HMAS JERVIS BAY, (high speed catamaran), was commissioned in Hobart. The vessel was a civilian high speed catamaran leased from the builders, (INCAT), for a two year period. She was ...
On This Day
Australian Naval History on 18 May 1999
RADM J. R. Lord, AM, RAN, was appointed as Maritime Commander Australia. ...
Australian Naval History on 15 May 1999
The Huon class mine hunter coastal HMAS HUON, was commissioned. HUON was laid down in ADI Yard, Newcastle, NSW, and launched on 12 July 1997. ...
Australian Naval History on 26 April 1999
HMAS Tobruk II was assigned the difficult task of supporting the investigation and recovery of a RAAF F-111G aircraft which had crashed on the Malaysian Island of Pulau Aur while ...
Australian Naval History on 24 April 1999
HMAS PERTH, (destroyer), and HMAS ARUNTA, (frigate), arrived in Ho Chi Minh City, (Saigon), Vietnam, for a four day port visit. This was the first visit to Vietnam for Australian ...
Australian Naval History on 29 December 1998
HMAS NEWCASTLE, (guided missile frigate), located the damaged yacht SOLO GLOBE CHALLENGER. Two injured crewmen were transferred from the yacht to NEWCASTLE, while the yacht waited for a trawler to ...
Australian Naval History on 28 December 1998
At 0320 a RAN Sea King helicopter winched onboard three injured crewmen from the badly damaged yacht SWORD OF ORION, during the 1998 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race. At the ...
Australian Naval History on 27 December 1998
The RAN was requested to provide assistance to rescue yachtsmen involved in the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race. Exceptionally strong winds and heavy seas had damaged several yachts, including several ...
Australian Naval History on 12 December 1998
The ANZAC class frigate HMAS ARUNTA, was commissioned. ARUNTA was laid down in Tenix Williamstown Dockyard, VIC, and launched on 28 June 1996. ...
Australian Naval History on 14 November 1998
The Royal Australian Navy’s first female pilot, Sub Lieutenant Natalee McDougall, RAN, graduated from the Australian Defence Academy’s helicopter training facility after 17 months of intensive classroom and practical training ...
Australian Naval History on 11 September 1998
HMAS TORRENS, (destroyer escort), was decommissioned at HMAS STIRLING, after a career lasting 27 years. TORRENS was the last of the six River class destroyer escorts, which commenced service in ...
Australian Naval History on 5 May 1998
A massive fire breaks out in the engine room of HMAS WESTRALIA, (tanker), then operating off the Western Australian coast, which leads to the deaths of four RAN personnel. Those ...
Australian Naval History on 31 January 1998
The Collins class submarine, HMAS FARNCOMB was commissioned at Adelaide, SA. FARNCOMB was laid down in the Australian Submarine Corporation, and launched on 15 December 1995. ...
Australian Naval History on 14 December 1997
The former destroyer escort HMAS SWAN was sunk as a dive wreck in Geographe Bay, WA. ...
Australian Naval History on 13 November 1997
HMAS Moresby decommissioned, having steamed 1,170,421.7nm (or 2,167,620.9km) in 88,241.8 hours underway. She retired as the oldest ship in the fleet at 33 years of age, and was the last ...
Australian Naval History on 1 July 1997
VADM D. B. Chalmers, AO, RAN, was appointed at Chief of Naval Staff. ...
Australian Naval History on 9 April 1997
Ex-HMAS VAMPIRE, (Daring class destroyer), was transferred outright, as a gift from the Australian Government to the Australian National Maritime Museum, in Sydney. ...
Australian Naval History on 11 February 1997
RADM C.A. Ritchie, AM, RAN, was appointed as Maritime Commander, Australia. ...
Australian Naval History on 9 January 1997
HMAS ADELAIDE’s Sea King helicopter was launched to conduct the rescue of round-the-world yachtsman Theirry Dubois. Dubois was winched onboard the helicopter later that morning and was described as “being ...
Australian Naval History on 7 January 1997
The tanker, HMAS WESTRALIA, (CMDR Ladomirski, RAN), sailed from HMAS STIRLING to support HMAS ADELAIDE in her rescue of two round-the-world solo yachtsmen, (Frenchman Thierry Dubois, and Briton Tony Bullimore). ...
Australian Naval History on 6 January 1997
PC3 Orion aircraft from 92 Wing, (RAAF Edinburgh), located the capsized yachts, AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL, and EXIDE CHALLENGER, in the Great Southern Ocean, and dropped life rafts. The guided missile frigate, ...
Australian Naval History on 5 January 1997
Two yachts in the Vendee Globe solo, non-stop circumnavigation race capsized in extreme rough weather in the Great Southern Ocean. The yachts, AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL, (Thierry Dubois), and EXIDE CHALLENGER, (Tony ...
Australian Naval History on 13 September 1996
HMAS SWAN, (destroyer escort), was decommissioned at HMAS STIRLING, WA, after a career spanning 26 years. She was later gifted to the West Australian State Government, and sunk as a ...
Australian Naval History on 27 July 1996
The Collins class submarine HMAS COLLINS, (CMDR P. R. Sinclair, RAN), was commissioned. COLLINS was laid down in The Australian Submarine Corporation Yard, Adelaide, SA, and launched on 28 August ...
Australian Naval History on 18 May 1996
The ANZAC class guided missile frigate, HMAS ANZAC was commissioned. ANZAC was laid down at Tenix Williamstown Dockyard, VIC, and launched on 16 September 1994. Lieutenant Colonel V. Statham, AO, ...