To Fight and Win at Sea: 125 Years of Australian Naval History
Australian National Maritime Museum, Sydney
19–20 November 2026
In 1901, the Commonwealth Naval Force was formed, bringing together the separate colonial navies of Australia under one Commonwealth banner. The title ‘Royal Australian Navy’ was granted in 1911. In 2026, the Sea Power Centre – Australia (SPC-A) will examine 125 years of Australia’s navy history.
Proposals are invited for 20-minute presentations that illuminate Australia’s naval history through an individual, strategic, political, economic or thematic lens. Contributions based on original research are preferred, and innovative methods and approaches are encouraged. Proposals with a comparative or international dimension will be prioritised.
Panel proposals are also invited from multiple presenters (up to 4) on a key issue relating to the theme.
At the conference organisers’ discretion, presenters may be invited to submit a paper for an edited collection or for online publication through the SPC-A website.
HMAS Australia (I) at anchor off Glenelg, South Australia, 1914 (State Library of SA, PRG-733-34)
Topics
Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
- Command at sea
- Australian sailors – their traits and experiences; the history of the WRANS; the evolution of Australian maritime culture
- Campaigns and operations
- The maintenance of Australia’s economic connections to global trade
- Building the fleet – from Australia (I) to Ghostshark and SSNs
- Navies, labour markets and economic development
- Biography, autobiography and memoir in navy history
- The changing role for Navy in Australian defence strategy
Proposal submissions
All proposals should be sent to: navy.history@defence.gov.au by 23 April 2026.
Proposals should be no more than 400 words, plus a separate 50-word author biography.
Panel proposals should be one submission, following the individual presentation proposal format and including a short paragraph to explain the significance of the proposed panel theme for the conference.
Use file names: ‘[Author]NavyHistoryConf26’ or ‘[Author]PanelNavyHistoryConf26’
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