Oct. 30, 1937: The Horse Race That Stops A Navy

814. Oh my oh my, it’s Melbourne Cup horse race time again, and yet again the hard-worked ships of the Royal Australian Navy find themselves faced with urgent chores to be done in Melbourne. In Australia, the two-mile thoroughbred classic, The Melbourne Cup, is run on the first Tuesday in November and is known as ‘the horse race that stops a nation.’ Stops a Navy, that’s for sure. About 2.40pm on Melbourne Cup Day would be the time to attack Australia. The entire nation could be done over by the time the winning horse is back in the saddling enclosure. Everyone listens in, and traditionally the main units of the RAN have always berthed at Port Melbourne during Cup Week. 1937 was no exception. Seen here at Station Pier are [from rear] the heavy cruisers HMAS AUSTRALIA [II] and CANBERRA [I], destroyers HMAS WATERHEN and VENDETTA [I], Grimsby Class sloop HMAS SWAN [II] in the foreground, with the funnel of the flotilla leader HMAS STUART visible opposite her.

Coincidentally, I was on HMNZS Otago 1962 and happened to visit Melbourne for the Melbourne cup. A few of us did go to Flemington but did not have a win. Still remember the name of the winner that year – Lord Fury