On This Day
1914-1918 > WW1
On This Day - 1914-1918
- September 26, 1914
A landing party from HMAS SYDNEY, (cruiser), destroyed the German wireless station at Angaur in the Palau Islands.
- September 24, 1914
HMAS PARRAMATTA, (torpedo boat destroyer), captured the German merchant vessels MEKLONG and BRASS MONKEY, in Mioko Harbour, New Britain.
The German armed merchant cruiser KORMORAN, (CMDR Zuckschwerdt), arrived at Port Alexis several hours before the Australian armed merchant cruiser BERRIMA. The German ship hid in a side channel until BERRIMA departed.
- September 21, 1914
The German Ships SCHARNHORST and GNEISENAU, (heavy cruisers), stood off Papeete, Tahiti, and shelled the coal dumps at the port. ADML von Spee intended landing, but the presence of HMAS AUSTRALIA, (battle-cruiser), in the Pacific, changed his mind. The only Allied warship at Papeete was the small French gunboat ZEILE, which was scuttled by her crew.
- September 17, 1914
Following the Australian occupation of German New Guinea, the British Admiralty ordered VADM Sir George Patey, RN, in HMAS AUSTRALIA, (battle-cruiser), with HMS MONTCALM, to cover HMS ENCOUNTER and the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force, from attack, then search for the two German cruisers GNEISENAU and SCHARNHORST
- September 14, 1914
HMAS ENCOUNTER, (cruiser), shelled German positions at Toma, New Britain. This was the first occasion a ship of the RAN had fired on an enemy.
HMA Submarine AE1, (LCDR T. F. Besant, RN), was lost with 2 officers and 32 ratings, while patrolling off the Duke of York Island. The wreck of the submarine was found in December 2017.
HMAS WARREGO, (torpedo boat destroyer), captured the German steamer NUSA at Kavieng.- September 13, 1914
The former South Australian gunboat, HMAS PROTECTOR, captured the German merchant ship MADANG, off Herbertshohe, New Britain.
- September 11, 1914
The RAN Brigade, supported by men from Australian warships, landed at Kabakaul, German New Guinea, (New Britain), to seize the German wireless station there. HMA Ships AUSTRALIA, SYDNEY, ENCOUNTER, PARRAMATTA, YARRA, WARREGO, AE1 and AE2 supported this landing, and stood by to repel any German warships. The brigade forced their way inland, encountering strong resistance from German native troops lead by German Army Reserve officers, as the RAN advanced to seize the German wireless station. Five RAN and RN naval personnel were killed or died of wounds; LCDR C. B. Elwell, RN; AB W. G. V. Williams; AB J. E. Walker; AB H. W. Street; Signalman R. D. Moffatt; Also killed was Captain B. C. A. Pockley of the Australian Army Medical Corps. AB Williams was the first to be killed, and thus had the dubious honour of being the first Australian to be killed in action during WWI. LEUT T. A. Bond, RANR, distinguished himself in the advance by single handedly capturing 30 native troops, and was later awarded the DSO, which, although not gazetted until 1916, was technically the first decoration awarded to an Australian during WWI
The SS ESTURIA was chartered as a destroyer depot ship. She transferred to the RN in 1917.
- September 9, 1914
HMAS MELBOURNE, (cruiser), landed a party of 4 officers and 21 petty officers, under LCDR M. A. Blanfield, on Nauru, to dismantle the German wireless station on the island. They did not occupy the island, and the formal surrender did not take place until two months later when Australian officers, embarked in the merchant ship SS MESSINA, accepted the German surrender.
- September 7, 1914
A joint Australian army-navy expedition sailed for German New Guinea from Port Moresby embarked on board the auxilliary cruiser HMAS BERRIMA, escorted by HMAS AUSTRALIA, HMAS SYDNEY, HMAS ENCOUNTER, HMAS WAREGO, and HMAS YARRA, together with submarines HMAS AE1 and AE2.
- September 4, 1914
The cruiser HMS PSYCHE, (later HMAS PSYCHE), and survey ship HMS FANTOME, (later HMAS FANTOME), joined the contraband patrol in the Bay of Bengal.