identifiable by their clothing for centuries. This reflects their ongoing need for attire that allows free movement for negotiating ladders, doorways and hatches, and performing physically demanding tasks such as hauling lines on cluttered decks and moving heavy weights. In the past, their garments […]
Operational Test and Evaluation, HMAS Canberra: Assessing the ADF’s New Maritime Role 2 Enhanced Capacity
Commander Neil Westphalen, RANR Introduction The first of two Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD) ships commissioned into the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) as HMAS Canberra (L02) on 28 November 2014., Among their other attributes, the LHDs bring a Maritime Role 2 Enhanced (MR2E) seagoing health capability to the Australian Defence Force (ADF) for the first time, […]
Ultraviolet Radiation Exposure and Melanoma in Australian Naval Personnel
In the tropics of Australia, the Royal Australian Navy operates two permanent bases and conducts a large number of operations. Despite an overall incidence of melanoma not significantly different to that of the general Australian population (Standardised Incident Ratio, SIR = 149, p>0.05), older members of the RAN (SIR = 236, aged >29 years) and […]
Abstracts from the Literature
compiled by James Ross Knapik JJ, Hamlet MP. Influence of boot-sock systems on frequency and severity of foot blisters. Mil Med 1996; 161(1):594-8 This study examined the influence of three types of boot-sock systems on incidence and severity of foot blisters. Participants were 357 men undergoing US Marine recruit training at Parris Island, South Carolina. […]
Would That White Coat Were Purple
Wing Commander Tony Austin RAAF A traditional Chinese curse goes something like this: ‘May you live in interesting times’. If it be so, then we are all most certainly cursed for those are indeed very interesting times. Economic reality has hit the military hard the buzz word for the 90’s is ‘downsizing’ and the military […]