At the commencement of
World War I in 1914 Australia had only been a nation for 13 years and the RAN
was only three years old (NZ had been a dominion for 7 years and had no independent
navy). As young men rushed to enlist, the governments of both countries had to
find ways of transporting them to a war being fought half a world away and
protect them against German raiders en route. It was a massive
undertaking. In Voyage to Gallipoli maritime historian Peter Plowman takes the
story from the planning stages and the requisition of ships through to the
Gallipoli landing of 25 April 1915. It covers the activities of the fledgling
Royal Australian Navy its role in the Australian capture of German
protectorates (including New Guinea) in the South Pacific and the Battle of
Cocos Island which saw the destruction of the German raider Emden.
