A dynamic exhibition about the history of the Royal Australian Navy launches online on Thursday 1 December.
Commander Andy Schroder, the Australian War Memorial's Navy Fellow, joined forces with Memorial curators and historians to tell Australia's naval history in a new way.
"It is a digital deep dive into the history of the Royal Australian Navy," Commander Schroder said.
"This exhibition commemorates navy people through their own stories and shows how the navy has evolved over more than a century."
The exhibition covers the history of Australia's navies, from the colonial navies and two world wars, to recent conflicts in the Middle East and contemporary peacekeeping and humanitarian operations. Visitors can chart their own course through the exhibition.
"To navigate around the exhibition's videos, photographs, artworks and three-dimensional images visitors can use a star map or the more traditional navigational tools to find out more about the navy," Commander Schroder said.
The online exhibition features a new donation to the Australian War Memorial: an Iraqi Silkworm Missile captured by Navy Clearance Divers during the First Gulf War.
Australian War Memorial Senior Curator David Pearson said: "The Chinese-manufactured 7.48m long HY-2 Silkworm Missile is being shown in this exhibition, online, for the first time.
"It was captured by the Royal Australian Navy during the First Gulf War in 1991 from Iraq and is an important insight to our recent history.
"Many navy objects are very large and there are limitations when it comes to fitting into galleries. This exhibition is an innovative way to showcase naval history and objects while reaching new audiences."
The launch coincides with the 80th anniversary of the passing of Ordinary Seaman Teddy Sheean VC - the Royal Australian Navy's recipient of the Victoria Cross - and the exhibition pays tribute to his life.
"Australia's relationship with the sea is critical," Commander Schroder said. "Security, trade, industry, employment, economy, environment and recreation are all dependent upon how we use and protect the sea - a focus of the Royal Australian Navy."
The exhibition is accessible from the Australian War Memorial website https://navy.awm.gov.au/
This exhibition has been made possible through a financial gift to the Memorial made to the Anzac Foundation
