Kookaburra2011
April 1933: more stories with SMS KOLN's goodwill visit to Melbourne as Hitler is seizing power - A. C. Green, SLV.
1589: Aside from the restiveness among Jewish organisations over developments in Germany, the 6000-ton KOLN's visit also created a minor but awkward protocol problem for the Australian Government.
While she was here, the German Government sought permission for KOLN to extend her visit to Rabaul and the former German Southwest Pacific colony of New Britain.
Since this was territory captured by Australia during WWI, and now Mandated Australian Territory, the proposed visit by a German warship presented an awkward diplomatic problem.
At the very least, the Australian Government felt, Australia would have to send along a BIGGER warship with her, to remind the natives who was in charge.
Problem was, we only had two bigger ships, heavy cruiser HMAS AUSTRALIA [II], which was in refit, and her sister HMAS CANBERRA [I], which was about to send its crew on leave. Besides, the Navy had totally used up its fuel quota for the period [remember, this was during the Depression].
In the end, the request to visit Rabaul had to be refused.
[This information is again from Barbara Winter's book 'HMAS SYDNEY: Fact Fantasy and Fraud' [Boolarong Publications, Brisbane 1984].
Photo: Allan C. Green [1878-1954] , Green Collection, State Library of Victoria [La Trobe Library]. Copyright expired, this usage allowed.
April 1933: more stories with SMS KOLN's goodwill visit to Melbourne as Hitler is seizing power - A. C. Green, SLV.
1589: Aside from the restiveness among Jewish organisations over developments in Germany, the 6000-ton KOLN's visit also created a minor but awkward protocol problem for the Australian Government.
While she was here, the German Government sought permission for KOLN to extend her visit to Rabaul and the former German Southwest Pacific colony of New Britain.
Since this was territory captured by Australia during WWI, and now Mandated Australian Territory, the proposed visit by a German warship presented an awkward diplomatic problem.
At the very least, the Australian Government felt, Australia would have to send along a BIGGER warship with her, to remind the natives who was in charge.
Problem was, we only had two bigger ships, heavy cruiser HMAS AUSTRALIA [II], which was in refit, and her sister HMAS CANBERRA [I], which was about to send its crew on leave. Besides, the Navy had totally used up its fuel quota for the period [remember, this was during the Depression].
In the end, the request to visit Rabaul had to be refused.
[This information is again from Barbara Winter's book 'HMAS SYDNEY: Fact Fantasy and Fraud' [Boolarong Publications, Brisbane 1984].
Photo: Allan C. Green [1878-1954] , Green Collection, State Library of Victoria [La Trobe Library]. Copyright expired, this usage allowed.