HMAS BURNIE, (minesweeper), was launched at Mort’s Dock, Sydney. BURNIE was transferred to the Royal Netherlands Navy in 1946, and renamed CERAM. ...
On This Day
Australian Naval History on 20 October 1940
HMAS YARRA and HMS AUCKLAND, (sloops), engaged three Italian destroyers east of Massawa. Later HMS KIMBERLEY, (destroyer), encountered one of the Italian ships, drove it ashore, and destroyed it with ...
Australian Naval History on 18 October 1940
Navy House opened in Melbourne. HMAS MARYBOROUGH, (minesweeper), was launched at Walker’s, Maryborough, QLD. ...
Australian Naval History on 13 October 1940
HMAS SYDNEY, (cruiser), stood by while HMS YORK, (cruiser), sank the crippled Italian ship ARTIGLIERE, (destroyer). The enemy vessel was damaged in a night engagement with HMS AJAX, between Malta ...
Australian Naval History on 2 October 1940
HMAS SYDNEY, and HMS ORION, (cruisers), bombarded Italian defences on the port of Maltazana, Dodecanese Islands. ...
Australian Naval History on 30 September 1940
HMAS STUART, (destroyer), and Sunderland flying boat L2166, participated in the sinking of the Italian submarine GONDAR, which was on its way to Alexandria with three human torpedoes on board. ...
Australian Naval History on 29 September 1940
ADML A.B. Cunningham, C-in-C, Mediterranean, signalled the Battle Fleet: “STUART is dying on us. I am sending her back to Alex”. The ‘dying’ HMAS STUART, (destroyer), shared in the sinking ...
Australian Naval History on 28 September 1940
HMAS AUSTRALIA, (cruiser), was directed to return to Britain from the Mediterranean ...
Australian Naval History on 27 September 1940
The boom working vessel HMAS KANGAROO, was commissioned. KANGAROO was laid down in Cockatoo Island Dockyard, Sydney, on 15 November 1939, and launched on 4 May 1940. Mrs Boucher, (Wife ...
Australian Naval History on 26 September 1940
CAPT H. L. Waller, RAN, (CAPT(D) 10th destroyer flotilla), transferred his flag to HMAS VAMPIRE, (destroyer), whilst HMAS STUART, (destroyer), underwent a refit at Malta ...
Australian Naval History on 25 September 1940
HMAS SYDNEY, (cruiser), patrolled south of Cyprus with HMS PROTECTOR, in search of a Vichy French transport bound for Beirut. Two shells from the French Ship RICHELIEU, (battleship), struck HMAS ...
Australian Naval History on 24 September 1940
HMAS AUSTRALIA, (cruiser), fired on two battleships and a cruiser in Dakar. The enemy cruiser was observed to be hit and caught fire. During the day AUSTRALIA’S Seagull amphibian was ...
Australian Naval History on 23 September 1940
HMAS AUSTRALIA, (cruiser), participated in the combined British-Free French attack on French ships at Dakar, Operation Menace. AUSTRALIA engaged two enemy destroyers attempting to leave the port, and drove them ...
Australian Naval History on 22 September 1940
Australian troop convoy US 5 departed Fremantle with Dutch liners CHRISTIAAN HUYGENS (16,287grt), INDRAPOERA (10,825grt), NIEUW HOLLAND (11,066grt), and SLAMAT (11,636grt). 4262 troops were carried in this convoy. The convoy ...
Australian Naval History on 20 September 1940
A British hunter group was formed to locate the German armed merchant cruiser Atlantis. The group was composed of HMA Ships Canberra and Westralia and HM Ships Capetown and Durban ...
Australian Naval History on 19 September 1940
HMAS AUSTRALIA, (cruiser), sighted three Vichy French cruisers, 250 miles south of Dakar, and shadowed them north. The cruiser HMAS ADELAIDE, (CAPT H. A. Showers), escorted the Norwegian tanker NORDEN, ...
Australian Naval History on 7 September 1940
HMAS ADELAIDE, (cruiser), arrived at Vila to install De Gaullist M. Sautot as French Commissioner of the New Hebrides. Vila was in the hands of Vichy sympathisers, and ADELAIDE stood ...
Australian Naval History on 6 September 1940
HMAS Australia departed the Clyde for Freetown to replace HMS Fiji in Operation Menace. On 8 September, U.56 unsuccessfully attacked Australia, which arrived at Freetown on the 14th. ...
Australian Naval History on 5 September 1940
HMAS HOBART, escorting convoy BS.3 at 15‑25N, 41‑46E, was unsuccessfully attacked eight times by Italian bombers. The auxiliary minesweeper HMAS SAMUEL BENBOW, was commissioned. SAMUEL BENBOW was laid down in ...
Australian Naval History on 4 September 1940
The cruiser, HMAS SYDNEY, (CAPT J. A. Collins, RAN), and HM Ships DAINTY and ILEX, (destroyers), bombarded Italian airfields at Scarpanto. Three Italian E-boats attacked the squadron, but accurate fire ...
Australian Naval History on 3 September 1940
While proceeding to Brisbane from Sydney, en route to New Caledonia, HMAS Adelaide (I) was in collision with SS Coptic of the Shaw Savill and Albion Line. Although both ships ...
Australian Naval History on 2 September 1940
The German raider ORION laid dummy mines off Albany, WA. The auxiliary anti-submarine vessel HMAS WILCANNIA, (LCDR G. Tancred, RAN), was commissioned. WILCANNIA, (as WYRALLAH), was laid down in Burmeister ...
Australian Naval History on 26 August 1940
HMAS AUSTRALIA, (cruiser), launched her Seagull amphibian aircraft on a solo bombing attack of Tromso, Norway. Heavy cloud and poor visibility caused the aircraft to turn back. ...
Australian Naval History on 24 August 1940
HMAS WATERHEN, (destroyer), and HM Ships DIAMOND, ILEX, and JUNO, of the 10th Destroyer Flotilla, bombarded the Italian seaplane base at Bomba, Libya. ...
Australian Naval History on 23 August 1940
In Operation DR, HMS NORFOLK (Captain A J L Phillips) and HMAS AUSTRALIA (Captain R R Stewart RN) departed Scapa Flow at 1939 to operate in the area of Bear ...