Traditions of ‘The Trade’: The Folklore of Australian Submariners

Abstract

The Royal Australian Navy submarine service began in 1914. The submariners constitute an especially well-defined military-occupational folk group and have developed a distinctive body of esoteric traditions that distinguish them not only from the broader community but, in many ways, from the larger naval entity of which they are, nominally, an organisational element. Based on fieldwork and relevant archival research in Australia and the United Kingdom, this article highlights some significant aspects and elements of Australian submariner folklore and life, including narrative, custom, speech, song, verse, foodways. and the centrality of submariner humour.

Based on these observations, the study argues that Australian submariners have developed a distinctive view of the world, reflected and reinforced through their unique historical experience and traditions. They balance a shared sense of nation with an equally strong transnational outlook and strong camaraderie with the submariners of other nations, including those previously enemies. This suggests that they have become especially adept citizens of a globalised world.