Skyhawk A4G (872) was part of a 5-ship flight conducting bombing practice at the Beecroft Head Firing Range, NSW. 872 pulled up off the range and collided with the underside ...
On This Day
Australian Naval History on 4 July 1975
HMAS HOBART, (guided missile destroyer), represented Australia at the United States Bicentenary Celebrations at New York. Fifty ships of 30 nations participated in the ceremonial entry into the port. ...
Australian Naval History on 30 June 1975
The uniformed strength of the RAN was 16,115 officers and ratings. ...
Australian Naval History on 10 June 1975
The Australian Naval Institute was founded in Canberra, under the leadership of CDRE V. A. Parker, RAN. The Institute exists to advance knowledge and understanding of naval and maritime affairs ...
Australian Naval History on 12 May 1975
HMAS QUEENBOROUGH, the last of the five ‘Q’ class destroyers presented to the RAN as a gift by Great Britain, was towed out of Sydney, bound for Hong Kong and ...
Australian Naval History on 20 April 1975
The patrol boat HMAS AWARE, (LEUT G. Sproule, RAN), apprehended four Taiwanese vessels, and one Indonesian vessel, that were fishing in Australian territorial waters near Dampier, WA. ...
Australian Naval History on 24 March 1975
The destroyer escort HMAS PARRAMATTA, (CMDR J. D. Foster, RAN), became the first RAN warship to visit the scene of the killing of CAPT James Cook, RN, at Kealakekua Bay, ...
Australian Naval History on 13 March 1975
The patrol boat HMAS ASSAIL, (LEUT C. Cleveland, RAN) intercepted three Indonesian fishing boats poaching in Australian territorial waters in Admiralty Gulf, WA. The subsequent court case was the precedent ...
Australian Naval History on 2 March 1975
First Sea King delivered to RAN FAA ...
Australian Naval History on 10 February 1975
Grumman S2E Tracker 853 ditched after night flying when doing a Bolter (missed wire and going around again) from HMAS Melbourne. The 4 crew were all rescued unhurt. This was ...
Australian Naval History on 30 January 1975
Operation Navy Help, the support to the clean up and rebuilding of Darwin following Cyclone Tracy, was completed. Over a dozen RAN warships, and thousands of sailors had been involved ...
Australian Naval History on 13 January 1975
RAN Clearance Diving Team 1, under LEUT D. Ramsden, RAN, salvaged the patrol boat HMAS ARROW at Darwin. The patrol boat sank during Cyclone Tracy. ...
Australian Naval History on 7 January 1975
RAN Clearance Diving Team 2 recovered bodies from vehicles under the collapsed span of the Tasman Bridge at Hobart. The divers worked under difficult conditions in murky water. ...
Australian Naval History on 1 January 1975
HMAS MELBOURNE, (aircraft carrier), and HMAS STUART, (destroyer escort), arrived in the cyclone destroyed city of Darwin. Over the following days they were joined by HMA Ships STALWART, HOBART, SUPPLY, ...
Australian Naval History on 31 December 1974
HMA Ships BRISBANE and FLINDERS were the first ships to arrive in Darwin, to commence work as part of Operation Navy Help, the cleanup and rebuilding of Darwin following the ...
Australian Naval History on 26 December 1974
Operation Navy Help, to assist with the clean up and re-establishment of services in the shattered city of Darwin, commenced. The first RAN asset to arrive was an HS748 aircraft, ...
Australian Naval History on 25 December 1974
Cyclone Tracy struck and leveled the city of Darwin. The Naval Headquarters building was destroyed, and the Naval Officer Commanding Northern Australia, (CAPT E. E. Johnston, OBE, RAN), and two ...
Australian Naval History on 26 November 1974
HMAS Salamaua was decommissioned and recommissioned into the Papua New Guinea Defence Force as HMPNGS Salamaua ...
Australian Naval History on 22 November 1974
HRH Queen Elizabeth II approved the immediate award of the AFC to LEUT A. Baker, RAN, for ‘great skill, coolness and initiative in the rescue of survivors from the Danish ...
Australian Naval History on 14 November 1974
HMA Ships Aitape, Ladava, Lae, Madang, Samarai and Tarangau decommissioned as units of the RAN and recommissioned flying the new White Ensign of the Papua New Guinea Defence Force (PNGDF) ...
Australian Naval History on 18 October 1974
RAN Clearance Divers completed the disposal of 5,096 pieces of WWII ordnance in Papua-New Guinea. ...
Australian Naval History on 12 October 1974
HMA Ships Brisbane, Melbourne, Stuart, Supply, Vendetta (II),Torrens (II) and Derwent, and the submarine Onslow conducted a fleet entry into Sydney Harbour. The ships were dressed overall as part of ...
Australian Naval History on 4 October 1974
HMAS ANZAC was paid off at Sydney. She had steamed 693,582.1 miles since commissioning. On 24 November 1975 Anzac (II) was sold to Hifirm Corporation Ltd of Hong Kong. She ...
Australian Naval History on 27 September 1974
The landing craft heavy HMAS BALIKPAPAN, (LEUT M. D. Otter, RAN), was commissioned. BALIKPAPAN was laid down in Walker’s Yard, Maryborough, QLD, and completed in 1972. Mrs Peacock, (Wife of ...
Australian Naval History on 7 September 1974
HMAS BOMBARD, (LEUT R. Cook, RAN), completed the first circumnavigation of Australia by a patrol boat. ...