Maritime Museum Of Townsville

08/09/2026

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNpWMwUiBNg&t=4s

Now almost faded from the collective consciousness Pearl shelling w...

03/09/2026

Merchant Navy Day

On 3 September the Museum joined many other maritime organisations in commemorating Merchant Navy Day.

The merchant navy—also known as the merchant marine—is a nation's fleet of civilian-owned or government-owned commercial ships and the crews who operate them.

Merchant navies around the world transport roughly 90% of global trade, carrying essential goods like food, fuel, raw materials, and manufactured products. As the saying goes: No shipping - no shopping.

In times of peace, merchant navies operate cargo ships, oil tankers, passenger vessels, and container ships along coastal and international trade routes.

In times of conflict, merchant navies act as a naval auxiliary to deliver vital troops, weapons, equipment, and medical supplies.

3 September each year marks the anniversary of the sinking of the SS Athenia by a German submarine in 1939, the first merchant ship lost in World War II. North Queensland became aware of this event two days later through articles in the Townsville Bulletin and other media.

It honours the brave men and women who served in the Merchant Navy during both World Wars and recognizes the modern-day seafarers who keep global supply lines and trade moving.

On that day, maritime communities and organsations hoist the Red Ensign (the UK Merchant Navy's official flag) or the Australian Red Ensign to pay tribute to maritime personnel past and present.

There are many memorials in honour of those sailors who lost their lives during the world wars and other times of conflict, as illustrated by some of the images.

Lest we forget.

03/08/2026

This date in history: Saving Lieutenant Kennedy

On 2 August 1943, the US Navy patrol boat PT-109, commanded by Lieutenant John F Kennedy, was rammed and sliced in two by the Japanese destroyer Amagiri in Blackett Strait near New Georgia, the largest of the islands in Western Province, Solomon Islands.

The collision instantly killed two crew members and injured several others, including Kennedy. The boat's forward section stayed afloat for a few hours. Kennedy ordered the crew to abandon ship as the wreckage began to turn turtle. The eleven survivors swam for over 4 km to nearby Plum Pudding Island. From there they swam to another island, Olasana.

Continuing his island-hopping in the search for rescue, Kennedy and Ensign Ross swam to nearby Naru Island. By chance, here they met Eroni Komana and Biuku Gasa. They were two patrolling Solomon Islander scouts attached to the base of the Australian Coastwatcher Lieutenant Reg Evans, Royal Australian Volunteer Naval Reserve, located on Rendova Island (25 nautical miles/54 km to the South-East), also a US Navy patrol boat base. With their assistance Kennedy sent Evans a message carved on a coconut for help, who then alerted the US Navy about their plight. By that time Evans was already aware that something had gone wrong with a PT boat.

Evans sent his scouts to fetch Kennedy and Ross and welcomed them at his new base on Gomu Island. He arranged for Kennedy to meet a group of PT boats despatched to find and collect the survivors. Just before midnight, PT- 157 appeared out of the darkness, and Kennedy guided this vessel through the reefs to the elated survivors of PT-109.

On 20 January 1961, Kennedy was sworn in as the 35th President of the USA. It took many years of trying to track down Reg Evans. In the end, the President invited him to the White House to thank him for rescuing him and the survivors of PT-109.

In 2002, the world-renowned oceanographer Robert Ballard (who discovered the wrecks of the Titanic and the Bismarck) located the wreckage of PT-109 in Blackett Strait.

Visit the Museum to view our new display about this event from World War II, including a scale model of PT-109.

30/06/2026

Why has the colour scheme on the Museum bow facing Palmer Street changed?

During World War II, navies developed low visibility camouflage, applied to both the vertical and horizontal surfaces of their ships, to reduce visibility by blending in with the sea, or obscure the identity of the ship by applying obtrusive patterns.

In December 1941, the modified Leander class light cruiser HMAS Hobart was recalled to Australia from the Mediterranean when Japan entered the war. During a refit in Australia the ship’s camouflage was altered by painting her sides in light-, mid- and dark grey and painting the decks in olive green. With this camouflage pattern she participated in the Battle of the Coral Sea.

Having the amidships area in light grey may have been intended to make the ship look like two smaller vessels.

Museum volunteers repainted the bow in the correct colour scheme as part of an initiative to improve the Museum prior to the 40th anniversary celebration on 15 July 2026.

