As Luck Would Have It - The Reminiscences of an Australian Sailor

Angus and Robertson, 1965

The autobiography of one of Australia's most distinguished sailors, Vice Admiral Sir John COllins, KBE, CB. It is a book to be read simultaneously for its amusing anecdotes of the lighter side of a sailor's life, for its reflection of the author's personality, and for its dramatic first-hand picture of historic events. Admiral Collins's reminiscences range from the Royal Australian Naval College to the Grand Fleet in WW1, from the surrender of the U-boats at Harwich to the peacetime Navy between the wars, and WW2, from the Mediterranean and the sinking of the Bartolomeo Collconi to the fall of Singapore and Java. He took part in the assaults on New Guinea, Morotai and the Philippines, was present aboard the USS Missouri for the Japanese surrender, commanded Australia's post-war Fleet and served as High Commissioner in New Zealand...