On This Day
1976-1999 > Post Vietnam
On This Day - 1976-1999
- November 22, 1993
Exercise Dugong was held off Townsville, QLD, to test the RAN’s Mines Counter Measures, Clearance Diving Teams and Ordnance Disposal techniques.
- November 20, 1993
HMAS MORESBY, (survey vessel), was engaged in the final stages of her survey in the Arnhem Land area.
- November 12, 1993
HMAS SYDNEY, (guided missile frigate), completed her second tour of duty, and departed the Damask Operations Area for Australia.
- October 17, 1993
Operation Lagoon ceases, and HMA Ships TOBRUK, (landing ship heavy), and SUCCESS, (auxiliary oiler replenishment), depart from Bougainville and return to Australia. The peace conference that they had been supporting had failed to reach a successful conclusion, and after the departure of the SPPKF, the fighting between the PNG Defence Force and the Bougainville Revolutionary Army (BRA) re-commenced.
- October 10, 1993
A Sea King helicopter from HMAS TOBRUK, (landing ship heavy), was shot at, and sustained two hits by small arms fire in the tail, while conducting a routine reconnaissance flight near Kieta, Bougainville, as part of Operation Lagoon. The aircrew suspected that PNG Defence Force soldiers were responsible for the shooting.
- October 9, 1993
HMAS TOBRUK, (landing ship heavy), arrives at Arawa Bay, Bougainville. After the wharf and adjacent seabed at Loloho had been cleared by a clearance diving team, TOBRUK berthed, and commenced to unload troops and equipment required for Operation Lagoon.
- October 8, 1993
The advance party of Australian, Tongan, Fijian, and Vanuatan troops, (South Pacific Peace Keeping Force), arrive in Bougainville, as part of Operation Lagoon, (support to a PNG lead conference to try and bring about peace in strife torn Bougainville).
- October 4, 1993
HMA Ships TOBRUK, (landing ship heavy), and SUCCESS, (auxiliary oiler replenishment), depart Townsville with stores and ADF personnel for Operation Lagoon in Bougainville.
- September 2, 1993
The first planning conference for the deployment of a South Pacific Peace Keeping Force, (SPPKF), to Bougainville, to support a conference on bringing peace to the war torn island, was held. Within five weeks the force had been raised and deployed to Bougainville
- August 28, 1993
HMAS COLLINS, the first of the Collins class submarines, was launched in Adelaide.