In a controversial move, as part of the modernisation of the Defence websites, the RAN has removed its much used Seapower Centre Australia website. The former website was the repository of documents and reports produced by the Seapower Centre over three decades.
A response from Seapower is here.
Specifically, the website contained ship histories, biographies of admirals and sailors, as well as hundreds of downloadable Seapower Centre publications as well as historic documents. It was regarded by many as the best website on strategy and history produced by any navy.
At present the old Seapower Centre Australia website, as it was on 25 October, can still be accessed in the National Library of Australia’s Trove websitehttps://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20231025170952/https://www.navy.gov.au/history . At this site a selection of old websites, and their downloadable content, are accessed for the foreseeable future. Searching for content on the old website can no longer be done by ‘googling’ a subject, rather it can only be achieved using the search function at the above Trove website. The Naval Studies Group at the University of NSW recommends that researchers download documents they require while the old Seapower Centre website is still available.
In contrast to the RAN’s approach, the Australian Army Research Centre and the Air & Space Power Centre have new web sites with significant libraries of documents and videos.
Removing the Seapower Centre’s website from easy access by Google search nullifies the work of a whole generation of people at the SPC-A who built this highly accessible and valuable resource. It is used daily by serving, retired and civilians to ensure that the facts they are using are accurate. Why would it assist the Navy to bury this in the inaccessible recesses of Trove ?
A very bad decision. I have written to CN asking him to have it reversed and I urge others to do so too:
Vice Admiral Mark Hammond, AO, RAN
Chief of the Royal Australian Navy
R1, Russell Offices, Canberra
Heaven forbid, what a ridiculous decision. I’m flabergasted.
The recent unveiling of a plaque for WW2 HMAS MAGNETIC Townsville base contained a lot of errors from Sea Power Centre website.
It says that there were two HMAS MAGNETICs, (the base and its Examination vessel)
Never happened, this small vessel was “name ship” and as such was simply known as MAGNETIC.
This made a mockery of the RAN.
Secondly, the HMAS MAGNETIC website, (for some reason), included an image of future proposed HMAS MAGNETIC badge, with the motto “FIND THE WAY”. The motto of WW2 HMAS MAGNETIC was “DE ET PATRAIRE” — “FOR GOD AND COUNTRY”