Voyage to Gallipoli by Peter Plowman
At the commencement of World War 1 in 1914, Australia had only been a nation for 13 years and the RAN was only three years old. As young men rushed to enlist, the government had to find a way of transporting them to a war being fought half a world away, and protecting them against German raiders en route. It was a massive undertaking.
In this book maritime historian takes the story from the planning stages and the requisition of ships through to the Gallipoli landing of 25 April 1915. It covers the activities of the fledgling Royal Australian Navy and its role in the Australian capture of German protectorates (including New Guinea) in the South Pacific, and the Battle of Cocos Island which saw the destruction of the German raider Emden.
Two appendices give details of all the transport ships involved.