On This Day
1943 > WW2
On This Day - 1943
- January 10, 1943
The destroyer, HMAS ARUNTA, (CMDR J. C. Morrow, RAN), arrived at Darwin with 24 officers and 258 other ranks of Lancer Force, and 31 Portuguese evacuated from Betano Bay, Timor. An earlier attempt to evacuate the force resulted in the loss of HMAS VOYAGER.
- January 5, 1943
The following awards were made to HMAS VENDETTA, (destroyer), “for courage, endurance and devotion to duty” while under Japanese air attack in dock at Singapore, and during the tow of the then immobilised vessel from Singapore to Melbourne:-DSC LEUT W. G. Whitting RANR(S)DSC Gunner (T) J. C. Lace DSM CPO A. J. ThorneDSM DSM AB W. Roberetson
- January 3, 1943
The Bathurst class minesweeper, (corvette), HMAS BUNBURY, (LEUT J. S. Bell RANR(S)), was commissioned. Mrs F. A. Cooper, (Wife of the Treasurer of Queensland), performed the launching ceremony. BUNBURY was laid down on 1 November 1941, in Evans Deakin Yard, QLD, and launched on 16 May 1942.
- January 2, 1943
HMAS WHYALLA, (corvette), and survey vessels STELLA and POLARIS, were attacked by 18 Japanese aircraft while surveying in the Milne Bay area.
- January 1, 1943
HMAS MINDARI, (gunnery instruction centre), was commissioned at Woolloomooloo, Sydney.
CMDR N. K. Calder, RAN, was appointed to OBE for dedicated service while commanding HMAS BUNGAREE in mine-laying operations in the Pacific.
Coastwatcher LEUT W. J. Read, RANVR, arranged the evacuation of 29 civilians from Teop Harbour, Bougainville. The party was taken off by the USS NAUTILUS (submarine).
The shore establishment, HMAS BASILISK, was commissioned at Port Moresby, New Guinea.
The store-carrier, HMAS MATAFELE, (LCDR C. F. Symonds, RN), was commissioned. MATAFELE was laid down in Hong Kong in 1938 and served with Burns Philp & Co Ltd. She was requisitioned by the RAN on 1 January 1943, and commissioned at sea.
- December 19, 1942
HMAS KALGOORLIE, (minesweeper), picked up 29 survivors from HMAS ARMIDALE’s whaler, 150 miles north-west of Darwin. ARMIDALE was sunk by Japanese bombers off Timor.