More information about naval camouflage can be found in "British and Commonwealth Warship Camouflage of WWII: Volume III: Cruisers and Minelayers". Author Malcolm Wright, published 2023.

08/06/2026

Celebrating World Ocean Day!

8 June is celebrated as World Ocean Day to raise global awareness about the crucial role the oceans play in our daily lives and to mobilise international action for ocean conservation.

The oceans are Earth's "lungs" and largest carbon sink. They produce at least 50% of the oxygen on the planet, absorb roughly 30% of carbon dioxide emissions, and regulate the global climate.

The day is a focal point for campaigns against severe environmental threats, including plastic pollution, overfishing, and ocean acidification. It provides a platform to unite citizens, governments, and organizations worldwide toward the sustainable management and protection of marine resources.

The theme for this year's action theme is "Strong Marine Protected Areas for Our Blue Planet. The primary goal is advocating for strongly regulated Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) to safeguard marine life and achieve the "30x30" target (protecting at least 30% of global lands, waters, and oceans).

Celebrations this year are also heavily tied to building momentum for the ratification of the High Seas Treaty.

The primary state marine protected areas in Queensland include the Great Barrier Reef Coast Marine Park. Right on our doorstep, this 6,723,200-hectare park spans 2,300 km along the Queensland coastline adjacent to main Great Barrier Reef, protecting State tidal lands and waters adjacent to the world-famous reef.

The Great Sandy Marine Park is located in the Wide Bay-Burnett region This 617,500-hectare park features expanded boundaries and updated zoning rules to better protect dugongs, turtles, and shorebirds.

The Moreton Bay Marine Park is located off the coast of Brisbane. It covers 342,700 hectares and protects unique habitats ranging from mangrove wetlands to rocky reefs.

The Maritime Museum not only is involved with protecting and interpreting our maritme history and heritage. We also promote saferty and sea and help in creating awareness about the conservation of our local marine environment. In this regard we are working on the development of a permanent display.

26/05/2026

On display at the Museum is an octant, a maritime navigation instrument, associated with Janet Taylor, a remarkable woman living in Victorian Britain, a society dominated by men.

A most interesting octant

Janet Taylor (1804-1870), born Jane Ann Ionn, was an English astronomer, mathematician and navigation expert.

She published various works on astronomy and navigation. She and her husband George Taylor founded an academy for the teaching of these subjects, which was highly recommended by the British East India Company and the Admiralty.

She also established and managed a company that produced, distributed and repaired high quality navigational instruments, like the sextant on display at the Museum.

Taylor was one of the very few women working in the European maritime industry in the 19th century. In recognition of her work she was awarded medals by the kings of Prussia and The Netherlands.

The octant was donated to the Museum by Trevor Watts in 2018 and is on display in the exhibition about navigating the Queensland coast by James Cook.

In 2016, a book about Mrs. Janet Taylor, by John Croucher and Rosalind Croucher, was published, “Mistress of Science”.

12/05/2026

This week in history

"Avenge the nurses". The sinking of the Australian Hospital Ship "Centaur".

Completed in Scotland as a combination passenger liner and refrigerated cargo ship in 1924, "Centaur" operated between Western Australia and Singapore via the Dutch East Indies, carrying passengers, cargo, and livestock.

What is a "centaur"?

A centaur is a creature from Greek mythology with the upper body of a human and the lower body of a horse.

In January 1943, "Centaur" was handed over to the Australian military for conversion to a hospital ship, as her small size made her suitable for operating in Southeast Asia. The refit (including installation of medical facilities and repainting with Red Cross markings) was completed in March, and the ship undertook a test or training voyage: transporting wounded from Townsville to Brisbane.

Its first voyage into a war zone had Port Moresby as its destination, where on 23 April wounded Allied troops were picked up and brought to Brisbane.

The ship left Brisbane again on 29 April to collect more wounded soldiers in Townsville, which happened on 2 May. This is recorded in the Arrivals and Departures register for the Port of Townsville, one of the Museum's most prized documents. From Brisbane the "Centaur" sailed to Sydney.

On 12 May the ship departed from Sydney, destination Port Moresby. Two days later, on 14 May, the brighly illuminated vessel, clearly visible as a hospital ship, was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine, probably the I-177, off the coast of North Stradbroke Island. Occurring around 4:10 AM, the torpedo caused the ship to sink in roughly three minutes. Of the 332 personnel on board, onlly 64 people survived, spending up to 35 hours in water before being rescued by the US Navy destroyer "Mugford".

