On This Day

The Minister for Defence announced the third torpedo boat destroyer would be built in NSW, but Victoria would receive a fair share of the future work authorised by the Federal Government. ...

British Admiralty’s hard-nosed opposition to the idea of Dominion navies suddenly changed. Admiralty now expressed the opinion that each Dominion should have ‘a distinct fleet unit’ comprising a battle-cruiser, three light cruisers, ...

Extract from Instructions to the Professional Officers of His Majesty’s Dockyards: “When gangs or companies are working by candlelight, such candles only as are necessary are to be demanded, and ...

15 sailors from HMS ENCOUNTER, (cruiser), were drowned when the ship’s pinnace was rammed by SS DUNSMORE off Garden Island, Sydney. The men were on their way ashore to conduct ...

The ‘Great White Fleet’ arrived in Albany, WA, and remained until 18 September. Albany was an important coaling stop for the Fleet. ...

The ‘Great White Fleet’ arrived in Melbourne, and remained there until 5 September, when it sailed for Albany, WA. ...

The American ‘Great White Fleet’, 16 warships plus auxiliaries, under the command of ADML Charles Sperry, USN, arrived in Sydney, and remained there until 27 August, when they sailed for ...

The Prime Minister of Australia, Alfred Deakin, announced that Australia would purchase 9 C-class submarines, and 6 torpedo boat destroyers, over three years, to be built, manned and maintained by ...

CMDR William Clarkson, ANF, and CMDR W. J. Colquhoun, DSO, ANF, departed Australia for Japan to conduct an in depth study of the Imperial Japanese Navy methods of ship construction, ...

The Royal Edward Victualing Yard, (REVY), at Pyrmont, Sydney, was opened. This establishment was the storehouse for the RAN’s clothing and provisions. The yard was closed in the early 1980’s, ...

CAPT William Creswell’s report on the establishment of an Australian navy, and the role it could play in the defence of Australia, (submitted to the Committee of Imperial Defence in ...

VADM Sir Wilmot H. Fawkes, KCB, KCVO, was appointed Flag Officer Commanding the Australia Station. His flagship was HMS POWERFUL ...

The naval prison at Garden Island, Sydney, was completed. It provided accommodation for 12 prisoners. ...

Commonwealth Naval and Military Boards were constituted under the Defence Act of 1903-1904. The regular members of the Naval Board were the Minister for Defence, (Mr J. W. McKay) as ...

CAPT William Creswell was appointed Director of Naval Forces. ...

Water tender RIPPLE, built by Foster & Minty, Balmain, NSW, underwent trials at Sydney. It served in the RAN from 1913 to ...

Control of State Defence Forces was formerly transferred to the Commonwealth of Australia. ...

The Daily Telegraph, Sydney reported:- ‘New Survey Ship For Australia. The British Admiralty has purchased the yacht CONSUELO, (owned by the 26th Earl of Crawford and Balcarres), for survey work ...

The first Marines Corps formed in Australia were the New South Wales Marine Light Infantry, recruited as the Third Contingent to join New South Wales’ volunteers in South Africa. The ...

The first message received from a ship at sea to an Australian wireless station was transmitted by the Queensland gunboat, GAYUNDAH, to a receiving station in Brisbane. The historic message ...

Alfred Deakin, (later to become Prime Minister of Australia), and in his time the greatest political champion of Australian defence, wrote in the Morning Post; ‘The idea of a specially ...