Navy Victoria Network
Proudly supported by the Melbourne Naval Centre

News & Articles of Interest



HMAS Cerberus Facebook page
For all the latest news coming out of Cerberus, visit their Facebook page.....
30 Jan 2018 Statement - Strava heat map
Defence is aware of the possible risks of the collection of location data through personal electronic devices and applications.  The circumstances of this application do not constitute a security breach.  All Defence personnel are required to complete annual mandatory security training which includes information on the risks posed by internet-connected devices and online activities.  Defence personnel are advised to actively use and manage privacy controls to limit the amount of information they make publicly available and report any suspicious online activities or contacts.  Defence also provides regular personal security awareness information to personnel.  More.....
30 Jan 2018 Defence Chief announces new Command
The Australian Defence Force (ADF) continues to build its cyber capability, establishing the new Defence Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) and Cyber Command.  From 29 January, the new Joint SIGINT Unit and the recently established Joint Cyber Unit will operate under the Defence SIGINT and Cyber Command alongside civilian teams from the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD).  More.....
29 Jan 2018 Heroin seizure by HMAS Warramunga
29 Jan 2018 USS Missouri arrives at Pearl Harbor homeport
US Navy’s Virginia-class fast-attack submarine USS Missouri (SSN 780) arrived to Pearl Harbor on January completing a homeport change from Groton, Connecticut.  Missouri is now assigned to Submarine Squadron 1, and is the sixth Virginia-class submarine stationed at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.  Missouri is the fifth Navy ship to be named in honor of the state of Missouri.  More.....
29 Jan 2018 Mateship recognised as Australians honoured by US Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps has awarded a rare honour to 107 Australian Defence Force (ADF) members who helped recover a US Marine Corps aircraft that crashed and sank off the north Queensland coast late last year.  Navy, Army and Air force personnel have been awarded a Meritorious Unit Commendation by the head of the US Marine Corps in the Pacific, Lieutenant General David Berger, during his visit to the Royal Australian Navy amphibious ship, HMAS Adelaide.  More.....
27 Jan 2018 NVN's January Newsletter - download.....
NOTE from Webmaster: If you are a member and haven't been notified that your monthly newsletter is available to download, the email address you supplied on joining is incorrect or out of date. To correct this, contact the webmaster at: and he will copy and amend your address.
26 Jan 2018 Australia Day 2018 Navy Honours
Twenty serving Navy personnel have been recognised for awards in the Australia Day 2018 Honours List.  They are among 895 award recipients approved by The Governor-General and Chancellor of the Order of Australia, His Excellency General the Honourable Sir Peter Cosgrove AK MC (Retd).  The Australia Day 2018 Honours List recognises a diverse range of contributions and service across all fields, including professional endeavours, community work, Australia’s Defence Force and Emergency Services.  More.....
26 Jan 2018 Joint Australia-New Zealand op makes 915kg heroin haul
A New Zealand Defence Force aircraft and an Australian Navy frigate joined forces in the Western Indian Ocean to interdict 915 kilos of heroin worth AUD$274 million.  A Royal New Zealand Air Force P-3K2 aircraft detected a suspicious vessel on January 23 prompting a boarding and investigation by the crew in Royal Australian Navy frigate HMAS Warramunga on January 24.  The illegal drugs were transferred to Warramunga for disposal at sea.  More.....
25 Jan 2018 Silentworld’s support to the discovery of a century
One of the key players in the search for the Royal Australian Navy’s first submarine HMAS AE1 says finding its final resting place was ‘the right thing to do’ both for the men who died and for their families.  Originally established to research and preserve early Australian maritime history, the not-for-profit Silentworld Foundation provided half of the funding for the search for HMAS AE1.  More.....
22 Jan 2018 USS Hopper sails near disputed South China Sea island claimed by China
US destroyer USS Hopper sailed within 12 miles of the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea under what the US Navy refers to as a freedom of navigation operation.  Hopper sailed near the China-claimed island on January 17 as part of its Western Pacific deployment.  More.....
22 Jan 2018 Navy Commemorates 75th anniversary of the sinking of HMAS Patricia Cam
Representatives of the Royal Australian Navy and Northern Territory community paused today to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the sinking of HMAS Patricia Cam and the loss of nine lives.  On 22 January 1943, almost a year after the initial air raid on Darwin, a Japanese seaplane bombed and sank Patricia Cam while the ship sailed from Milingimbi to Elcho Island on a supply run.  In addition to her crew of 19, the auxiliary minesweeper was carrying a missionary and five Yolngu men.  More.....
19 Jan 2018 Change of Fleet Command
In a heartfelt ceremony aboard flagship HMAS Canberra, Rear Admiral Stuart Mayer has handed over the reins as Commander Australian Fleet to his successor Rear Admiral Jonathan Mead.  More than a thousand officers and sailors from Eastern-based ships and shore establishments lined the decks and wharf precinct at Garden Island, Sydney, many dressed in PT rig.  More.....
18 Jan 2018 Western Front tapestry now on display at Shrine of Remembrance
THE Morning Star tapestry created to hang in the Sir John Monash Centre in France goes on display at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne today and will be exhibited until Sunday 25 February.  Minister for Veterans’ Affairs Michael McCormack said we must always remember the service and sacrifice of the men and women who serve in defence of our nation.  “The Morning Star tapestry commemorates those brave Australians who served on the battlefields of the First World War,” Mr McCormack said.  More.....
