On This Day

1946-1959 > Post WW2

October 18, 1954

HMAS Bataan paid off at Sydney having steamed 279,395 nautical miles since commissioning. Bataan was sold for scrap on 2 May 1958 to Mitsubishi Shoji Kaisha Ltd of Tokyo, Japan.

October 9, 1954

HMAS SHROPSHIRE, (cruiser), departed from Sydney under tow for the ship-breakers in Scotland.

October 5, 1954

808 Squadron, flying Sea Furies, decommissioned at Nowra.

September 8, 1954

Australia signed the Manila Treaty to form a military alliance with France, US, UK, New Zealand, Philippines, Pakistan, and Thailand, to be known as the South East Asia Treaty Organisation, (SEATO)

September 1, 1954

HMAS TIDE AUSTRAL, later renamed SUPPLY, was launched at Belfast, Northern Ireland.

August 31, 1954

HMAS AUSTRALIA (II) was paid off having steamed 477,301 miles in the period since August 1939. She was sold as scrap to British Iron and Steel Corporation (Salvage) Ltd on 25 January 1955. Australia (II) was towed from Sydney by the Dutch tug Rode Zee on 26 March 1955 and was broken up at the Thomas Ward Shipbreaking Yard at Barrow-in-Furness, England, between 1955 and 1957.

August 3, 1954

850 Squadron decommissioned and 851 Squadron commissioned at NAS Nowra as a training squadron flying Fairey Fireflies and Douglas Dakotas.

June 18, 1954

Delivery of the first RAN Vampire trainer took place when Lieutenant Peter Goldrick, RAN accepted the de Havilland Sea Vampire Mk T.34 at the de Havilland workshop in Bankstown on behalf of 723 Squadron. The aircraft was then flown to its permanent home at HMAS Albatross where it was used as a land-based trainer for Sea Fury pilots converting to the soon to be delivered Sea Venom jet fighter.

May 29, 1954

The Captain of HMAS VENGEANCE, (aircraft carrier), reported that on the occasion of Queen Elizabeth II’s visit to Australia, the ship’s company spelt out the royal signature on the ship’s flight deck. Soon after the Royal Aircraft passed overhead, the following signal was received: ‘I have to convey the following message from the Queen. Thank you for the original forgery.’

May 4, 1954

850 and 805 Squadron tours in Korea ends.

April 15, 1954

HMAS Culgoa paid off into Reserve on 15 April 1954, having steamed 167,447 miles. She remained in Reserve until used as an accommodation ship for Sydney minesweeping base, HMAS Waterhen. On 15 February 1972 Culgoa was sold to NW Kennedy Ltd of Vancouver, Canada. In March 1972 she left Sydney under tow for Hong Kong en route to Taiwan for breaking up

April 5, 1954

HMAS Bataan was damaged in a collision with HMAS Vengeance during replenishment operations in the vicinity of the Cocos Islands

March 17, 1954

HMAS Macquarie paid off into Reserve at Sydney. She was sold to be broken up as scrap on 5 July 1962 to HC Sleigh & Co for Mitsubishi (Australia) Pty Ltd

March 12, 1954

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh embarked in HMAS AUSTRALIA, (cruiser), at Cairns, QLD.

March 9, 1954

A whaler carrying 28 RAN personnel from Frankston Pier, to the aircraft carrier HMAS VENGEANCE, was hit and sunk by two freak waves. Two of the sailors onboard, (Recruits C. N. Collins and R. Jervis, from HMAS CERBERUS), were swept away and drowned. Neither body was ever recovered.

February 3, 1954

HMAS AUSTRALIA, (cruiser), moored at Garden Island Naval Base, fired 1000 rockets to welcome Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, to Sydney.

December 29, 1953

850 Squadron pilot SBLT Michael Beardsall, RN, was killed when his Sea Fury crashed into the sea about 15 kilometres ahead of HMAS SYDNEY.

December 16, 1953

RADM R. R. Dowling, CBE, DSO, was appointed Flag Officer Commanding Her Majesty’s Australian Fleet. His flagship was HMAS AUSTRALIA, (cruiser).

November 15, 1953

HMAS VENGEANCE, (aircraft carrier), was commissioned at Devonport, England. The ship served as a unit of the RAN until 25 October 1955, when she was returned to the RN. VENGEANCE was transferred to the Brazilian Navy, and renamed MINAS GERIAS in 1956.

October 27, 1953

HMAS Sydney with 805 and 850 Squadrons depart Fremantle for a second tour in the Korean War

September 11, 1953

HMAS Mildura paid off at Melbourne, having steamed 208,132 miles since first commissioning in July 1941. On 8 December 1954 the tug HMAS Sprightly departed Melbourne with Mildura in tow. The vessels arrived at Brisbane on 15 December. At Brisbane Mildura served as an immobilised reserve training ship. Mildura was sold for scrap on 8 September 1965 to Brisbane Non-Ferrous Pty Ltd

July 31, 1953

The last Japanese war criminals left Lombrum, Manus Island, in the merchant ship HAKURYU for Japan. The Officer in Charge of HMAS TARANGUA, reported that the 74 Japanese sailor POWs remaining were being taught English.

July 28, 1953

RAN casualties in the Korean War were:-Killed; 1; Missing presumed dead; 2; Wounded; 6The eight Australian vessels engaged were HMA Ships SYDNEY, ANZAC, BATAAN, TOBRUK, WARRAMUNGA, COMDAMINE, CULGOA, MURCHISON, and SHOALHAVEN. The three Fleet Air Arm Squadrons engaged were No. 805, Seafuries; No. 808, Seafuries; and No. 817, Fireflies. Eleven aircraft were lost and 77 damaged.

July 27, 1953

Hostilities and offensive maritime operations ceased in Korea, following the terms of an armistice. The country remained divided, and officially a state of war still exists between North and South Korea.

July 16, 1953

HMAS TOBRUK sank a large North Korean supply sampan in the Yangoi area.

HMAS QUADRANT was re-commissioned after conversion to a anti-submarine frigate.