HMAS NIZAM

Date1939-1945

Object number00054674

NameShip badge

MediumWood, paint

DimensionsOverall: 172 × 126 × 25 mm

ClassificationsCommemorative artefacts

Credit LineANMM Collection Gift from Rhod Cook

Terms

DescriptionShip badge owned by William Frank Cook of the Royal Australian Navy. Cook was posted to HMAS NIZAM as First Lieutenant in 1942 serving in the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean. On 1 February 1945 Cook was appointed Commander of HMAS NIZAM, joining the British Pacific Fleet its its operations against Japan at the end of World War II.SignificanceThis badge is associated with HMAS NIZAM, an N Class destroyer that served with distinction during the Second World War and was present at the Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay in September 1945. It is also directly associated with William Cook, who served as NIZAM'S second-in-command, and later as commander. At the time Cook assumed command in February 1945, he was 28 years old and was the youngest Australian naval officer to command a destoyer during the Second World War.