On This Day
1976-1999 > Post Vietnam
On This Day - 1976-1999
- January 11, 1978
During squadron exercises on 11 January involving HMA Ships Barbette, Barricade and Bombard, an Aztec Piper aircraft on charter to the RAN and assisting with the exercise collided with Bombard’s mainmast and foremast, and crashed into the sea. Both of the aircraft’s civilian crew were killed. The remainder of the exercise was cancelled and Barbette resumed patrol operations on 28 January.
- December 16, 1977
HMA Ships BRUNEI, LABUAN, and WEWAK, (landing craft heavy), broke adrift in the Brisbane River during a violent tropical storm. The ships were saved from serious damage, and possible loss, by the ‘exceptional initiative, courage and seamanship’ of CPOMTP(D) W. Lehane and POCOX J. Edwards. Both men were awarded the BEM for their actions.
- December 2, 1977
AB R. A. McLeod, RAN, was awarded the Australian Bravery Medal for the rescue of five members of the crew of HMAS ARROW, (patrol boat), which sank in Darwin Harbour during Cyclone Tracy, on Christmas morning, 1974. AB McLeod was injured himself at the time of the rescues.
- October 23, 1977
HMAS Duchess decommissioned, one day after the 25th anniversary of her original Royal Navy commissioning. DUCHESS had been loaned to the RAN in 1964, as a replacement for the destroyer HMAS VOYAGER. This loan was later extended, and she was purchased outright by the RAN in 1972. In 1973 she commenced an 18-month conversion to a training ship, but saw only three years service before being paid off. For a number of years Duchess languished at Bradley’s Dolphins until she was sold on 7 May 1980 and towed from Sydney Harbour on 9 July bound for Taiwan. There she was broken up by the Tung Ho Steel Enterprise Corporation
- August 27, 1977
HMAS COOK, (oceanographic ship), was launched by Mrs. Joyce Killen, wife of the Minister for Defence, at Williamstown, VIC.
- August 25, 1977
HMAS JERVIS BAY, (ex-merchant vessel AUSTRALIAN TRADER), was commissioned as a training ship.
- August 17, 1977
Legislation for the proclamation of a 200 mile Australian fishing zone was examined by the Australian Government.
- July 28, 1977
Kiowa 891 crashed near Sunday Island, Western Australia while recovering one of the HMAS Moresby’s crew from the top of a cliff. The man jumped aboard the helicopter which then became unbalanced and its rotors struck the cliff face causing the helicopter to crash at the base of the cliff. The aircrew (Lieutenant Neil Jackson and Aircrewman Anthony Mason) and the passenger survived but the helicopter was destroyed and was swept away by the tide and subsequently located nearly 25km away in Cygnet Bay It was later replaced by a Kiowa transferred from the army.
- July 27, 1977
HMAS ADROIT, (patrol boat), arrested her third Taiwanese vessel illegally fishing in Australian waters in the month of July. ADROIT was operating with Pabron Three.
- July 15, 1977
HMAS MORESBY, (survey ship), went to the aid of a refugee vessel with 47 Vietnamese men, women and children aboard off the West Australian coast. A boarding party from MORESBY repaired the vessel’s engine, and it steamed safely to Broome.