Royal New Zealand Naval Association Inc.

THIS WEEK IN HISTORY

22 November 1944 - British Pacific Fleet formally established under the command of Admiral Air Bruce Fraser - included the cruisers HMNZS Achilles & Gambia

• 22 November 1941 - the cruiser HMS Devonshire sinks the German raider Atlantis in the South Atlantic.
• 23 November 1912 - the battle cruiser HMS New Zealand commissioned into the Royal Navy.
• 23 November 1939 - AMC HMS Rawalpindi sunk by KMS Scharnhorst in the Iceland-Faroes Gap. Under the commanding officer, the poor armed AMC kept up a furious attack on the German battleship for fifteen minutes until she was sunk by gunfire.
• 24 November 1944 - HMNZS Gambia arrived in Wellington its first New Zealand port visit since commissioning into the RNZN.
• 24 November 1875 - The British government takes a controlling interest in the Suez Canal.
• 25 November 1940 - SS Holmwood sunk by the German raider Komet near the Chatham Islands.
• 27 November 1940 - SS Rangitane sunk by the German raider Orion 300nm off East Cape. One of her life-buoys is on display in the Navy Museum.
• 28 November 1917 - An Admiralty memo no. 245 establishes the Women's Royal Naval Service. The Wrens are formed.

DID YOU KNOW?

Poodle faking - a timeless art of faking interest in a lady in order to improve one's financial, social or professional position. Junior Officers were known to cultivate the society of women married to their superior officers.

Landlubber - a term for someone with little or no sea experience. The term comes from men who were serving in a ship purely due to their physical strength. They were known as Landsmen and were looked down upon by seamen. The term lubber goes back to the 14th century and refers to one who is clumsy or stupid.