Thread: The story of the Grumman Tracker in RAN service

Originally Posted by 4bee

Thank you for this link Bob, it has reminded me I was given a nice hard covered book for my 50th Birthday by a an ex Tracker aircrew member turned Author (name escapes me for now) & was a 'fictitious' story of a Tracker hunt chasing an "apparently foreign submarine" somewhere off the coast of Australia.

On reflection I have wondered whether in fact it had been a real search but was made 'diplomatically clean' & was published as such.

[Makes note to self to dig it out for another long overdue perusal]

The sound of the two engines was music to my ears as are the 4x Lancaster Merlins & I can't recall now where I had heard them. Maybe at an Airshow here yonks ago?

During the 'cold war' our ships, and submarines, tracked foreign submarines often. And foreign surface contacts. Part of the effort was to listen to and record transmissions from radio, and radar, to have a record of such things if needed if the war turned hot. " They" did the same to us, during exercises in the far east, or , for example, when Perth did an Indian Ocean trip, to Africa , Ethiopia, and Iran, back in '73, we had various Russian fishing boats, fitted with more aerials than we did, turn up , or be on the horizon, all thru the trip. All part of the ' cold war'.

The history of 805 squadron.

805 Squadron History | Royal Australian Navy

Thanks Bob for most interesting articles.

Discussing your article with 'er indoors (the Sea Ranger Group she belonged to back then had a connection with HMAS Sydney & so were able visit her in some style when she made a visit & berthed at Outer Harbor here. Still trying to ID which year that was. Circa '55 or '56) & so it must have been that year when I first saw & heard the Trackers.

EDITED Seems they were introduced later on & not for HMAS Sydney but HMAS Melbourne. Time does play some wild tricks with memory doesn't it, so part of my post would be for both ships. .

I recall flyovers of the City by Trackers, Sea Furies & Gannets which I think were flown off in St Vincents Gulf & flown to either RAAF Edinburgh or Parafield Aerodrome before she berthed. That is unclear in my mind.

There was also her Rotary Wing a/c that carried lightweight pilot cables across a couple of valleys on the face of the Mount Lofty Ranges so the Electricity Trust of SA could winch heavier power conductors across later. It made all the papers at the time & may have been part of an RAN Publicity stunt at the time as well as helping ETSA. Or viceversa.

I am still reminded of this exercise when I see the transmission cables each time I use Greenhill Road above Waterfall Gully.

Still confused about the years she had visited here as I have seen another photo of Sydney disembarking South Australian (?) Ratings at the Semaphore Anchorage onto a very crowded Pilot Boat (Sir Wallace Bruce) before she went about & departed for Perth (she may have still been slowly under way at that time or so the caption read)
Was it Post Korean War on her voyage home? I don't know. I also don't know if this all fits together, it is just my memories of her & her Aircraft Complement at those times.

Seems to me it would have been less expensive to issue Rail Warrants to said Ratings.

Originally Posted by 4bee

Thanks Bob for most interesting articles.

Discussing your article with 'er indoors (the Sea Ranger Group she belonged to back then had a connection with HMAS Sydney & so were able visit her in some style when she made a visit & berthed at Outer Harbor here. Still trying to ID which year that was. Circa '55 or '56) & so it must have been that year when I first saw & heard the Trackers.

EDITED Seems they were introduced later on & not for HMAS Sydney but HMAS Melbourne. Time does play some wild tricks with memory doesn't it, so part of my post would be for both ships. .

I recall flyovers of the City by Trackers, Sea Furies & Gannets which I think were flown off in St Vincents Gulf & flown to either RAAF Edinburgh or Parafield Aerodrome before she berthed. That is unclear in my mind.

There was also her Rotary Wing a/c that carried lightweight pilot cables across a couple of valleys on the face of the Mount Lofty Ranges so the Electricity Trust of SA could winch heavier power conductors across later. It made all the papers at the time & may have been part of an RAN Publicity stunt at the time as well as helping ETSA. Or viceversa.

I am still reminded of this exercise when I see the transmission cables each time I use Greenhill Road above Waterfall Gully.

Still confused about the years she had visited here as I have seen another photo of Sydney disembarking South Australian (?) Ratings at the Semaphore Anchorage onto a very crowded Pilot Boat (Sir Wallace Bruce) before she went about & departed for Perth (she may have still been slowly under way at that time or so the caption read)
Was it Post Korean War on her voyage home? I don't know. I also don't know if this all fits together, it is just my memories of her & her Aircraft Complement at those times.

Seems to me it would have been less expensive to issue Rail Warrants to said Ratings.

Ahh, yes, the rail Warrants. I remember well the train trips from Sydney to Brisbane. The lucky ones got to sleep in the luggage racks, alcohol was in abundant supply, the locomotive [ steam] used to sound his whistle halfway thru one of the tunnels at the border, supposedly as the train crossed into Qld. The roar from the passengers was tremendous, all pleased to be home. Anyway, this may jog your memory.

HMAS Sydney (III) | Royal Australian Navy


HMAS Melbourne (II) | Royal Australian Navy

Again, thanks for that Bob. Have had a cursory look but hell, there is a lot to get through & absorb.

There are some great images & Video to get through too.

A good read for tomorrow when rain is forecast for here.


An old workmate from years ago was a Stoker on Melbourne (as well as being a bit of a sex maniac ) & he showed me an image of her in Milford Sound but taken from height. Quite a good image. Says a lot about the size of Milford Sound against the comparative size of Melb.

RAN trackers and Skyhawks touch and go on HMS Hermes

YouTube

But but but, where is the sound of those lovely Radial Engines doing their stuff? Bloody Brits!

Thanks Bob.


I saw an image of Hermes going at what appeared to be flat chat, & the Bow Wave was something like you'd never believe.

Originally Posted by 4bee

But but but, where is the sound of those lovely Radial Engines doing their stuff? Bloody Brits!

Thanks Bob.


I saw an image of Hermes going at what appeared to be flat chat, & the Bow Wave was something like you'd never believe.

I recently watched a video of the Korean War. BBC , focussing on the RN. The RAN wasn't there, apparently.