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You are here: Home / On This Day / On This Day - 1946-1959

On This Day

1946-1959 > Post WW2

On This Day - 1946-1959

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

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