On This Day

1976-1999 > Post Vietnam

March 22, 1984

HMAS IPSWICH, (patrol boat), apprehended an Indonesian fishing vessel poaching in the Australian Fishing Zone, after a game of hide and seek in mangrove swamps. The vessel was escorted to Koolan Island and charged.

March 18, 1984

HMAS CESSNOCK, (patrol boat), provided relief aid and communications when Cyclone Kathy devastated communities on the Gulf of Carpentaria.

March 10, 1984

The Fremantle class patrol boat HMAS DUBBO, was commissioned.

March 3, 1984

HMAS SUCCESS, (Durance Class Auxiliary Oiler Replenishment), was launched at Cockatoo Island Dockyard by Lady Helen Stephens, (wife of the Governor General Sir Ninian Stephens). At the time she was the largest ship built for the RAN and the largest ever built in the port of Sydney. When launching the ship it took twelve blows on the bow to break the bottle of champagne .

February 28, 1984

First Aerospatiale AS350B Squirrel delivered to RAN FAA

February 14, 1984

A Sydney-based syndicate announced plans to acquire the aircraft carrier, HMAS MELBOURNE for conversion to a floating gambling casino to be moored outside territorial waters off Eden, NSW. The far-fetched scheme never eventuated, and MELBOURNE was later sold for scrap.

February 13, 1984

Ships of the RAN were placed on standby for a possible rescue mission following reports of earthquakes close to Rabaul.

February 9, 1984

816 Squadron, equipped with Westland Wessex Mk.31B helicopters, commissioned at Nowra.

January 21, 1984

HMAS DUBBO, (Fremantle class patrol boat), was launched at Cairns, QLD.

January 20, 1984

The destroyer escort HMAS STUART, (CMDR. C. Barrie, RAN), became the first large RAN warship to be home-ported on the Australian west coast.

January 18, 1984

HMA Ships WARNAMBOOL and BARBETTE, (patrol boats), escorted a Taiwanese motor trawler apprehended poaching in Australian waters off Great Detached Reef, into Cairns. The trawler was found guilty by a special court and fined $3000.

December 10, 1983

The Fremantle class patrol boat HMAS GERALDTON, was commissioned. GERALDTON was laid down in Cairns, QLD.

December 9, 1983

Claims that Harrier VSTOL aircraft from HMS HERMES theoretically ‘shot down waves’ of RAAF aircraft during Operation Kangaroo 83, revived misgivings about the withdrawal of carrier borne aircraft from the RAN.

December 8, 1983

851 Squadron aircraft perform last flypast of RAN fixed-wing aircraft at HMAS Creswell

December 2, 1983

A sailor and an RAAF fitter .were killed when a RAN Wessex helicopter, piloted by SBLT M. Henche, crashed in Bass Strait.

November 26, 1983

Redundant flying officers of the RAN Fleet Air Arm were recruited by the RN to man a Fleet Air Arm Squadron.

November 25, 1983

The Australian Government signed an agreement with waterfront trade unions to ensure a minimum of industrial disputes during the building of two guided missile frigates at Williamstown Dockyard, VIC. It was the first such agreement made in Australia.

November 19, 1983

The Wessex celebrated 21 years of service in the RAN and the occasion was marked with a flypast of RAN Wessex, Iroquois and Sea King helicopters as well Royal Navy Sea Harriers from the visiting HMS Invincible.

October 18, 1983

RADM G. Woolrych, AO, was appointed Flag Officer Commanding Her Majesty’s Australian Fleet.

September 30, 1983

Former HMAS Colac ceased service as a tank cleaning vessel. After nine years in Reserve, Colac had been taken in hand in 1962 for conversion to a tank cleaning vessel. She was sunk by a Mk 48 warshot torpedo fired by HMAS Ovens off Jervis Bay on 4 March 1987

August 27, 1983

The Fremantle class patrol boat HMAS GAWLER, was commissioned at Cairns, QLD.

August 26, 1983

In a small ceremony conducted in the small boats harbour at HMAS Stirling HMAS Adroit was turned over to the Commanding Officer of the Fremantle Port Division Commander Don Bantock, RD, RANR, for use by the Western Australian Division of the RANR. In that role her crew comprised three RANR officers, fourteen RANR sailors and two PNF sailors.

August 2, 1983

HMAS GAWLER, (Fremantle class patrol boat), was commissioned.

July 9, 1983

HMAS GAWLER, (Fremantle class patrol boat), was commissioned at Cairns, QLD.

July 1, 1983

Commander June Baker appointed as Executive Officer HMAS Penguin (the first woman to be appointed as a RAN Executive Officer—Second in Command. (*Actual day of month unknown)