On This Day
1900-1913 > Federation, RAN and pre-WW1
On This Day - 1900-1913
- January 6, 1903
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 Australian navy manned by colonial sailors and under our own executive direction has been assiduously preached of late and that it has ‘caught on’ with the masses…’.
- November 10, 1902
VADM Sir Arthur D. Fanshawe, KCB, RN, was appointed Flag Officer Commanding the Australia Station. His flagship was HMS ROYAL ARTHUR.
- October 22, 1902
The Australian Star reported that the NSW Government had purchased the mansion ‘Tresco’ at Elizabeth Bay, as a residence for the Naval Officer-in-Command at Garden Island, Sydney.
- June 18, 1902
HMS ENCOUNTER, (cruiser), later HMAS ENCOUNTER, was launched at Devonport, England.
- February 11, 1902
Anglo-Japanese treaty signed. The treaty required Britain and Japan to join the other in the event of hostilities. Australian naval policy was strongly influenced by this treaty. It expired on 13 July 1921.
- September 28, 1901
CAPT William Creswell, RN, submitted his historic report on Australian sea defence, commerce, and ports.
- March 29, 1901
Transport 106, (China Navigation Company vessel SS CHINGTU), sailed from Hong Kong returning troops to Australia
- March 1, 1901
The order was gazetted that all Australian armed forces should be transferred from the jurisdiction of the State Governments to the Federal Government, which under the Federal Constitution, would be the sole Australian Defence authority. The Commonwealth Naval Force came into existence. It’s war equipment consisted of a motley collection of largely obsolescent warships, including, HMC Ships CERBERUS and PROTECTOR, torpedo boats CHILDERS, COUNTESS OF HOPETOWN, LONSDALE, NEPEAN, and MOSQUITO, gunboats GAYUNDAH and PALUMA, and a number of small naval auxiliaries. Naval personnel strength was 240 permanent members, and 1348 members of the Naval Brigade.
- January 17, 1901
Sir John Forrest was appointed Defence Minister, and CAPT R. Muirhead Collins, (former RN officer), became Secretary of Defence in the Commonwealth administration.
- January 6, 1901
The gunboat, HMCS PROTECTOR, (CAPT William Creswell, RN), arrived back in Port Adelaide after 153 days away, serving in China from September to November 1900, during the Boxer rebellion.