THE Little Ship Club will mark a special milestone in the waters of Moreton Bay on September 21 with dozens of vessels taking part in a sail past and blessing of the fleet to honour the area’s naval heritage. Naval dignitaries and guests will join local boaties from the Little Ship Club on North Stradbroke Island for a sail past from 10:30 AM in celebration of the club’s 73rd anniversary, remembering its legacy since opening in 1951. The event will also mark the 80th anniversary of the winding down of the Naval Auxiliary Patrol, a group of volunteers who patrolled Moreton Bay and the Brisbane River during World War II.
The winding down followed the arrival of Royal Navy capital ships in Sydney and the formation of the British Pacific Fleet. Little Ship Club’s first female and current commodore, Maria Anderson, said Moreton Bay played a significant role in World War II, and the NAP’s efforts later led to the establishment of the club. Attending the sail past will be Patron Commander Rose from HMAS Moreton, while the chaplain of the Naval Association Queensland will bless the fleet.
The Queensland NAP was approved as a war unit to patrol and safeguard Australian waters against enemy attacks following the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941. The team of volunteers was responsible for patrolling the Brisbane River and Moreton Bay over the course of three years. These volunteers were older locals, with some previously serving in World War I, who owned small boats which they used to patrol the area.
The NAP flotilla at Moreton Bay started with 60 small boats and increased to 110 boats by mid-1942. The size of the boats ranged from 5.2m to 17m, and they were both armed and unarmed. When the NAP patrol ceased in 1944, these volunteers had covered 176,349 km with 18,236 ship hours, 90,427 crew hours, and 89,180 litres of fuel used. There were no fatalities during the patrols.
“This year is extra special. This celebration will be the perfect way for the community to be reminded of the legacy created by the NAP and those who continued our naval traditions,” Ms Anderson said. “We want to share with the community where the Little Ship Club came from and the legacy that exists thanks to these selfless people who volunteered their boats and time to protect our waters at a very dangerous time in history. Without the NAP Association, we would have been extremely vulnerable in these parts during World War II. We thank them for their efforts and hope that many others will join us to do the same.”
The sail past is a long-standing European tradition that provided a safe passage and return for those who protected the waters during the war.
