On This Day
1919-1938 > Depresssion and between the wars
On This Day - 1919-1938
- April 30, 1924
CDRE Thomas Erskine Wardle, CB, DSO, RN, was appointed Commodore Commanding His Majesty’s Australian Squadron.
- April 18, 1924
HMAS Adelaide (I) joined the flag of Vice Admiral Commanding Special Service Squadron Royal Navy on 18 April 1924 and left Sydney for Wellington on 20 April. She accompanied the battle cruisers throughout the remainder of their worldwide cruise and reached Portsmouth on 28 September 1924, having called at Wellington, Napier, Auckland, Suva, Honolulu, Victoria (BC), Vancouver, San Francisco, Panama, Colon, Jamaica, Halifax, Quebec, Topsail Bay and Conception Bay en route. Adelaide (I) was the first RAN ship to pass through the Panama Canal.
- April 12, 1924
HMAS AUSTRALIA, (battle-cruiser), was ceremoniously scuttled off Sydney Heads as part of the Washington Treaty, which limited fleet sizes, (the RAN was included as part of the RN under this treaty). AUSTRALIA was followed to her final resting place by the remainder of the Australian Fleet, and hundreds of patriotic citizens in private vessels.
- March 1, 1924
HMS HOOD and HMS REPULSE, (battle cruisers), arrived in Fremantle. Both ships were part of the Royal Navy Special Service Squadron conducting a world cruise to “show the flag”}. HM Ships DELHI, DANAE, DAUNTLESS, and DRAGON, (cruisers), accompanied them. The Squadron later visited Albany, Adelaide, Melbourne, Hobart, Jervis Bay, and Sydney, before proceeding across the Tasman Sea to New Zealand. Both capital ships were lost during 1941 to enemy action, (HOOD in the Atlantic during the battle with the BISMARCK, and REPULSE to Japanese bombers off the east coast of Malaya).
- February 26, 1924
HMA Submarines J1, J2, J4, and J5, were sold to the Melbourne Salvage Syndicate for breaking up. The hulks of JI and J2 were scuttled off Barwon Heads, J3 off Swan Island, J4 sank at Williamstown, and J5 and J7 were scuttled off Queenscliff.
- January 3, 1924
The Australian Council of Defence agreed that the responsibility for defensive submarine mine-laying in Australia rested with the RAN. Previous to this date the Army was responsible for mine-laying.
- November 2, 1923
RADM Sir Albert Percy Addison, KBE, CB, CMG, RN, was appointed Flag Officer Commanding His Majesty’s Australian Squadron.
- October 19, 1923
HM Ships VAMPIRE and VENDETTA, (later HMA Ships of the same name), rescued the crew of the merchant ship IMPERIAL PRINCE in the Mediterranean.
- October 12, 1923
HMAS GERANIUM, (survey ship), towed the passenger ship MONTORO off Young Reef, in the Great Barrier Reef.
- October 10, 1923
HMAS PARRAMATTA, (torpedo boat destroyer), was dispatched to Wilsons Promontory, VIC, to fight bushfires.