On This Day

1945 > WW2

December 31, 1945

Four GCs, nine GMs and three Bars to the GM were awarded to RANR personnel serving in the Rendering Mines Safe Section of the RN during WWII.

December 17, 1945

HMAS Horsham decommissioned at Fremantle and was placed in the Reserve Fleet. During her service she had steamed 95,872 miles and was under way for 11,302 hours. Horsham was sold as scrap for breaking up to the Hong Kong Delta Shipping Company, Hong Kong, on 8 August 1956.

HMAS BASILISK, (shore establishment at Port Moresby), paid off.

The modified River class frigate HMAS MURCHISON, (LCDR J. McL Adams, RAN), was commissioned. MURCHISON was laid down in Evans Deakin Yard, Brisbane, on 3 June 1943, and launched on 31 October 1944.

HMAS Parkes paid off into Reserve at Fremantle on 17 December 1945. Without being again brought forward for service Parkes was sold for scrap on 2 May 1957 to Hong Kong Rolling Mills Ltd, of Hong Kong.

December 12, 1945

HMAS Riawe was decommisioned and returned to owner Mr Gordon Allison.

December 10, 1945

The Q class destroyer, HMAS QUEENBOROUGH, was commissioned. QUEENBOROUGH was laid down at Swan Hunter’s Yard, England, on 6 November 1940, and launched on 16 January 1942. QUEENBOROUGH was transferred to the RAN in September 1945.

December 8, 1945

HMAS Kara Kara paid off into reserve at Darwin. After five years in reserve she departed Darwin on 6 December 1950, arriving at Sydney on 22 December 1950. Without further sea going service she was transferred to unmaintained reserve at Waverton Depot on 30 December 1960 and was later used as a Reserve Amenities Ship at Sydney. Kara Kara was sold on 15 February 1972 to Marrickville Metals, Marrickville, NSW, for breaking up. After being stripped of useful material the hulk was handed back to the RAN for use as a target. On 31 January 1973 Kara Kara was sunk, forty miles east of Jervis Bay, as a target for RAN ships and aircraft

December 7, 1945

The River class frigate HMAS MACQUARIE, (LEUT L. M. Hinchliffe, DSC, RAN), was commissioned. She was laid down as CULGOA in Mort’s Dock, Sydney, on 3 December 1943, and launched on 3 March 1945 as MACQUARIE.

November 28, 1945

HMAS QUALITY was commissioned into the RAN after service in the RN. She replaced HMAS NAPIER on transfer to the RAN.

November 27, 1945

HMAS Vendetta paid off for disposal. On 20 March 1946 she was sold to Penguin Pty Ltd, Sydney. Her hull was scuttled off Sydney Heads on 2 July 1948.

Sub Lieutenant Leslie John Norton RANVR lost his life in a Seafire XV, whilst doing an air display at Schofields. The accident was initially blamed on pilot error, but an investigation found that at high speeds the Seafire was subject to aileron reversal. This condition could result in wing spar failure.

November 26, 1945

HMAS Paterson decommissioned at Sydney and was returned to her owners on 1 May 1946. She foundered on 11 June 1951 near Bird Island off the NSW Central Coast when she sprung a leak while carrying a general cargo, including 476 dozen bottles of beer, from Sydney to Newcastle

November 24, 1945

HMAS HOBART, (cruiser), was flagship of His Majesty’s Australian Squadron in Japan.

November 23, 1945

HMAS Kybra decommissioned at Fremantle and was returned to her owners on 25 March the following year. She was sold to Panamanian interests in 1957 and later re-sold to a Singapore company and renamed Floretta. She departed Fremantle in tow on 28 February 1958 bound for Singapore

November 16, 1945

The 21st Minesweeping Flotilla consisting of HMA ships Ballarat, Bathurst, Burnie, Maryborough, Cairns, Fremantle, Bendigo, Toowoomba and Goulburn left Hong Kong after sweeping in Chinese waters and proceeded to Australia.

November 14, 1945

CAPT R. R. Dowling, RAN, was awarded the DSO for courage, skill and initiative while commanding HMAS HOBART, (cruiser), in operations at Cebu, Tarakan, Wewak, Labuan, and Balikpapan.

November 12, 1945

HMAS Wato paid off in Sydney. She was returned to her owners, The Adelaide Steam Tug Company Ltd, on 27 May 1946.

November 6, 1945

LEUT E. Howitt, RANVR, was MID for outstanding service while commanding ML427 in the Philippines.

November 2, 1945

CAPT Theodore Detmers, of the German raider KORMORAN, informed the Commandant of his Australian POW camp, of the whereabouts of film taken in the German raider at the time of the sinking of HMAS SYDNEY, (cruiser). The film was not found.

October 29, 1945

Battleship HMS King George V arrived at Melbourne for a visit. Thousands of people lined the fore-shore for miles to see the giant warship, assisted by four tugs, make her way slowly up the bay, her super-structure gleaming light grey and white. Outside the wharf gates hundreds watched her tie up. Later, when the public was allowed on the wharf, a constant stream of people passed through the gates to admire at close quarters the biggest warship, to visit Melbourne for 20 years. She departed fro Sydney on 9/11/1945.

October 29, 1945

Battleship HMS King George V arrived at Melbourne for a visit. Thousands of people lined the foreshore for miles to see the giant warship, assisted by four tugs, make her way slowly up the bay, her super-structure gleaming light grey and white. Outside the wharf gates hundreds watched her tie up. Later, when the public was allowed on the wharf, a constant stream of people passed through the gates to admire at close quarters the biggest warship, to visit Melbourne for 20 years. She departed for Sydney on 9/11/1945

October 28, 1945

HMAS Norman decommissioned and was transferred back to the Royal Navy and was broken up in 1958

October 25, 1945

HMAS Napier was decommissioned and returned to the Royal Navy after 5 years service for the RAN

October 22, 1945

HMAS Nepal decommissioned after steaming over 200,000 miles for the Royal Australian Navy. She was transferred back to the Royal Navy and was broken up in 1956

October 20, 1945

HMAS QUEENSBOROUGH was commissioned into the RAN after service in the RN. She replaced HMAS NORMAN on transfer to the RAN.

October 18, 1945

The Q class destroyer HMAS QUADRANT was commissioned into the RAN after service in the RN. She replaced HMAS NIZAM on transfer to the RAN.

October 17, 1945

HMAS Nizam paid off and on the same day recommissioned as HMS Nizam. Her complement transferred to HMAS Quadrant and the Royal Navy complement from that ship manned Nizam for return to England. Nizam was scrapped in 1956. The total distance steamed by Nizam on war service was 295,206 miles

October 16, 1945

The 20th Minesweeping Flotilla was reformed with Swan (Captain RV Wheatley RAN) as Flotilla Leader for mine clearance operations in Australian, New Guinea and Solomon Islands waters.