On This Day

1946-1959 > Post WW2

July 3, 1953

HMAS Anzac (II) returned to Sydney after an absence of 305 days. Of these, 228 were spent at sea, 40 of them on patrol in the Korean War combat areas. During the entire period she steamed 57,865 mile

June 15, 1953

The Coronation Review of the Fleet, by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, took place at Spithead, England. HMAS Sydney formed part of the 229 strong coronation fleet review at Spithead where the might of Britain’s navy was put on display. Sydney’s aircraft were also to feature in an impressive flypast involving some 300 aircraft from no less than 37 squadrons

May 17, 1953

850 Squadron commanding officer Lieutenant Commander Reginald Wild, DFC killed while flying a Hawker Sea Fury F.B. II when his aircraft collided with a Tiger Moth in mid-air over Wagga airfield. The occupants of the Tiger Moth were uninjured.

April 21, 1953

HMAS Culgoa gave strong support to partisan troops in trouble ashore on the mainland. While a United States sergeant spotted, Culgoa fired 102 rounds of 4-inch ammunition, dispersing the attacking North Korean forces, killing many. The enemy’s mortars were silenced and the partisan troops were able to evacuate the mainland to the safety of off shore islands

April 19, 1953

HMAS Culgoa commenced operations off Korea when she arrived off Paengyong Do to relieve HMS Whitesand Bay on the west coast patrol. Culgoa remained on patrol anchored off Paengyong Do by day and under way at night until 28 April, when she was relieved on station by HMNZS Kanier

April 1, 1953

HMAS NIRIMBA was commissioned at Quakers Hill, Sydney, under the command of CAPT D. Sanderson, DSC, RN, as the RAN Fleet Air Arm’s second Naval Air Station. The Naval Air Station was closed in 1954 due to budget cuts, but the base was soon transformed into the RAN Apprentice Training Establishment, (RANATE), and retained the name NIRIMBA, which is aboriginal for pelican.

March 24, 1953

The first rescue operation by a helicopter of the RAN was effected when an injured lighthouse keeper was rescued from Point Perpendicular Lighthouse, NSW.

March 13, 1953

HMAS Latrobe paid off and was transferred into the control of Williamstown Dockyard, passing into the Reserve Fleet on 17 September 1953. In her ten years of seagoing service Latrobe steamed 155,293 miles and spent more than 17,000 hours underway. She was sold on 18 May 1956 to Hong Kong Rolling Mills to be broken up.

March 11, 1953

723 Squadron received the RAN’s first rotary wing aircraft – three Bristol Sycamore helicopters – adding search and rescue, rotary wing training and fleet support to the Squadron’s roles.

March 8, 1953

HMAS Fremantle reached Fremantle and commenced service as a training ship for the Western Australian area. In this role, until the scheme was abandoned, Fremantle introduced large numbers of National Service Trainees to naval life afloat.

March 3, 1953

HMAS Culgoa sailed from Sydney for Japan to take up her role in the Korean War. She arrived at Sasebo and reported for duty to the Flag Officer Second-in-Command, Far East Station (Rear Admiral Clifford), on 14 April. She relieved her sister ship HMAS Condamine

February 26, 1953

HMAS Cowra paid off. She was sold out of service in January 1961 to Kino Shito (Aust) Pty Ltd.

January 12, 1953

850 Squadron commissioned as a fighter squadron at NAS Nowra with Hawker Sea Furies.

December 7, 1952

HMAS ANZAC, (destroyer), bombarded North Korean troop positions at Cho Do and Sok To Islands, inflicting heavy casualties.

November 16, 1952

On this day, 16 November 1952, the Battle class destroyer, HMAS Anzac (II) (Captain GGO Gatacre, DSC, RAN), came under fire from North Korean shore batteries in the vicinity of Cho Do.

During the ensuing engagement, Anzac, assisted by HMS Comus and HMCS Crusader, fired 174 rounds of counter-battery fire. The shore batteries were silenced 23 minutes after the first rounds were fired. Approximately 50 rounds of enemy fire were observed to fall near Anzac during the engagement.

November 13, 1952

The Colossus class aircraft carrier HMS VENGEANCE, (CMDR C. M. Hudson, RAN), was commissioned. VENGEANCE was laid down in Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson Ltd, Wallsend on Tyne, England, on 16 November 1942, and launched on 23 February 1944. Lady Boyd, (Wife of ADML Sir Denis Boyd, RN), performed the launching ceremony. VENGEANCE served in the RN 1945-1952, and was transferred to the RAN pending the completion of HMAS MELBOURNE. Aircraft from HMAS SYDNEY (III) were in action spotting the fall of shot for the US Navy battleship USS New Jersey. SYDNEY completed her third patrol on this day, her strikes having made inoperable all of the railway lines in her target area.

November 12, 1952

HMAS SYDNEY, (aircraft carrier), flew her 1000th sortie in the Korean War.

October 31, 1952

First Sycamore helicopter delivered to the RAN FAA.

October 29, 1952

The Battle class destroyer HMAS ANZAC, (LCDR W. O. C. Roberts, RAN), in temporary command, joined the Eastern Korea Patrol for operations in the Sok To and Cho Do islands. LCDR Roberts was awarded the DSC for conspicuous gallantry while serving in this ship.

October 14, 1952

808 Squadron made history by landing four Sea Furies aboard SYDNEY while the ship was at anchor. Lieutenant Commander Julian Cavanagh, Lieutenant Fred Lane and Sub Lieutenants Peter Wyatt and Andy Powell had flown across Australia from Nowra in battle formation and were originally planned to land aboard SYDNEY before she entered Fremantle. Poor weather meant that the exercise was postponed until after the ship had left Fremantle and the Sea Furies instead landed at RAAF Base Pearce. SYDNEY found favourable conditions, however, in the lee of Rottnest Island and the four aircraft scrambled quickly to land on Sydney while she remained at anchor. .

October 3, 1952

HMAS Macquarie conducted surveillance activities and duties as the weather support ship for the first British atomic test which took place at Monte Bello

September 1, 1952

HMAS Anzac (II) departed Sydney for Sasebo to begin her second tour of duty in Korean waters.

August 31, 1952

HMAS Bataan finally left the Korean theatre, sent on her way south by many signals of congratulations including that from Commander US Seventh Fleet, Vice Admiral Clark, reading “Commander Seventh Fleet commends officers and men of HMAS Bataan for outstanding service in Nations Force opposing Red aggressors and spread of Communism. Well done.”

August 4, 1952

HMAS Condamine began operational duty in the Korean War in the Haeju area on the Korean west coast as a unit of Task Unit 95.12.4 . Three days later she fired her first shots of the war with a bombardment of enemy positions on the mainland opposite Mudo Island.

July 31, 1952

HMAS Hawkesbury transferred to the operational control of the Fourth Task Force of the Royal Navy as a unit of the First Frigate Squadron (Senior Officer in HMAS Shoalhaven). The next three months were spent on operations in support of first British atomic test in the Monte Bello Islands. Hawkesbury’s conducted security patrols in the prohibited areas, and served as a despatch vessel between Onslow and the area of operations.