2013 King Hall Conference Proceedings

1. FIRST FLIGHTS: AVIATION IN THE
RAN 1914 - 1918
The Ship’s Flight
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2. EARLY NAVAL DEVELOPMENTS
• Continental vs
Maritime Strategies
• The Empire Navy vs
Local Dominion
Forces
• The Naval Agreement
Act 1903
• Deakin and Creswell
RADM Sir William Creswell
2

3. EARLY NAVAL
DEVELOPMENTS
• The RAN Fleet Unit
• Submarines?
• Henderson Report
• Force Structure
Ambitions
• Aviation – not at first
HMAS Huon
3

4. AVIATION DEVELOPMENTS
• Army prize for flying
machine – 1909
• First Australian
powered flight – March
1910
• AFC – 22 October 1912
• CFS Pt Cook – 1914
• Progress
slow…isolation…
resources…priorities
RAAF Point Cook
4

5. NAVAL AVIATION STIRRINGS
• Potential for scouting and
attack
• „Water planes‟ for
northern defence
• Seaplanes for bases in the
north
• Joint naval and military
flying school
• Lack of local expertise
Bristol Boxkite
5

6. NAVAL AVIATION STIRRINGS
• Looking for a few good
men…
• Education
• Temperament…
• “…the best pilots were
usually highly strung
individuals…a bundle
of nerves…”.
• 1914-15 Estimates to
fund training
• Four small „sea planes‟
plus depot ship to be
the start
HMAS Australia – trial and error
6

7. THE FIRST WORLD WAR
• Admiralty control
• RNAS – defence of
the homeland
• RN initiatives
• Major combatants
and aircraft
HMS Engadine – seaplane carrier
7

8. THE FIRST WORLD WAR
• HMAS Brisbane
– Embarked Sopwith
Baby in Indian Ocean
– CO then wanted to
carry two
– Reported on their
utility in defence of
Australia
Sopwith Baby
8

9. THE FIRST WORLD WAR
• The Otranto barrage
• RAN involved from
late 1917
• Surface patrols north
of the fixed barrage
• Land based air in
support
The Otranto barrage
9

10. THE FIRST WORLD WAR
• Yarra, Huon and
Parramatta
• Manned balloons
• At least two
submarine sightings
• No successful actions
• Cumbersome and
unreliable
HMAS Yarra with observation balloon
10

11. THE FIRST WORLD WAR
• HMAS Sydney
– Dumaresq in
command April 1917
– Wanted aircraft on
light cruisers to
counter Zeppelins
– Mods to Sydney
completed November
1917
Rear Admiral J.S Dumaresq
11

12. FIRST WORLD WAR
• HMAS Sydney
– First flight 8 December
1917 – Sopwith Pup
– Aircraft had to land in
the water
– Further trials also
successful
– Sydney had a Sopwith
Camel by April 1918
Sopwith Camel launching
12

13. FIRST WORLD WAR
• HMAS Sydney
– 1 June 1918 operating
in North Sea
– Force attacked by
German aircraft
– Sydney and Melbourne
launched Camels
– Melbourne’s Camel
returned without
sighting enemy
Sopwith Camel cockpit
13

14. FIRST WORLD WAR
• Sharwood chased and
engaged
• Claimed a probable
• Might have been a
first
• German use of
aircraft for strike
direction
HMAS Sydney’s Camel
14

15. FIRST WORLD WAR
• Sharwood …”…the Camel was
brought down to about four or
five feet above the wave tops
and held off until it stalled.
Then the fun began. The safety
belt had been released and
when the wheels …struck the
water perhaps at 40 or 45 knots
the tail went up like greased
lightning and the
nose…plunged down into the
sea…the pilot was flicked out
as the tail went up…and he
went into the water head first
with a lifejacket and a leather
coat on, about 20 yards ahead
of the Camel”.
Sopwith Camel
15

16. FIRST WORLD WAR
• HMAS Melbourne’s
experience:
– Pilot had great difficulty
finding the German
aircraft
– Never sighted Sharwood
– Wasn‟t aware Sharwood
launched at same time
• Aircraft needed to be
already airborne for
successful intercept
HMAS Melbourne and
HMS Southampton from HMAS Sydney
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17. FIRST WORLD WAR
• HMAS Australia
– First launch from deck
vice platform
– Also launched from
turret platforms
– First launch of a two
seater – Sopwith 1 ½
Strutter
17
Report of deck launch from HMAS Australia

18. FIRST WORLD WAR
• The battle cruisers
each carried two
aircraft:
– fighter forward for
anti – Zeppelin work
– two seater aft for
scouting
HMAS Australia with Sopwith Pup
18

19. PREPARING FOR A NAVAL AIR
SERVICE
• RAN aims
– December 1917 - 4
Sopwith Babies
– May 1918 – seaplane
carrier
– May 1918 – airships
and balloons
• Look to US for
aircraft
• RN unable to supply
Sopwith Baby
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20. POST-WAR DEVELOPMENTS
• Lack of existing
organization…
• Government hesitant
• Inter-Service rivalry –
Army and then RAAF
• Revulsion at WW1
costs
• Severe funding cuts
• 1928 – RAAF won
argument
Fairey IIID
20

21. CONCLUSIONS
• RAN relatively quick to see potential of
aviation but failed to establish an
organization before or during the War
• Isolation a problem – had to rely on RN
• Gained significant operational experience
during the War
• RAN sought to establish Air Service postWar but beaten by:
– Competing priorities
– Lack of funding
– Inter-Service arguments
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