On This Day

1960-1975 > Vietnam era

March 1, 1968

LEUT W. D. H. Lees, RAN, and two divers of Clearance Diving Team 3, embarked in USCGC POINT GRACE to intercept an enemy trawler attempting to land ammunition at the mouth of the Song Bo De in Vietnam. The trawler was sighted in the early hours of 1 March and immediately opened fire with machine guns while running for the shore. A direct hit from a 4.5 inch shell fired by USCGC WINONA caused the trawler to blow up and sink.

The Attack class patrol boat HMAS SAMARAI, was commissioned. SAMARAI was laid down in Evans Deakin Yard, Brisbane, in December 1966, and launched on 14 July 1967. Mrs L. B. Evans, (Wife of the Deputy Chairman of the Defence Business Board), performed the launching ceremony. She was gifted to the PNGDF in November 1974.

February 25, 1968

The report of the second Royal Commission into the HMAS MELBOURNE-HMAS VOYAGER collision was released. The report concerned the fitness of CAPT D. H. Stevens, RAN, to command HMAS VOYAGER

February 22, 1968

LCDR P. J. Vickers, (RAN Helicopter Flight), was fatally wounded in helicopter operations near Xuan Loc, Vietnam.

February 21, 1968

During Operation Clayton, helicopter gun-ships of the RAN Helicopter Flight supported the 1st Australian Task Force in a search-and-screen operation at the village of Long Dien, Vietnam. More than 5337 people were screened in a search for Viet Cong sympathisers. This was one of the first Australian Army-RAN combined operations in the war.

February 19, 1968

HMAS PERTH, (guided missile destroyer), attacked and damaged three large enemy barges drawn up on the beach near Dong Hoi, Vietnam.

February 18, 1968

HMAS PERTH, (guided missile destroyer), fired her 10,000th round in the Vietnam War. The target was North Vietnamese defences in the Bay of Brandon.

February 17, 1968

HM Ships DEVONSHIRE, EURYALUS, DIDO, and ZEST, of the Far East Fleet, arrived at Sydney on a goodwill visit.

February 16, 1968

RAN Clearance Diving Teams commenced operations in Vietnam. The first contingent of Clearance Diving Team 3 (CDT 3) personnel departed Sydney by air on 5 February 1967, arriving in Saigon the following day. LEUT M. T. F. Shotter, RAN, POCD B.V. Clark, LSCD P. Boettcher, ABCD P.C. Kember, ABCD G.D. Lassau, ABCD P.A. Magnuson

February 9, 1968

The destroyer tender HMAS STALWART, (CAPT G. V. Gladstone, DSC, RAN), was commissioned at Sydney. STALWART was laid down in Cockatoo Island Dockyard, Sydney, and was launched on 7 October 1966. Lady Casey, (Wife of the Governor General), performed the launching ceremony. STALWART was involved in numerous deployments to South East Asia and the Western Pacific and was also part of the RAN task force sent to Darwin to assist following the devastation caused by Cyclone Tracy. She also spent a substantial part of her career secured by her stern to the eastern shore of Garden Island, where she provided support to other ships of the fleet. As a result of this she was often unfairly called “Building 215”, (which referred to her pennant number). STALWART was decommissioned on 19 May 1990 after 22 years of service.

January 31, 1968

VADM Sir Alan McNicoll, KBE, CB, GM, RAN, hoisted his flag in HMAS PERTH, (guided missile destroyer), off the coast of Vietnam. It was the first occasion that a Chief of Staff had flown his flag in an Australian warship in operations of war.

January 29, 1968

LCDR N. Ralph, RAN, became the first RAN officer to command a US Army unit. In the absence of Colonel R M Cory, he assumed command of the 135th Assault Helicopter Company in Vietnam.

January 25, 1968

HMAS PERTH, (guided missile destroyer), and USS BORDELON, fired on a highway bridge at Cape St Anne, Vietnam. The ships were ranged by enemy radar and came under heavy fire from North Vietnamese coastal batteries.

January 24, 1968

The Attack class patrol boat, HMAS ADVANCE, (LEUT G. D. R. Hammer, RAN), was commissioned in Maryborough, QLD. Mrs George, (Wife of the Third Naval Member), performed the commissioning ceremony. ADVANCE was laid down in Walker’s Yard, QLD, and launched on 16 August 1967.

January 23, 1968

HMAS PERTH, (guided missile destroyer), and USS BORDELON, destroyed or damaged 12 enemy buildings in a storage area at Dong Hoi, Vietnam.

January 12, 1968

Naval aircrewmen, K. R. Wardle and K. J. French were rescued by helicopters of No. 9 Squadron, RAAF, when their helicopter gunship crashed in jungle north of Baria, Phuoc Tuy Province, Vietnam. Both airmen were injured in the crash.

January 10, 1968

Fleet Air Arm Squadrons, No.805, (Skyhawks), and No.816, (Trackers), were commissioned into the RAN.

December 31, 1967

The RAN Helicopter Flight Vietnam made it first base move when it relocated from Vung Tau to Camp Black Horse near Xuan Loc in Long Khan Province around 30 kms from Saigon.

December 27, 1967

HMAS SYDNEY, (troop carrier), arrived at Vung Tau, Vietnam, and landed the 7th Royal Australian Regiment.

December 19, 1967

HMAS HOBART, (guided missile destroyer), and USS CANBERRA, (guided missile heavy cruiser), attacked an enemy missile site near Dong Hoi, Vietnam, with gunfire.

December 17, 1967

HMAS PERTH and USS HAMNER, (guided missile destroyers), came under heavy fire from Viet Cong shore batteries off Dong Hoi.

December 16, 1967

HMAS SWAN, (destroyer escort), was launched at Williamstown Naval Dockyard, VIC.

The Perth class, (Charles F Adams, DDG), guided missile destroyer HMAS BRISBANE, (CAPT A. A. Willis, RAN), was commissioned. BRISBANE was laid down in Defoe Shipbuilding Co, Bay City, Michigan, USA, on 15 February 1965, and launched on 5 May 1966. Mrs F. C. Chaney, (Wife of the Australian Minister for the Navy), performed the launching ceremony. BRISBANE was the last of three Charles F. Adams class destroyers built for the RAN. Her commissioning day was declared ‘Brisbane Day’ throughout the ‘Commonwealth’ of Massachusetts.

December 15, 1967

HMAS PERTH, (guided missile destroyer), sank four and damaged four, enemy supply craft near Dong Hoi, Vietnam. Later, on the same day, PERTH fired on three barges alongside a pier at Song Giang, setting fire to the pier and one barge.

The RAN’s 135th Assault Helicopter Company, (LCDR. N. Ralph, RAN), made a successful withdrawal of the US 199th Light Infantry Brigade from a well defended Vietcong bunker position.

December 12, 1967

The guided missile destroyer HMAS PERTH, (CAPT P. Doyle, RAN), relieved USS GOLDSBOROUGH as command ship of Task Unit 77.1.2 off Vietnam.

December 11, 1967

HMAS SYDNEY, (fast troop transport), completed her eighth round trip to Vietnam.

November 23, 1967

RAN divers from CDT 3 removed a length of heavy steel cable which had wrapped around the starboard propeller of the Australian Army ship HARRY CHAUVEL, at Vung Tau, Vietnam.