On This Day

1946-1959 > Post WW2

May 6, 1958

HMA Ships SWAN, COOTAMUNDRA, FREMANTLE, and WARREGO, commenced a detailed survey of the Timor Sea.

April 28, 1958

The Indonesian Navy ship HANG TUAH, (ex HMNS MOROTAI, ex HMAS IPSWICH), was sunk in a bombing attack off North Borneo. The WWII Mitchell bomber was piloted by an American mercenary pilot who received $US5000 for the operation.

April 10, 1958

HMA Ships QUALITY and QUIBERON, (destroyers), were decommissioned at Sydney and sold to Mitsubishi in Japan, for breaking up. RADM O. H. Becher, DSO, DSC, RAN, who was the Fleet Commander at the time, and a former Commanding Officer of HMAS QUIBERON, signaled to the ship:- “I am sorry the last of my favourite ships is being paid off”.

April 1, 1958

HMS NORMAN, (destroyer), formerly HMAS NORMAN, was paid off for disposal.

March 31, 1958

HMAS Sprightly (Tug) was decommissioned.    805 Squadron recommissioned at NAS Nowra with de Havilland Sea Venoms for service in HMAS Melbourne.

March 26, 1958

805 Squadron, flying Sea Furies, decommissioned at NAS Nowra.

March 18, 1958

805 Squadron Sea Fury’s making a final farewell flight over Sydney Harbour with the squadron decommissioned on 26 March 1958;

 

February 24, 1958

HMAS QUIBERON, (destroyer), conveyed Her Majesty the Queen Mother from Circular Quay to Manly.

February 20, 1958

The RAN’s veteran depot ship, HMAS PLATYPUS, departed Sydney bound for Japan to be broken up. She had commenced service with the RAN in 1919, and had been present at the first bombing of Darwin in 1942.

January 20, 1958

The Royal Australian Naval College, returned to Jervis Bay and was commissioned as HMAS CRESWELL. The college had originally been located at Jervis Bay from 1915 until 1930, however economic restrictions during the depression forced it’s transfer to HMAS CERBERUS in 1931

January 1, 1958

725 Squadron commissioned into the RAN at NAS Nowra as a fleet requirements and communications unit flying a range of aircraft. (Was previously a RN Sqdn number). 724 Squadron becomes an all-jet squadron flying Sea Vampires and Sea Venoms. With the decision to operate just one carrier instead of two as originally planned, the need for 851 Squadron declined and the unit was decommissioned at NAS Nowra.

December 25, 1957

Officers cook A. C. Cooper, of HMAS ANZAC, (destroyer), drowned in Singapore. Cooper was only one of two RAN casualties during the Malayan Emergency, (1948-1960). He is buried at Kranji War Cemetery, Singapore.

December 18, 1957

HMAS QUIBERON was re-commissioned as an anti-submarine Frigate

December 5, 1957

The Official RAN Badge was amended by changing the Tudor Crown in the design to a St Edwards Crown, (Queen’s Crown).

October 28, 1957

HMAS MELBOURNE, (aircraft carrier), collided with the merchant ship SS STRAAT BANKA, (Royal Interocean Line) in Port Adelaide. Damage was minor. HMAS MELBOURNE proceeded to Melbourne on that day, arriving on 1st November.

August 21, 1957

HMAS Junee paid off and on 18 June 1958 she was sold to Mr WG Davies of Fremantle. She was scrapped in 1968 and her hull sunk 20 miles west of Rottnest Island, Western Australia..

August 16, 1957

HMAS Quadrant paid off into Operational Reserve at Sydney. On 15 February 1963 Quadrant was sold for scrap to a Japanese firm, Kinoshita & Co Ltd.

May 31, 1957

HMAS Karangi was placed in unmaintained Reserve at Sydney. During 16 years of sea going service Karangi steamed 73,000 miles. She was removed from the Navy list in 1964 and declared for disposal

May 9, 1957

HMAS MARYBOROUGH, (minesweeper), was sold. She was purchased by a private shipping company and renamed ISOBEL QUEEN.

May 2, 1957

HMA Ships GLENELG, KATOOMBA, and PARKES, (minesweepers), were sold out of service for breaking up at Hong Kong.

April 26, 1957

HMAS Tobruk was taking part in a night encounter exercise while participating in SEATO Exercise ASTRA. The opposing forces were designated ‘blue’ and ‘orange’ respectively and the purpose of the exercise was to detect and engage the opposition in a night action environment. Shortly after 21:00 hours Tobruk was steaming as the third, and rear ship, in a Blue Force column lead by HMS Newcastle steering 340 at 25 knots. HMAS Anzac was the second ship in the column ahead of Tobruk. Each ship was 2000 yards apart. At approximately 21:10, star shell bursts were observed by Tobruk to the west of Anzac as the column was executing a turn together to port, to course 160. Several minutes later Tobruk and Anzac were ordered by Newcastle to form on a line of bearing and the course was altered to 130. At 21:17 reports were issued from Tobruk indicating that shells were falling very close to each side of the ship and shortly afterwards she was hit by a shell that passed inboard through the upper deck into ‘A’ gun bay where it detonated critically injuring two ratings: Able Seaman RW Spooner and Able Seaman JR Stevenson. Able Seaman Spooner subsequently died of his wounds. A board of inquiry into the tragedy revealed that a star shell fired from HMS Cockade during the night encounter exercise was responsible for the damage to Tobruk and her casualties.

April 12, 1957

The RAN Clearance Diving Branch suffered its first casualty when ABCD T. W. Aldridge drowned in an incident at Pittwater, Sydney.

April 4, 1957

The Federal Government announced the relocation of Defence Administration from Melbourne to Canberra. Navy Office, which had been located in Melbourne since the early 1900’s, was subsequently moved to Russell Offices in Canberra.

March 18, 1957

HMAS PALUMA, a former stores carrier, was commissioned as a survey vessel.

March 11, 1957

The tug HMAS EMU, (LCDR J. Toulouse, RANVR), rescued six survivors of the merchant ship GOLD SEEKER from Bowen Bay, Bathurst Island.