On This Day
1914-1918 > WW1
On This Day - 1914-1918
- April 7, 1917
LEUT R. A. Little, an Australian serving with the RNAS, outfought and out-manoeuvred 11 German Albatross ID aircraft in a dogfight over France. Little was flying a Sopwith tri-plane. German ace, Baron von Richtofen, who witnessed the combat, urged Fokkers to produce a similar tri-plane.
- April 2, 1917
A Sopwith Baby seaplane was embarked in HMAS BRISBANE, (cruiser), at Colombo, to hunt down the German raider WOLF. BRISBANE was the first ship of the RAN to carry an aircraft operationally.
The Australian-born CAPT J. S. Dumaresq, RN, took command of HMAS SYDNEY, (cruiser). CAPT J. Glossop, CB, RN, who had commanded SYDNEY when she sank the German cruiser SMS EMDEN in 1914, returned to Australia to take command of the RAN base at Garden Island.
- March 27, 1917
The RANBT was disbanded. The men serving in this unit either transferred to the 1st AIF, RAN, RN, or returned to Australia for discharge.
- March 7, 1917
The Australian Naval Board informed the Admiralty that “a small minesweeping flotilla is being trained at Sydney and Melbourne”. The vessels were requisitioned tugs and trawlers manned by the Australian Naval Brigade. The minesweepers were not commissioned.
- March 5, 1917
HMAS SLEUTH, (armed yacht), joined the Torres Strait Patrol. The Australian Naval Board feared German raiders would mine the straits.
- February 21, 1917
HM Submarine J7, later HMA Submarine J7, was launched at Devonport, England.
- February 18, 1917
The Australian transport BERRIMA, formerly HMAS BERRIMA, (armed merchant cruiser), was torpedoed by a German submarine in the English Channel.
- February 17, 1917
SBLT R. S. Dallas, an Australian serving with the RNAS, shot down a German Aviatik aircraft over France. Dallas was flying a Sopwith triplane.
- February 12, 1917
On 12 February 1917 HMAT Afric was sunk in the English Channel after being torpedoed by the German submarine SM UC-66, whilst sailing outbound between Liverpool and Plymouth, 12 miles (19 km) south south-west of the Eddystone Lighthouse, there were 145 survivors, but 22 people lost their lives.
The wreck lies at the position (49°59′N 04°18′W) at a depth of around 70 metres (229.7 feet), and has been filmed by divers
- February 1, 1917
The German Government ordered unrestricted submarine warfare against Allied shipping.
SBLT R. S. Dallas, an Australian serving with the RNAS, shot down a German Aviatik aircraft over France. Dallas was flying a Sopwith triplane.
- January 13, 1917
The armed yacht and patrol vessel HMAS SLEUTH was commissioned. As the steam-yacht ENA she was built in Sydney in 1901. ENA was requisitioned for patrol service in January 1917.
- January 4, 1917
The Australian Destroyer Squadron patrolled the waters south and west of Singapore.
- December 25, 1916
A spartan Christmas was the lot of HMAS HUON, (torpedo boat destroyer), in Malayan waters:- ‘On patrol-dirty weather -had bully beef and biscuits and some duff knocked up by ourselves’. (Extract from a stoker’s diary.)
- December 22, 1916
50 personnel from the RANBT, under CMDR L. S. Bracegirdle, RAN, landed at El Arish on the Sinai Peninsula, to build a pier to land supplies in support of the ANZAC mounted columns advance into Palestine. The Turkish forces had withdrawn to Magdahba only a few days before, leaving El Arish undefended, but the beach was still mined. These men stayed at El Arish until late March to maintain the pier and unload supplies.
- December 20, 1916
HMAT Itonus torpedoed and sunk near Malta in the Mediterranean by Austrian submarine U-38 on 20 Dec 1916 as she was making her way from Marseilles to Sydney with a load of tiles. Five engine room crew members perished, and the Captain was taken prisoner. All other crew escaped in lifeboats.
- December 20, 1916
HMA Ships SYDNEY and MELBOURNE, (cruisers), were damaged when the destroyers HOSTE and NEGRO collided and sank off Norway. Both ships lost a man and seven were injured when the destroyers’ depth charges exploded.
- December 13, 1916
HMAS Brisbane departed Sydney for war service in the Mediterranean, arriving at Malta on 4 February 1917
- December 1, 1916
HMAS SYDNEY saw her first action in the North Sea.
- November 21, 1916
The Australian ship WARILDA was converted to a hospital ship at Garden Island, Sydney.
In February 1918 the ship was torpedoed by a German submarine in the English Channel, but the torpedo failed to explode.
On 3 August the ship was torpedoed again off Le Havre, and sank with a loss of 123 lives, many of whom were wounded soldiers.
- November 18, 1916
The Australian transport BERRIMA, (ex-HMAS BERRIMA, armed merchant cruiser), was torpedoed by a German submarine off Portland, England. BERRIMA was empty, having unloaded 1600 troops at Plymouth two days before. The vessel was beached and later salvaged.
- November 16, 1916
HMAS SYDNEY, (cruiser), joined the 2nd Light Cruiser Squadron at Rosyth, Scotland.
- November 11, 1916
SBLT R. A. Little, an Australian serving with the RNAS, shot down a German Aviatik aircraft over Beau-mont-Hamel, France. Little was flying a Sopwith Pup.
- November 10, 1916
HMAS FANTOME, (sloop), intercepted a Chinese junk in the Nicobar Islands. The vessel was later released when it was found the junk was not a contraband runner.
- November 7, 1916
HMAS Pioneer paid off at Sydney. Thereafter she was used as an accommodation ship at Garden Island until 1922. In May 1923 she was handed over to Cockatoo Dockyard by the Disposals Board. In 1924 she passed to the control of Commonwealth Shipping Board and during the same year the work of stripping her down to a bare hull was begun. Pioneer’s hull was later bought by HP Stacey of Sydney as scrap.
- October 31, 1916
HMAS BRISBANE, the first cruiser to be built in Australia, was commissioned at Sydney.