Following the Australian occupation of German New Guinea, the British Admiralty ordered VADM Sir George Patey, RN, in HMAS AUSTRALIA, (battle-cruiser), with HMS MONTCALM, to cover HMS ENCOUNTER and the ...
On This Day
Australian Naval History on 14 September 1914
HMAS ENCOUNTER, (cruiser), shelled German positions at Toma, New Britain. This was the first occasion a ship of the RAN had fired on an enemy. HMA Submarine AE1, (LCDR T. ...
Australian Naval History on 13 September 1914
The former South Australian gunboat, HMAS PROTECTOR, captured the German merchant ship MADANG, off Herbertshohe, New Britain. ...
Australian Naval History on 11 September 1914
The RAN Brigade, supported by men from Australian warships, landed at Kabakaul, German New Guinea, (New Britain), to seize the German wireless station there. HMA Ships AUSTRALIA, SYDNEY, ENCOUNTER, PARRAMATTA, ...
Australian Naval History on 9 September 1914
HMAS MELBOURNE, (cruiser), landed a party of 4 officers and 21 petty officers, under LCDR M. A. Blanfield, on Nauru, to dismantle the German wireless station on the island. They ...
Australian Naval History on 7 September 1914
A joint Australian army-navy expedition sailed for German New Guinea from Port Moresby embarked on board the auxilliary cruiser HMAS BERRIMA, escorted by HMAS AUSTRALIA, HMAS SYDNEY, HMAS ENCOUNTER, HMAS WAREGO, and ...
Australian Naval History on 4 September 1914
The cruiser HMS PSYCHE, (later HMAS PSYCHE), and survey ship HMS FANTOME, (later HMAS FANTOME), joined the contraband patrol in the Bay of Bengal. ...
Australian Naval History on 30 August 1914
VADM Sir George Patey, RN, in HMAS AUSTRALIA, arrived of Samoa, and the official surrender of German Samoa took place. The squadron comprised AUSTRALIA, HMA Ships MELBOURNE, and PSYCHE , ...
Australian Naval History on 26 August 1914
HMAS PIONEER, (3rd class cruiser), captured the German merchant vessel THURINGEN, off Fremantle, WA. ...
Australian Naval History on 20 August 1914
The German cruiser MAGDEBURG was captured by the Russian Navy, after running aground in a fog in the Gulf of Finland. Code books recovered from the cruiser were rushed to ...
Australian Naval History on 18 August 1914
The auxiliary cruiser HMAS BERRIMA, (CMDR J. B. Stevenson, RN), was commissioned. BERRIMA was requisitioned for the RAN, from her owners, the P&O Steam Navigation Co Ltd, in August 1914. ...
Australian Naval History on 16 August 1914
HMAS PIONEER, (light cruiser), captured the German merchant ship NEUMUNSTER, off Rottnest Island, WA. ...
Australian Naval History on 13 August 1914
HMAS MELBOURNE, (cruiser), intercepted the collier ALCONDA off Rossel Island, and requisitioned her cargo of coal. ...
Australian Naval History on 12 August 1914
HMA Ships PARRAMATTA, YARRA, and WARREGO, (torpedo boat destroyers), landed parties at Rabaul. HMAS ENCOUNTER, (cruiser), captured the German steamer ZAMBESI in St George’s Channel, New Britain. ...
Australian Naval History on 11 August 1914
HMAS AUSTRALIA, (battle-cruiser), and the Australia Squadron, under VADM Sir George Patey, RN, arrived in St Georges Channel, near Rabaul, on a search for ADML von Spee’s forces. The German ...
Australian Naval History on 10 August 1914
An Australian Government Order-in-Council was gazetted placing all Commonwealth Naval Forces, including the Naval Board, under British Admiralty control, for the duration of WWI, (and was later repeated for WWII). ...
Australian Naval History on 7 August 1914
VADM Sir George Patey, RN, wrote the first wartime order for the RAN, and for that matter the Commonwealth of Australia, whilst onboard his flagship, HMAS AUSTRALIA, (battle-cruiser). It was ...
Australian Naval History on 5 August 1914
The message conveying the news of the outbreak of war with Germany was received in Australia at 12.30pm. The disposition of ships of the RAN, at the declaration of WWI, ...
Australian Naval History on 4 August 1914
Great Britain declared war on Germany. The telegram informing Australia of a state of hostilities was not received in Melbourne until 5 August. At the outbreak of war the strength ...
Australian Naval History on 3 August 1914
Even before the declaration of war between Britain and Germany, the Australian Cabinet met in Melbourne and promptly offered the Australian fleet to Britain. Port war lookout and examination stations ...
Australian Naval History on 30 July 1914
Garden Island Wireless Station intercepted the Admiralty warning to HM Ships that war with Germany was imminent. ...
Australian Naval History on 28 July 1914
LEUT A. M. Longmore, an Australian serving with the RNAS, made the first successful aerial torpedo drop by a naval pilot from a Short Folder seaplane. ...
Australian Naval History on 24 May 1914
The RAN’s first two submarines, AE1 and AE2, arrived in Sydney after a record voyage from England. Within a year both submarines had been lost on active service, with AE1 ...
Australian Naval History on 1 April 1914
LEUT A. M. Longmore, an Australian serving with the Naval Wing of the Royal Flying Corps, flew the First Sea Lord, Winston Churchill, on his first flight in a Maurice ...
Australian Naval History on 2 March 1914
HMA Submarines AE1 and AE2 sailed from Portsmouth on their maiden voyage to Australia. The passage took 83 days and was at the time the longest journey ever under taken ...