18 Jan 2018 Turkish patrol boat, Greek gunboat collide off disputed Imia islet
A Turkish patrol boat bumped into a Hellenic Navy gunboat while maneuvering near the disputed Imia islet in the Aegean Sea, according to Greek media reports.  More.....
17 Jan 2018 US destroyer collisions: Navy to charge former officers with negligent homicide, dereliction of duty
Former US Navy officers in charge of two destroyers involved in fatal collisions in the Pacific in 2017 are facing charges of dereliction of duty, hazarding a vessel, and negligent homicide, the US Navy said in a statement on January 16.  US Navy Admiral Frank Caldwell, the man in charge of a review into the accountability actions taken to date in relation to USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) and USS John S. McCain (DDG 56) collisions, announced that Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) charges are being preferred against individual service members in relation to the collisions.  More.....
17 Jan 2018 Australian Navy teams with Army for helicopter training
The Royal Australian Navy has teamed with the Australian Army and industry to set up a new training system for a joint helicopter school.  Rotary wing crews are now set to benefit from the newly-established Helicopter Aircrew Training System (HATS) at a dedicated facility at HMAS Albatross.  The first intake of 37 future pilots, aircrew and aviation warfare officers started the 26-week training course this week, the navy said.  More.....
15 Jan 2018 Royal Navy’s fourth Astute-class submarine completes first dive
12 Jan 2018 A ‘clever’ Australia needs a larger, more potent navy
In an interview in Australian Foreign Affairs, Paul Keating noted that China under Xi Jinping was looking to craft a new form of global governance, rejecting the notion of China as a strategic client of the US. Keating also talked about our need to be clever.  He observed that ‘before the Industrial Revolution, China was on the top of the system and had a tributary system of states which bowed and genuflected to them.  More.....
11 Jan 2018 Preserving the story of HMAS AE1
As the investigation begins into the final moments of the Royal Australian Navy’s first submarine HMAS AE1, moves are also afoot to educate the public on the submarine's importance to Australia's wartime history.  Before the search for AE1 was mounted, careful consideration was given to what would become of any discovery and the information collected during the search operation.  More.....
10 Jan 2018 HMAS Warramunga continues operational success with third Middle East drug seizure in two weeks
Royal Australian Navy frigate HMAS Warramunga seized 111 kilograms of heroin valued at $33 million during operations in the Arabian Sea on 7 January 2018.  This is the third successful interdiction for Warramunga in the past fortnight, taking the ship’s total seizures to more than 11.5 tonnes of hashish and 180 kilograms of heroin and a total approximate value of $629 million.  More.....
09 Jan 2018 HMAS Warramunga continues operational success
09 Jan 2018 HMAS Warramunga drug interdiction
09 Jan 2018 Submarine HMAS AE1 Located After 103 Years
05 Jan 2018 China starts construction of third aircraft carrier
Construction works on China’s third aircraft carrier started at a Shangai shipyard in 2017, the South China Morning Post reported citing sources.  The construction start closely follows the launch of the country’s first domestically built aircraft carrier, the Type 001A Shandong, which took place in Dalian in April 2017.  Unlike the Type 001A, which draws upon the country’s first aircraft carrier Liaoning – purchased by China from Ukraine in 1998 after the break-up of the Soviet Union – the nation’s third aircraft carrier will have a distinctive design.  More.....
05 Jan 2018 Second drug haul in a week as HMAS Warramunga seizes $181 million of illegal narcotics
Royal Australian Navy frigate HMAS Warramunga, with support from a UK Royal Navy helicopter, seized more than 3.5 tonnes of illicit narcotics during a night-time operation in the Arabian Sea on 3 January 2018 at around 0830 AEDT.  Warramunga intercepted and boarded suspect vessel, under the direction of the Combined Maritime Forces’ (CMF) Australian-led Combined Task Force (CTF) 150 in international waters after the vessel was assessed to be engaged in possible illegal activity.  More.....
01 Jan 2018 US Navy competition to add drones that can land on carriers heats up; Boeing unveils its version
Boeing recently offered a first glimpse of its newest military aircraft, a large, stingray-shaped drone it hopes will win an intense US Navy competition to build an uncrewed aircraft capable of landing on an aircraft carrier.  Drones have been a vital part of the Pentagon's arsenal for years, but the competition for a Navy carrier-based version that can refuel jet fighters in the midair would mark a significant advancement in the technology — and become another sign how the military is increasingly integrating robots into the way it fights.  More.....
01 Jan 2018 Happy New Year
To all our members and families, we wish you a safe, healthy and happy 2017.
30 Dec 2017 Royal Australian Navy nets huge illegal drug shipment in the Middle East
The crew of the Royal Australian Navy frigate HMAS Warramunga have spent the Christmas season hard at work, spending nearly three days seizing almost eight tonnes of hashish and 69 kilograms of heroin from drug smugglers while conducting maritime security operations in the Arabian Sea.  Warramunga intercepted and boarded three suspect vessels between 27 and 29 December 2017, in an operation planned and coordinated by the Combined Maritime Forces’ Combined Task Force 150 (CTF-150) which is currently commanded by Australia—supported by a combined Australian-Canadian staff.  More.....
Archives

