On This Day

1976-1999 > Post Vietnam

November 29, 1985

HMAS YARRA, (destroyer escort), was paid off into reserve at Sydney.

November 28, 1985

HMAS OVENS, (Oberon class submarine), made the first of the RAN’s sub-surface firings of the UGM48 Harpoon anti-ship missile. This was also the first Harpoon firing from a conventional submarine. A direct hit was scored on a distant, small remotely-controlled surface target on the US Navy’s Pacific Missile Range Facility near Hawaii, USA.

November 25, 1985

An American Remote Controlled Undersea Vehicle conducted a search of the sea floor of St. George’s Channel at Simpsonhaven, New Britain for the wreck of the Australian submarine AE1, lost on 14 September 1914. The search was unsuccessful.

November 22, 1985

HMAS YARRA, (destroyer escort), was decommissioned into reserve. YARRA was sold 1991, and broken up in 1992.

November 3, 1985

A Naval Board Instruction was promulgated in ships and establishments of the RAN banning homosexuals in the service.

November 2, 1985

HMAS CANBERRA signalled the Russian ship FRUNZE which she had shadowed for three days in the South China Sea; ‘Happy 68th Birthday, (of the Russian Revolution). We leave you in peace.’ FRUNZE replied: ‘Thank you very much for your co-operation. I wish you a pleasant voyage.’

A commemorative plaque for 386 officers and 1,286 men, trained in anti-submarine procedures at the Anti-Submarine School, HMAS RUSHCUTTER, between 1938 and 1945, was unveiled by CAPT Newcomb, RAN (Ret.), at the Garden Island Naval Chapel, Sydney.

November 1, 1985

HMAS Canberra intercepted and shadowed the large Soviet cruiser Frunze and her escorts. The Soviet Surface Action Group (SAG) comprised the Kirov Class cruiser Frunze, the Sovremenny Class guided missile destroyer (DDG) Osmotritelny and the Kashin Class DDG Strogiy. The intercept took place following a three day high-speed transit by Canberra through the Indonesian Archipelago and the Malacca Straits. Over the next five days Canberra remained in close company as the Soviets transitted the Malacca and Singapore Straits before entering the South China Sea. During the mission Canberra used her embarked helicopter to gather addtional information. On breaking away from the Soviets, pleasantries from both navies were exchanged as was the practice during Cold War encounters

October 23, 1985

A gas leak from a sullage tank in HMAS STALWART, (escort maintenance ship), caused the death of three sailors. Another fifty of the ship’s crew were affected by the gas, and required medical the treatment.

October 18, 1985

HMAS ASSAIL, the last of the RAN’s Attack class patrol boats still in commission, was transferred to the Indonesian Navy as a gift.

October 13, 1985

The guided missile destroyer HMAS PERTH, (CAPT G. Sloper, RAN), rescued the crew of the Singaporean ship HOE LIEN, in mountainous seas off Newcastle, NSW. PERTH took the ship in tow and proceeded towards Sydney. The tow was passed to the tug WONGA the next morning, however HOE LIEN later sunk 30 miles north of Sydney.

October 11, 1985

HMAS CURLEW, (mine hunter), and RAN Clearance Divers recovered the bodies from the Pel-Air freighter aircraft which had crashed into Botany Bay, Sydney.

October 9, 1985

Service in HMA Ships SYDNEY, JEPARIT, and BOONAROO, (troop supply ships), was accepted as ‘war service’ in the Vietnam War, under the terms of the Repatriation Act.

September 28, 1985

The RAN, Port Authorities, and shipping lines, participated in Operation Bell Buoy, a world-wide exercise to standardise procedures in the naval control of commercial shipping in states of emergency.

September 23, 1985

HMAS Balikpapan was temporarily decommissioned and placed in a state of reserve at Cairns. She remained in reserve until mid-1989, when it was decided that she would be reactivated as a training vessel for the Darwin Port Division of the RAN Reserve.

September 19, 1985

The strength of the RAN’s heavy landing ship squadron was cut by half when HMA Ships TARAKAN, WEWAK, and BALIKPAPAN, were decommissioned

September 18, 1985

A naval court martial convened at HMAS PENGUIN, Sydney, found the Commanding Officer of HMAS WOLLONGONG, (patrol boat), guilty of negligence in grounding his ship off Gabo Island on 31 May, 1985.

September 6, 1985

The first official rum issue made in a ship of the RAN in 30 years, was made to the crew of HMAS HOBART, (guided missile destroyer), at Victoria, British Columbia. HOBART was representing Australia at the 75th Anniversary of the Royal Canadian Navy

September 2, 1985

A RAN Sea King helicopter, piloted by LCDR T. King, USN, rescued the crew of the yacht VOSS in heavy seas off Newcastle NSW

August 16, 1985

HMAS Wewak decommissioned at HMAS Moreton, and the following day departed for Cairns for refit and operational lay-up.

August 1, 1985

CAPT F. N. Cook, DSC, RAN, died in Sydney. He distinguished himself in operations in Occupied France in WWII. Frederick Norton Cook DSC was born on 20 February 1905, usually known as F. N. Cook was an officer of the Royal Australian Navy. Cook came to be regarded as an expert in the deployment of landing craft, following his experience with them in both the North West European theatre and the Pacific theatre. Cook achieved the rank of Captain.In 1940, Cook was appointed as the commanding officer of HMS Tormentor, a combined forces training establishment in southern England.  During 1942 he led landing craft in the Raid on Bruneval, in German-occupied France, for which he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. Due to his experience with training combined forces and his success at Bruneval, Cook was recalled to Australia to command the Amphibious Training Centre at HMAS Assault (Port Stephens)

July 16, 1985

HMAS BENDIGO, became the first patrol boat to circumnavigate Australia.

June 30, 1985

The uniformed strength of the RAN was 15,536 officers and ratings.

June 13, 1985

HMAS MELBOURNE, (aircraft carrier), reached China under tow. The Chinese Navy telexed the following message: ‘Pls B advised that HMAS MELBOURNE arrived at Port Huangpu intact n safely afloat, proud n majestic. She has bn innocent, never once bowed to the natural or human force, in spite of the heavy storm n the talked abt jinx.’

June 7, 1985

Naval Forces (Women’s Services) Regulations repealed (the term WRAN was retained for administrative purposes). The Sex Discrimination Act 1984 had made separate women’s branches for the Australian Defence Force unsustainable. WRANS and RANNS staff were integrated into the RAN.

May 31, 1985

The Fremantle class patrol boat HMAS WOLLONGONG, (LCDR I. Gulliver, RAN), was extensively damaged when she ran aground at Gabo Island during a storm. LCDR Gulliver was court-martialled, and found guilty of negligence in grounding his ship. WOLLONGONG was later repaired and rejoined the fleet in late 1986.