The Tinpot Navy

Fascinating stories from Australia's colonial navies and the early Royal Australian Navy, whose untried ships and the eager crew manning them performed feats of great courage in World War I.

Just months before the start of World War I, Winston Churchill withdrew the Royal Navy's most formidable ships from the Pacific. With powerful German cruisers in its northern waters, Australia's fledgling navy needed to step up.

Seasoned foreign correspondent and RAN veteran Anthony Delano has uncovered surprising stories from those days and earlier. The rogue captain ready to bombard Brisbane. The quick-witted officer who snatched Germany's secret codes. The bold raid on Rabaul and the capture of German colonies across the Pacific. A dangerous marauder blockaded in an African river. The courageous volunteers who raided a U-boat haven. The battle between HMAS Sydney and the cruiser Emden that might not have been quite the glorious victory it once seemed. Captain Guy Gaunt, a boy from Ballarat who became a master of intrigue and espionage. The unhappy flagship HMAS Australia and a scandalous mutiny trial.

With little-known stories and a fresh look at familiar ones, The Tinpot Navy is a fascinating account of the origins of Royal Australian Navy, and how it matured into an effective arm of defence in its first major conflict.

'A feast of fact, well researched, with a light touch that's a pleasure to read.' - Mike Carlton

'It is as witty as it is informative. Delano is a master storyteller.' - Christopher Ward

'Packed with valiant characters and memorable stories told with Delano's unerring eye for detail and drama.' - Peter Thompson

About the Author

Dr Anthony Delano lied about his age to join the Royal Australian Navy at 15, serving in the final months of the Pacific War to 1948. He then worked on Australian newspapers, and in 1956 went to Fleet Street, carving out a formidable career as a foreign correspondent based in Rome, Paris and New York. He later became a visiting professor at the London College of Communication. He has been a frequent contributor to BBC History Magazine and is the author of several books, including Slip-Up: how the Daily Express found Ronnie Biggs and Scotland Yard Lost Him and Joyce McKinney and the Case of the Manacled Mormon, and a biography of Robert Maxwell.