On This Day

1960-1975 > Vietnam era

June 30, 1966

Kenneth Douglas Gray, who as pilot of an RAF Lancaster bomber was awarded a DFC in 1943, was promoted to the rank of Captain in the Royal Australian Navy. Acting Captain Gray. who joined the R.A.A.F. in 1941 under the Empire Air Training Scheme, was awarded a D.F.C. in 1943, for his actions in piloting a Lancaster bomber of 101 Squadron in a raid over Stettin on the Baltic coast In northern Germany. His aircraft was badly damaged by ground fire on the way co the target but he continued the raid, on the return flight his bomber was attacked by German fighters end his aircraft shot down. Acting Captain Gray was discharged from the R.A.A.F. with the rank of Flight Lieutenant in 1946, and in 1948 he joined the R.A.N. as a pilot lieutenant. In 1951 he transferred to general services – the seaman branch of the R.A.N.

June 10, 1966

HMAS VAMPIRE, (Daring class destroyer), and the Danish ship EMILIE MAERSK, collided in the Bangkok River, Thailand. As damage to the destroyer required dockyard assistance, VAMPIRE set course for Singapore at 23 knots, arriving in  Singapore Dockyard at 0812 on Saturday 11th June.

May 20, 1966

Over the night of May 20th and into the morning of May 21st HMAS VENDETTA and 723 Squadron scrambled two Iroquois to search for survivors from the Dredge WD Atlas which had capsized about 18 kilometres south-east of Jervis Bay. The pilots, Lieutenants Pat Vickers and Barrie Lovett, and their crews hovered their helicopters in 45 knot winds just a few feet over ten metre waves. Thirteen sailors lost their lives but thanks to the efforts of 723 Squadron, four others were rescued.. A Queens Commendation for the rescue was awarded to LEUT R. B. Lovett, RAN, LEUT P. J. Vickers, RAN, PO F. C. McCreanor, PO G. W. Peters, and Leading Airman K. J. Beaton.

May 5, 1966

HMAS Brisbane (II) was launched by the wife of the Minister for the Navy, Mrs Mavis Mary Chaney, in front of a crowd of approximately 5000 people. After receiving a telegram from her sister ship, Hobart, stating “Come on in, the water’s fine”, Brisbane slid down the 70-foot slipway and into the Saginaw River.

April 28, 1966

Sea Venom WZ900 (866) crashed off HMAS MELBOURNE in the Philippine Sea. Arrestor wire parted during carrier landing, aircraft crashed into sea.  The accident happened at approx 1500 Hrs. Pilot LEUT (P) J. DaCosta ejected at near sea-level and rescued with minor injuries. Observer LEUT (O) E. Kennel lost at sea.

April 25, 1966

HMAS SYDNEY, (fast troop transport), sailed on her fourth voyage to Vietnam.

March 29, 1966

The New York Times announced that the USN, with the co-operation of the RAN and the RAAF, would carry out an aerial survey of northern Australia, New Guinea and adjacent islands.

HMAS HAWK, (Ton class minesweeper), berthed at Semporna, (Malay State of Sabah), for rest and recreation leave during her patrols associated with Confrontation. Later that day one of her crew returned onboard drunk, and took one of the ships 9mm Owen sub machine guns, and started to fire it indiscriminately around the ship. Over 300 rounds were fired causing some damage to the ship, but fortunately no one was hit. The sailor was eventually subdued, and later medically discharged from the RAN.

March 18, 1966

The RAN Clearance Diving Teams 1 and 2 were formed.

March 17, 1966

The Queen’s Commendation was awarded to the following personnel of the RAN’s Clearance Diving Teams for rendering safe, and later destroying, a World War II mine, washed ashore in a heavily populated area at Surfers Paradise, QLD. LCDR B. J. Hamill, RAN; LCDR N. O. Vidgen, RANVR; CPO J. F. C. Dollar;AB Clearance Divers:- P. J. Turley, P. C. Kember, A. L. Ingham.

March 13, 1966

While patrolling off Raffles Light HMAS Hawk came under fire by an Indonesian shore battery, even though she was inside Singaporean territorial waters. Eleven rounds were fired at the ship, landing within 200 yards.

March 1, 1966

The last recorded RAN Fairey Firefly flight; after being withdrawn from frontline service in 1955.

February 28, 1966

The Australian Government made a grant of $20,000 for the construction of a replica of HMS ENDEAVOUR to retrace CAPT Cook’s voyages.

February 7, 1966

RAN clearance divers operating from HMAS KIMBLA, (trials ship), located and recovered a ton of explosives lost overboard from a vessel off Lakes Entrance, VIC.

February 1, 1966

HMAS Gascoyne paid off. She had steamed 301,781 miles. Without being brought forward for further service, Gascoyne was sold as scrap on 15 February 1972 to the Fujita Salvage Company Limited of Osaka, Japan. On 6 July 1972 the Japanese tug Sumi Maru left Melbourne for Japan with Gascoyne and the former destroyer HMAS Quickmatch in tow.

January 28, 1966

RADM V. A. T. Smith, CBE, DSC, was appointed Flag Officer Commanding Her Majesty’s Australian Fleet.

January 5, 1966

HMAS Nirimba, RAN Apprentice Training Establishment commissioned. The site had previously been used by the military since 1950 in relation to the Fleet Air Arm.

December 20, 1965

The former Chief of the Naval Stoff, Vice Admiral Sir Hastings Harrington, K.B.E., C.B., D.S.O., was buried at sea from HMAS Vampire, off Sydney. Vice Admiral Harrington died in Canberra Community Hospital on December 17 1965, after a short illness.

December 18, 1965

The Perth class, (Charles F Adams, DDG), guided missile destroyer HMAS HOBART, (CAPT G. R. Griffiths, DSO, RAN), was commissioned. HOBART was laid down in Defoe Shipbuilding Co, Bay City, Michigan, USA, on 26 October 1962, and launched on 9 January 1964. Mrs D. O. Hay, (Wife of the Australian Ambassador to the United Nations), performed the launching ceremony.

December 1, 1965

The Australian Naval Board approved ‘Australia’ shoulder insignia as standard uniform for the RAN.

November 7, 1965

LEUT Hugh Randall Syme, GC, GM and Bar, RANVR, died in Melbourne. Syme distinguished himself in rendering safe a wide variety of explosive devices employed by the Germans. Many of these bombs, mines and incendiary devices were dropped on British cities.

October 28, 1965

In the Australian Federal Parliament the Member for Batman, Mr S. J. Benson, argued with respect to the White Ensign being flown in Vietnam by Australia ships, which at that time was the British RN ensign, suggesting that Australia should look to introduce her own White Ensign.

September 21, 1965

HMAS MILDURA, (minesweeper), was sold out of service for breaking up at Brisbane. For the last 10 years of her life, she served as a stationary training ship for the RANR at Brisbane.

August 4, 1965

HMAS Yarra (III), commenced operations around West Malaysia as part of the Indonesian Confrontation conflict.

August 3, 1965

HMAS Parramatta (III), concluded operations around Borneo as part of the Indonesian Confrontation conflict

July 17, 1965

The Perth class, (Charles F Adams, DDG), guided missile destroyer HMAS PERTH, (CAPT I. H. Cartwright, RAN), was commissioned. PERTH was laid down in Defoe Shipbuilding Co, Bay City, Michigan, USA, on 21 September 1962, and launched on 26 September 1963. Lady Beale, (Wife of the Sir Harold Beale, Australian Ambassador to the USA), performed the launching ceremony.