HMA Ships NAPIER, NORMAN, NEPAL, and QUIBERON, (destroyers), and HM ships QUALITY and QUEENBOROUGH, participated in Operation Diplomat, the reinforcing of the British Eastern Fleet. HMA Submarine K9, formerly the ...
Australian Naval History on 27 March 1944
The Bathurst class minesweeper, (corvette), HMAS STRAHAN, was commissioned. STRAHAN was laid down in the State Dockyard, Newcastle, NSW, on 19 October 1942, and launched on 12 July 1943. The ...
Australian Naval History on 26 March 1944
The Coastwatcher’s Navy in far northern waters consisted of, HMAS PALUMA and HDML 1321, commanded respectively by the brothers SBLT P. Palmer, RANVR, and SBLT E. Palmer, RANVR. ...
Australian Naval History on 25 March 1944
Manus Island was captured by the Allies. Seeadler Harbour was developed as a major naval base and by September 1944 it rivalled Pearl Harbour. It was equipped with a 100,000 ...
Australian Naval History on 24 March 1944
The Fremantle based USS BOWFIN, (submarine), sank the Japanese transports SHINKYO MARU and BENGAL MARU. An explosion and fire onboard the Fairmile motor launch, HMAS ML 427, caused the deaths ...
Australian Naval History on 23 March 1944
The Fremantle-based USS DACE, (submarine), landed a coastwatcher reconnaissance party, under CAPT G. C. Harris, on Cape Tanahmerah, Dutch New Guinea, to gather intelligence for the proposed landing at Hollandia. ...
Australian Naval History on 22 March 1944
HMA Ships AUSTRALIA, (cruiser), and ARUNTA, (destroyer), with the USS MULLANY, (destroyer), carried out a sweep of the New Guinea coast east of Tanahmerah Bay and destroyed a number of ...
Australian Naval History on 15 March 1944
Southwest Pacific Force, which included units of the RAN in the Pacific, was re-designated the Seventh Fleet. ...
Australian Naval History on 14 March 1944
HMAS SHEPPARTON, (minesweeper), landed troops at Talasea, New Britain. HMAS BENALLA, (minesweeper), surveyed Seeadler Harbour, Manus Island, while under enemy gunfire. ...
Australian Naval History on 11 March 1944
HMAS ARUNTA, (destroyer), along with US destroyers, closed to 4000 yards to bombard Japanese positions at Seeadler Harbour, Manus Island. ...
Australian Naval History on 7 March 1944
CAPT E. F. V. Dechaineux, RAN, assumed command of HMAS AUSTRALIA, (cruiser). ...
Australian Naval History on 4 March 1944
HMAS SHROPSHIRE, (cruiser), and US Ships NASHVILLE, PHOENIX, DALY, and HUTCHINS, destroyed Japanese guns on Hauwei Island, near Hollandia, New Guinea. ...
Australian Naval History on 3 March 1944
The destroyer, HMAS WARRAMUNGA, (CAPT E. F. V. Dechaineux, RAN), and the US Ships AMMEN and WELLES, shelled Japanese targets in Hyane Harbour, Manus Island. Later in the day all ...
Australian Naval History on 2 March 1944
RADM V. Crutchley, VC, RN, commanding Task Force 74 was ordered to position his ships north and northwest of the Admiralty Islands for the attack on Hyane Harbour. HMAS WARRAMUNGA, ...
Australian Naval History on 29 February 1944
HMA Ships SHROPSHIRE, (cruiser), and WARRAMUNGA, (destroyer), were units of the covering force for the American landings in the Admiralty Islands. ...
Australian Naval History on 23 February 1944
The fleet tug HMAS SPRIGHTLY, was commissioned. SPRIGHTLY was laid down in Levingston Shipbuilding Co, Orange, Texas, USA, on 6 June 1942, and launched on 7 August 1942. She was ...
Australian Naval History on 17 February 1944
ADML Royle, (First Naval Member), accompanied by Mr. Essington Lewis, (Director General of Munitions), boarded HMAS WARRAMUNGA at Milne Bay for a front-line tour of Buna, Langemak, and Lae. ...
Australian Naval History on 12 February 1944
The Japanese submarine I-27 attacked a troopship convoy south of the Maldive Islands. The submarine fired a salvo of torpedoes of which two struck the troopship KHEDIVE ISMAIL, which sank ...
Australian Naval History on 11 February 1944
HMA Ships IPSWICH and LAUNCESTON and HMIS JUMNA, sank the Japanese submarine RO-110, 20 miles south-east of Vizagapatam. RO-110 had torpedoed the merchant ship ASPHALION but was quickly tracked by ...
Australian Naval History on 10 February 1944
HMAS STUART, (destroyer), was taken in hand by Garden Island Naval Dockyard for conversion to a fast transport. ...
Australian Naval History on 7 February 1944
LEUT B.M. MacFarlane, RANVR along with LEUT Jack MARSDEN RANVR was lost when midget submarine X-22 was rammed and sunk by HMS SYRTIS during exercises in Pentland Forth, Scotland. LEUT ...
Australian Naval History on 4 February 1944
The Australian Government resolved “that all higher Royal Australian Navy appointments would be Australian”. ...
Australian Naval History on 2 February 1944
The services reconnaissance department craft HMAS ALATNA, was commissioned. ...
Australian Naval History on 28 January 1944
The landing ship, infantry, HMAS WESTRALIA, (CMDR A. V. Knight, DSC, RANR(S)), was attacked by a Japanese bomber off Milne Bay, New Guinea. The ship suffered some damage and one ...
Australian Naval History on 21 January 1944
Cook R. W. Andrews was swept overboard when a freak wave caused HMAS NEPAL, (destroyer), to almost broach to south of Cape Town. The man was sighted when an albatross ...