Written by Australia’s foremost naval historian, In All Respects Ready presents the most comprehensive and authoritative account of the Australian Navy’s involvement in World War I yet published.When the newly built Australian fleet sailed into Sydney for the first time in October 1913, it was portrayed as a sign of peace that came from being prepared for war. Within a year that war had broken out, and the Royal Australian Navy, fully trained and ready, was the most professional and effective force Australia had to offer the British Empire. Throughout the next four years of conflict Australian ships and sailors would operate across the seas and oceans of the world, establishing a tradition of intrepid courage and dogged endurance while forging their own unique naval and national identity.Impeccably researched, and drawing on a wealth of previously untapped official reports, intelligence summaries and private diaries, this book offers far more than a chronicle of historical fact. Crafting the definitive work on this largely ignored chapter of Australian history, the author presents an engaging narrative of the war at sea that brings to life both the human element and a richly depicted sense of place.