News

Newsletters

DVA
Information of Interest

Request for Committal of Ashes to the Sea.  Download form.....

Current Repatriation Benefits for Gold Card Veterans -
As of 01 January 2018
This is a list of products that are available on a Doctor's prescription for Gold Card Repatriation Patients.  Download the list.....

DVA Mobile Apps
The new Operation Life mobile application is designed to help those at risk deal with suicidal thoughts and is recommended to be used with the support of a clinician.

The High Res (High Resilience) app helps you manage stress, build resilience and optimise performance on the go.

The PTSD Coach Australia app can help you learn about and manage symptoms that commonly occur after trauma.

 ON TRACK with the Right Mix mobile app from the Department of Veterans Affairs helps you to keep track of the number and types of drinks you consume; the amount of money it's costing you and lets you know about the impact the alcohol has on your wellbeing and fitness levels.

Guide to the assessment of rates of veterans’ pensions
Guide to the assessment of rates of veterans’ pensions (GARP) is used to assess the extent of incapacity from war caused or defence caused injury or disease for the purposes of determining the rate of pension.  Download.....

Planning ahead kit
Overview: Planning Ahead is a publication designed to help veterans and their families prepare for bereavement.  There is also a checklist that can be used to record the contact details of important people, businesses and organisations that may need to be notified in case of your death.  Download.....

DVA Concessions Fact Sheets
Factsheet CON01 - Concessions in NSW
Factsheet CON02 - Concessions in Vic
Factsheet CON03 - Concessions in QLD
Factsheet CON04 - Concessions in SA
Factsheet CON05 - Concessions in WA
Factsheet CON06 - Concessions in Tas
Factsheet CON07 - Concessions in NT
Factsheet CON08 - Concessions in ACT

War Service

Check your ship's eligibility for war service.....