On This Day

1946-1959 > Post WW2

December 7, 1959

HMAS Warramunga paid off. After 18 months in reserve she was declared for disposal on 22 May 1961. On 15 February 1963 she was sold to the Japanese firm Kinoshita & Co Ltd for breaking up and subsequently left Sydney under tow for Japan.

November 25, 1959

The Defence Forces Retirement Benefits Bill was passed by the Australian Parliament. This was the first comprehensive retirement scheme for all ranks of the RAN.

November 13, 1959

HMAS DIAMANTINA, (oceanographic survey ship), obtained samples from the sea floor at a depth of 5,706 m off Bali.

November 7, 1959

HMAS WARRAMUNGA, (Tribal class destroyer), was paid off for disposal at Sydney.

October 20, 1959

The RAN’s three Daring Class destroyers operated together for the first time, when Vendetta II, Vampire II and Voyager II conducted a series of exercises and manoeuvres in Jervis Bay area, the trio now forming the 9th Destroyer Squadron

September 26, 1959

HMAS QUIBERON, (frigate), escorted the Bass Strait ferry PRINCESS OF TASMANIA on her maiden voyage from Melbourne to Devonport.

August 18, 1959

817 squadron, flying the Fairey Gannet AS.1, decommissioned.

July 24, 1959

HMS TELEMACHUS, (submarine), returned to Sydney after an exercise in which whales were tagged from the submarine. Professor Dawbin, of Sydney University, fired the tags into the whales, using a specially designed gun.

June 23, 1959

The Daring class destroyer HMAS VAMPIRE, (CAPT E. J. Peel, DSC, RAN), was commissioned at Sydney. VAMPIRE was laid down in Cockatoo Island Dockyard Sydney, on 1 July 1952, and launched on 27 October 1956. Lady Slim, (Wife of the Governor-General Sir William Slim), performed the launching ceremony. VAMPIRE was decommissioned on 13 August 1986, and transferred to the Australian National Maritime Museum in 1991, as a permanent exhibit.

June 22, 1959

HMAS Diamantina was recommissioned into the RAN as a survey and oceanographic research vessel. Diamantina had previously paid off to the reserve in August 1946 after service in New Guinea during the final phases of World War II.

HMAS Fremantle finally paid off at Sydney for disposal. She had steamed 113,654 miles since recommissioning in 1952. In all, including her war time service, she had steamed 190,776 miles. Fremantle was sold on 6 January 1961 to Kinoshita (Australia) Pty Ltd to be broken up

June 8, 1959

HMAS Cootamundra paid off. Declared for disposal on 27 September 1961, she was sold to Banks Bros & Street on 28 March 1962

May 20, 1959

LEUT(P) Stanley Ray Carmichael RAN & ASLT(O) Mike Williams RAN lost their lives when their Sea Venom aircraft of 724 Squadron flew into the sea whilst on a photographic exercise at sea off Ulladulla, NSW. Aircraft WZ909 (RAN code N4-909) was seen to circle the merchant vessel Komona before crashing into the sea at 1514 hrs, approximately 18 miles east of Ulladulla. LEUT Carmichael was one of the RAN’s very early trained pilots, and was highly experienced having flown Sea Furies from HMAS Sydney during the Korean war. Twenty nine years later on 18/05/88 the remains of their aircraft was bought to the surface by a CSIRO vessel. The port wheel cover is now displayed at the Fleet Air Arm Museum, Nowra, NSW.

April 24, 1959

HMA Ships SWAN and WARREGO commenced a three-month survey of the Outer Whitsunday Passage, QLD.

April 18, 1959

The Minister for the Navy, Mr. J. Gorton, announced the frigates BARCOO, DIAMANTINA, and GASCOYNE, were to be re-commissioned.

March 23, 1959

VADM Roy Dowling, DSO, RAN, is appointed Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee, (the forerunner of the Chief of the Defence Force).

February 24, 1959

VADM Sir Henry Burrell, CB, OBE, was appointed as Chief of Naval Staff.

January 31, 1959

HMAS PARRAMATTA, (destroyer escort), was commissioned at Sydney. PARRAMATTA was the second ship of her class built in Australia.

December 3, 1958

HMAS Kookaburra paid off at Sydney and without any further sea-going service was removed from the Navy list and declared for disposal on 24 June 1965.

December 1, 1958

808 Squadron, flying Sea Venoms, decommissioned at Nowra.

November 26, 1958

The Daring class destroyer HMAS VENDETTA, (CAPT R. J. Robertson, DSC, RAN), was commissioned.

VENDETTA was laid down in Williamstown Dockyard, VIC, on 4 July 1949, and launched on 3 May 1954. Mrs Nancy Waller, (Wife of CAPT H. M. L. Waller, DSO, RAN), performed the launching ceremony.

August 18, 1958

817 Squadron, flying Gannetts, decommissioned..

August 8, 1958

HMAS HORSHAM, (minesweeper), was sold for breaking up.

July 18, 1958

The first issue of the RAN’s newspaper, Navy News, was published.

HMAS VENDETTA, (Daring class destroyer), accidentally rammed the caisson of the Albert Dock, at Williamstown Dockyard, VIC, where she was being built. The damage incurred put back her completion date by at least three months. The ship was commissioned on 26 November 1958.

July 4, 1958

HMAS WARRAMUNGA, (destroyer), represented Australia at the 12th anniversary of the Philippines’ Republic.

May 13, 1958

CAPT C. M. Hudson, RAN, commanding HMAS QUEENBOROUGH, (frigate), suffered a stroke while the ship was at sea off Point Gellibrand. The Executive Officer, LCDR V. A. Parker, RAN, was required to assume command.