On This Day - 15 December

1803

HMC Schooner CUMBERLAND, (CMDR Matthew Flinders, RN), was seized by the Captain General of Mauritius, Charles Mathieu Decaen. Flinders was held prisoner for five and a half years. He was released on 19 June 1809 after the island was blockaded by a British Squadron.

1940

CAPT H. L. Waller, RAN, in HMAS STUART, (destroyer), was appointed Senior Naval Officer Afloat to command the Inshore Squadron comprising HMA Ships VAMPIRE, VENDETTA, VOYAGER, and WATERHEN, (destroyers), HMS TERROR, and a number of minesweepers, gunboats, and anti-submarine trawlers.

1941

HMAS NESTOR, (destroyer), sank the German submarine U127 south-west of Cape St Vincent. The following awards resulted from this action:-

Bar to DSO CAPT A. S. Rosenthal;
DSC Mr. R. G. Fennessy, RAN;
DSM AB J. S. McLeod;
DSM AB A. V. Healy;
DSM LS R. J. Anderson;
MID SBLT P. S. Colclough;
MID LS A. M. Krautz;

1942

HMAS CASTLEMAINE, (minesweeper), beat off Japanese aircraft attacks on the convoy she was escorting on the north Australian coast.

1943

Engaged in Operation Dexterity, HMA Ships AUSTRALIA and SHROPSHIRE, (cruisers), ARUNTA and WARRAMUNGA, (destroyers), bombarded Japanese positions, while HMAS WESTRALIA landed troops at Arawe.

1947

The RN Air Station at Nowra, NSW, was transferred to the RAN.

1967

HMAS PERTH, (guided missile destroyer), sank four and damaged four, enemy supply craft near Dong Hoi, Vietnam. Later, on the same day, PERTH fired on three barges alongside a pier at Song Giang, setting fire to the pier and one barge. The RAN's 135th Assault Helicopter Company, (LCDR. N. Ralph, RAN), made a successful withdrawal of the US 199th Light Infantry Brigade from a well defended Vietcong bunker position.

1970

The following gallantry awards were announced for RAN personnel who served in the Helicopter Flight in Vietnam.

DSC LCDR D. A. Farthing

DFC LEUT P. L. Clark

DFC LEUT R. K. Marum

MID LEUT D. B. Gibson

MID LEUT R. J. Cooper

MID SBLT G. Mayo

MID SBLT E. K. Wile

MID SBLT A. C. Perry.

1984

The Fremantle class patrol boat HMAS BUNBURY, was commissioned. BUNBURY was laid down in Cairns, QLD, and was the last of fifteen Fremantle class patrol boats built for the RAN.

2000

HMAS OTAMA, (Oberon class submarine), was decommissioned. OTAMA, was the last of the RAN's Oberon class submarines to be decommissioned.

2003

HMAS Cessnock II arrived in the Solomon Islands as a part of a naval task group and ground forces to help restore law and order

Credit:
'On This Day' is based on the book "Navy Day by Day: Historic Naval Events in Australia and Abroad" written by the late Lew Lind. More information.