Ships in Jervis Bay

This morning we have two ships in the bay, HMAS Anzac the lead ship of the Anzac-class frigates in use with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal New Zealand Navy and the Spanish Air Warefare Destroyer Christobel Colan which remained anchored  while Anzac moved back and fourth across the bay sometimes completely disappearing behind rain squalls and sea mist, occasionally the sun would peak through the clouds making it possible to take a resonable photo.

Caught in the early morning sun.

HMAS Anzac.

Spanish Air Warfare Destroyer Christobel Colan

There has been a long tradition of foreign ships visiting Jervis Bay.  Following are accounts of Japanese and German war ships using the bay for training and target shooting as far back as 1904. 1904 German warships,  live shell practice at Jervis Bay. Not everyone was impressed!

One report raised many an eyebrow in Sydney when an indignant newspaper correspondent disseminated the news of German Warships doing live shell practice in Jervis Bay. "For astounding though the news is to the layman, it is said that German warships when they happen to be in Sydney, sometimes go to Jervis Bay and practice shell firing there with just as much freedom as though they owned the territory. Point Perpendicular, Jervis Bay, is steep,  and hence it's name, but it isn't anything like so "steep" as the idea of a foreign warship shell practising on a British coast with or without the "let" of the more responsible authorities". He went on to explain about the German fleet doing a sham fight in English waters and how the English newspapers were not at all impressed with what had happened. "But what would they have said if one or more of the vessels fired on an English Cliff with live shell?." This must be left to the imagination of those in Australia, who did they read of such a thing in "the cable" would no doubt wax a lot more indignant than they do when the cliff is washed by an Australian sea." This story suggests the Germans fired on the cliff face of Point Perpendicular.  I haven't found any other evidence of this,  so it may be speculation on the correspondent's behalf.

1917. Japanese Imperial Navy conducted live shell practice at Jervis Bay. On the 5th July 1917 the Cadet-Midshipmen of the Royal Australian Naval College at Jervis Bay were able, at the invitation of Rear-Admiral Yamagi, to observe these ships during gunnery and torpedo exercises. "The two cruisers  were HIJM ships Chikuma and Hirado. They were light cruisers of 5,129 tons, constructed at the Kawasaki Dockyard in 1912, with eight 6″ guns and four 3″ guns, and capable of doing 27 knots.  On the 5th July 1917 the Cadet-Midshipmen of the Royal Australian Naval College at Jervis Bay were able, at the invitation of Rear-Admiral Yamagi, to observe these ships during gunnery and torpedo exercises." On 26 March 1917, the British Admiralty further requested the deployment of Chikuma and Hirado to Australia and New Zealand to protect shipping against German commerce raiding operations. REF: https://www.navyhistory.org.au/japanese-gunnery-and-torpedo-exercises-in-jervis-bay-1917/

1919. The Japanese Imperial navy steaming into Jervis Bay on a visit to the RAN Naval College – Photo,  Commander PR Middleton

Japanese Cruiser Hirado, one of two Japanese ships that sailed into Jervis Bay in 1917.

The second Japanese Cruiser Chikuma. Both can be seen in the newspaper photograh above.