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Silence is victory: US super-sub slips into Brisbane

Silence is victory: US super-sub slips into Brisbane

A small emblem on the control panel of the USS Ohio reminds navy personnel how and why they operate.
'Silence is victory,' it reads.
The US submarine arrived in Brisbane waters on the weekend before docking at the city's port, a first-ever visit to the city by a vessel in its class.
The Ohio – a nuclear-powered guided missile submarine – is visiting Brisbane to coincide with the upcoming 80th anniversary of Victory in the Pacific on August 15, which marks the end of World War II in the region.
Brisbane hosted more than 70 US submarines and three submarine tenders during the war. But this kind of firepower in Queensland waters is a rare sight as the 170-metre long, 13-metre wide vessel rests adjacent to the USS Frank Cable.
Captain Eric Hunter describes the submarine as a 'deterrent and geopolitical force'.
The control station boasts screens, buttons, and steering instruments enabling officers to plunge the submarine to depths of more than 200 metres.
The 165 people on board operate in hushed voices – silence is victory so remaining undetected is always the goal.
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The 80-year-old tale of two mates and a beer bottle
The 80-year-old tale of two mates and a beer bottle

News.com.au

timea day ago

  • News.com.au

The 80-year-old tale of two mates and a beer bottle

Two mates promised to share a bottle of beer upon returning from World War II but only one came home. Now 80 years later, that bottle has become a testament to friendship and sacrifice. Stanley (Stan) Lewis and Frederick (Fred) Hume had been friends since they were five and both enlisted together in the 2/30th Infantry Battalion in early 1941. Before they left, they bought a bottle of Tooth's Draught Ale from the Wingham Hotel on the NSW Mid North Coast and made a pact to open and share it upon their return. 'Stan gave (the bottle) to my grandmother, and said, 'Mum, keep this for me',' Stan's nephew Garry Mortimer told ''When Fred and I return, we'll open it and celebrate',' he said. 'And of course, he didn't come back,' Mr Mortimer said. Stan died on August 25, 1943, aged just 23, at the notorious Thai-Burma Railway prisoner of war camp. The pair had first been imprisoned at Changi after being captured by the Japanese while stationed in Singapore. Stan was buried at Kanchanaburi War Cemetery in Thailand. His best mate Fred survived, remaining in captivity until August 1945 before he returned to Australia and died at the age of 65 in 1986. That beer bottle remained unopened. 'My grandmother (Rubie Lewis) kept it, I understand, in the kitchen cupboard … and then when my grandmother and grandfather passed away, my aunt, Beryl, who is the youngest of the children in the family, kept it,' Mr Mortimer said. 'Then when (Beryl) went into a nursing home, Sandra, my cousin, she took it and kept it in her cupboard.' 'I thought 'well there's a better place for this' – it's not my cupboard it's the memorial.' The beer bottle has been donated to the Australian War Memorial (AWM) in Canberra, something Mr Mortimer said was in honour of Stan and Fred's friendship. 'We get offered all sorts of donations every day from the public,' AWM Curator Andy Muir told 'I'm kind of used to dealing with uniform and medals and other sort of mementos and that. 'So, to have an object like this, first of all, it's really unusual,' Mr Muir said. He said the bottle touches into the Memorial's three major areas – commemoration, research and the museum. 'To have an object that touches all three areas like that is quite a privilege, and to be able to share that story and potentially in the future show this object to the public is pretty exciting,' he said. 'Two servicemen that made the pact when they bought this bottle way back when they enlisted … that family then saw the importance of this bottle and the significance of it to then be able to bring it into the memorial. 'That's a really poignant story of sacrifice and also the heartbreak of two mates – one of them doesn't come back.'

Silence is victory: US super-sub slips into Brisbane
Silence is victory: US super-sub slips into Brisbane

Sydney Morning Herald

time3 days ago

  • Sydney Morning Herald

Silence is victory: US super-sub slips into Brisbane

A small emblem on the control panel of the USS Ohio reminds navy personnel how and why they operate. 'Silence is victory,' it reads. The US submarine arrived in Brisbane waters on the weekend before docking at the city's port, a first-ever visit to the city by a vessel in its class. The Ohio – a nuclear-powered guided missile submarine – is visiting Brisbane to coincide with the upcoming 80th anniversary of Victory in the Pacific on August 15, which marks the end of World War II in the region. Brisbane hosted more than 70 US submarines and three submarine tenders during the war. But this kind of firepower in Queensland waters is a rare sight as the 170-metre long, 13-metre wide vessel rests adjacent to the USS Frank Cable. Captain Eric Hunter describes the submarine as a 'deterrent and geopolitical force'. The control station boasts screens, buttons, and steering instruments enabling officers to plunge the submarine to depths of more than 200 metres. The 165 people on board operate in hushed voices – silence is victory so remaining undetected is always the goal.

Silence is victory: US super-sub slips into Brisbane
Silence is victory: US super-sub slips into Brisbane

The Age

time3 days ago

  • The Age

Silence is victory: US super-sub slips into Brisbane

A small emblem on the control panel of the USS Ohio reminds navy personnel how and why they operate. 'Silence is victory,' it reads. The US submarine arrived in Brisbane waters on the weekend before docking at the city's port, a first-ever visit to the city by a vessel in its class. The Ohio – a nuclear-powered guided missile submarine – is visiting Brisbane to coincide with the upcoming 80th anniversary of Victory in the Pacific on August 15, which marks the end of World War II in the region. Brisbane hosted more than 70 US submarines and three submarine tenders during the war. But this kind of firepower in Queensland waters is a rare sight as the 170-metre long, 13-metre wide vessel rests adjacent to the USS Frank Cable. Captain Eric Hunter describes the submarine as a 'deterrent and geopolitical force'. The control station boasts screens, buttons, and steering instruments enabling officers to plunge the submarine to depths of more than 200 metres. The 165 people on board operate in hushed voices – silence is victory so remaining undetected is always the goal.

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