Nurse Ellen Savage was the only woman to emerge alive. Despite her injuries, she spent the hours in shark-infested waters tending to the wounded and defying all odds until rescue arrived.

The public reaction to the attack on Centaur was one of outrage. Politicians urged the public to use their rage to fuel the war effort, and 'Centaur' became a symbol of Australia's determination to defeat what appeared to be a brutal and uncompromising enemy.The Australian Government produced posters depicting the sinking, which called for Australians to "Avenge the Nurses" by working to produce materiel, purchasing war bonds, or enlisting in the armed forces.

In December 2009 the wreck was discovered by the shipwreck hunter David Mearns.

There are a number of memorials scattered across Australia. In 1953, a convalescent and rest hostel for nurses , named "Centaur House", located on Marine Parade, Geoffrey Bay, Magnetic Island, was opened, dedicated to the memory of the nurses of the Australian Hospital Ship "Centaur".

The Maritime Museum has its own memorial in the grounds of the Memorial Garden.

In 2026 a book, dedicated to Nurse Ellen Savage and the survivors of the "Centaur", was published.

05/05/2026

Battle of the Coral Sea - 84 years ago

On 4 May, Museum representatives were again present and laid a wreath during the annual Battle of the Coral Sea dawn service at the Coral Sea Memorial in Anzac Park, commemorating this significant naval event that happened 84 years ago, this year.

When the Battle of the Coral Sea began on 4 May 1942, the Allies’ situation was grave. The Japanese had already swept deep into the South Pacific and were now positioned in the Solomon Islands.

Their next aim was to capture Port Moresby in the Australian Territory of Papua, thereby cutting supply lines between Australia and the USA and putting northern Australian bases within range of Japanese bombers. While those on the home front feared an invasion and anxiously awaited news, a complex five-day battle unfolded just 885 km (477 nautical miles) northeast of Townsville.

The Coral Sea was the first sea battle in history to be fought entirely by carriers and their aircraft. Throughout the engagement, the opposing fleets never fired on or moved within sight of each other.

The Japanese fleet, commanded by Vice Admiral Inoue, consisted of 34 vessels, including three carriers, destroyers, cruisers, submarines, patrol boats and support vessels.

The Allied fleet, commanded by Vice Admiral Jack Fletcher, consisted of 26 vessels including the carriers USS Lexington and USS Yorktown, the cruisers HMAS Australia and HMAS Hobart, destroyers and support vessels. The 141 sea-based planes and 482 shore-based planes that participated included B-17 Flying Fortresses, B-25 Mitchell’s, B-26 Marauders and RAAF Hudsons.

Both during the battle and in the days leading up to it, Townsville played its part. Allied aircraft based in Townsville, including B17 Flying Fortresses, flew reconnaissance and bombing missions over Japanese-held territory and the Coral Sea.

On 6 May, a B 17E from USAAF 435th Bomb Squadron (Kangaroo Squadron), based at Townsville, spotted the Japanese invasion fleet and attempted to bomb a carrier.

The climax of the battle on 8 May saw the Japanese carrier Shokaku disabled by planes from USS Yorktown, herself badly damaged but still operational. Struck by both bombs and torpedoes, USS Lexington burst into flames and was abandoned and sunk to prevent capture. She lost over 200 men. By the end of the day, both sides retired.

Although the Allies lost more ships, it was the first strategic defeat for the Japanese since Pearl Harbor and a psychological turning point in the Pacific war. In terms of strategy the Allies won because the seaborne invasion of Port Moresby was stopped and this lessened the threat to the supply lines between the USA and Australia.

It was the first time in World War II that a Japanese invasion force was turned back, lifting the morale of the Allies.

Less than a month later, the Allies won the decisive Battle of Midway, thanks in part to the damage inflicted on the Japanese fleet in the Coral Sea.

At the Maritime Museum of Townsville, the Battle of the Coral Sea takes centrestage in our exhibit of World Wars I and II in the South Pacific. Panels, artefacts, dioramas, and ship and airplane models tell the heroic story, and a short video documentary titled “Clash of the Carriers” uses dramatic original footage to convey the scope of the attacks. Our thanks to the Australian National Maritime Museum for the generous loan of this and other videos on World War II.

20/04/2026

"Attack them" - HMAS "Yarra", World War II hero ship

This narrative plays itself out against the Japanese conquest of the Dutch East Indies in 1942 as background. The deterioration of the Allies' position in this part of the world triggered franctic efforts to withdraw ships, military personnel and civilians during the early days of March. On 8 March the Dutch East Indies surrendered.

One of these ships was the Dutch steamer "Parigi" of the Koninklijke Paketvaart Maatschappij (KPM), which departed in a hurry on 27 February from Tjilatjap, destination Bunbury, Western Australia. Two days later she was intercepted by the Japanese submarine "I-2" and sunk by torpedo and gunfire. Roughly 35-40 crew escaped in lifeboats. One of them was the fourth engineer, the only survivor of the engine room crew.

On 2 March, the sloop HMAS "Yarra" departed from Tjilatjap, es**rting a convoy consisting of the depot ship HMS "Anking, the "Francol", a small tanker, and MMS-51, a small Royal Navy minesweeper. Destination: Fremantle.

"Yarra" was a Grimsby class sloop (convoy es**rt vessel), armed with three 4-inch guns, commanded by Lieutenant Robert Rankin.

A day later, "Yarra" picked up the survivors of the "Parigi".

Early on 4 March, "Yarra" ran into a formidable Japanese fleet consting of cruisers and destroyers.

The KPM book about the history of this company in World War II recounts what happened from the perspective of the "Parigi" fourth engineer.

"The ship vibrates. Depth charges have been dropped, a submarine is suspected. Here comes the doctor with a life preserver. "Put it on boy, J**s have been sighted". "How many?". Lots, it seems like the whole bl........ Japanese Navy". "What are we going to do?" "Attack them".

"Yarra"'s commander laid down a smokescreen, then ordered the convoy to scatter while the sloop when on the attack aganst a vastly superior evnemy force.

Despite the efforts of" Yarra", the other three Allied ships were pursued and sunk, and the sloop was sunk by cruiser gunfire shortly after 08:00, with only 34 survivors from the ship's company and the Paragi rescuees. Lieutenant Rankin was one of the many killed in action. Attrition through shark attacks, dying of wounds, hunger and thirst whittled down the numner to 13.

On 9 March the survivors were picked up by the Dutch submarine K XI. The engineer from the "Parigi" was the only one left of his crew.

Survivors of the convoy ships were rescued by Allied ships.

In honour of Robert Rankin the 6th and final Collins class submarine, HMAS "Rankin", was named in his honour. The ship's motto is "Defend the Weak", a reference to the heroic efforts of Robert Rankin and "Yarra" to defend the unarmed convoy ships.

In the week leasding up to Anzac Day we pay respects to the 2,170 RAN personnel who died during World War II.

On display at the Museum is a drwag of the heroic attack of HMAS "Yarra".

But, staggering, 3,500 to 5,100 ships of the Dutch, Norwegian, Greek, British, American and other Allied merchant navies were lost, amounting to thousands of deaths.

Due to their sacrifices, Victory in Europe and Victory in the Pacific was achieved.

Lest we also not forget them

08/04/2026

What do mermaids, hot cross buns, an albatross, ships' figureheads, tattoos, red skies, crossing the equator and bananas have in common?

They are all related to a variety of superstitions of seafarers. Some bring good luck, some bad luck whilst at sea.

The Museum has launched a new temporary exhibition with the title "No bananas on board - Seafaring lore and legend".

Many lore and legends, particular to sailors or mariners, are traditionally common around the world. Some of them are popular superstitions, while others are better described as traditions, stories, folklore, tropes, myths, lore or legends.

The origins of many of these lore and legends are based on the inherent risks of sailing the oceans, and luck, either good or bad, as well as signs and omens that would be given associative meaning in relation to the life of a mariner, sailor, fisherman, or a crew in general.

By far the best-known sailors' superstitions involve bad luck, such as killing an albatross, seeing or hearing mermaids, meeting ghost ships and carrying bananas on board.

Superstitions that involve good luck include tattoos, cats on board, observing the St Elmo’s fire on rigging and masts and crossing the Equator.

Discover some of these lore and legends featured in the Museum. Learn more about sea stories on the skin (tattoos), the Flying Dutchman and other famous ghost ships, mermaids, St Elmo's fire, red skies in the morning and at night and the ritual of crossing the equator at sea. And meet Davy Jones.

For kids we have an activity worksheet about the stories and things that bring bad and good luck. They are all over the Museum. Find them and then write down what they are.