The Iraqi Coastal Defence Force was officially formed at the Umm Qasr Naval Base, Iraq. Personnel from the RAN, RN, USN, and Polish Navy, had been instrumental in the training ...
On This Day
Australian Naval History on 6 June 2004
60 years after the D-Day landings, a significant commemorative service was held at Arromanches, France. Four Australian ex-servicemen, including CDRE Dacre Smyth, (RAN, Retired), were presented with the French Legion ...
Australian Naval History on 3 June 2004
The Minister of Defence, Mr Robert Hill, announced the purchase of a new tanker to replace the aging HMAS WESTRALIA. The tanker DELOS, which had been built in South Korea ...
Australian Naval History on 2 June 2004
During a two week ‘blitz’ on illegal fishing vessels in Northern Australian waters, more then 15 Indonesian fishing vessels were detained. HMA Ships BUNBURY, WARRNAMBOOL, and WHYALLA, (patrol boats), assisted ...
Australian Naval History on 1 June 2004
The damaged yacht ELIZABETH II was towed into Darwin, after being rescued by the patrol boat HMAS GAWLER, (LCDR R. Donnelly, RAN), near Bathurst Island. ...
Australian Naval History on 28 May 2004
The Minister of Defence, Mr Robert Hill, announced that an RAN Heritage Centre would be built at the northern end of Garden Island, Sydney, to display RAN artifacts. The idea ...
Australian Naval History on 20 May 2004
The ADF ceased to formally provide security forces in Timor Leste, (formerly East Timor), when security for the nation was handed over to the country’s own Defence Force and Police. ...
Australian Naval History on 5 May 2004
A ceremonial plate-cutting, of the first aluminum for the RAN’s new Armidale class patrol boats, was conducted at the Austal Shipyard near Fremantle, WA. Under the $550 million contract, Austal/Defence ...
Australian Naval History on 25 April 2004
Prime Minister, John Howard, accompanied by the CDF, (General Peter Cosgrove), make a surprise ANZAC Day visit to Australian personnel serving in Baghdad. A planned visit to HMAS STUART, then ...
Australian Naval History on 24 April 2004
The ANZAC class frigate HMAS STUART, (CMDR Phillip Spedding, RAN), took part in the rescue of US personnel following a suicide attack by three boats on oil terminals at Basra ...
Australian Naval History on 7 April 2004
In one of the stranger law cases dealt with in Australia, Leading Seaman Michael Szewczyk was found to have stolen over 1000 books on Naval and Military history, (worth over ...
Australian Naval History on 16 March 2004
While on a goodwill visit to Wellington, New Zealand, the HMAS SUCCESS, (tanker), had graffiti spray painted on her hull. The slogan “J. Howard US bootlicker” was spray painted in ...
Australian Naval History on 10 March 2004
The frigate HMAS STUART, (CMDR. P. Spedding, OAM, RAN), departed Sydney for service in the Persian Gulf as part of Operation Catalyst. In keeping with tradition the ship, nicknamed the ...
Australian Naval History on 9 March 2004
The frigate HMAS WARRAMUNGA, (CMDR J Vandyke, RAN), assists in transferring a critically ill passenger from the P&O cruise liner ADONIA, to the hospital at Christmas Island. WARRAMUNGA was conducting ...
Australian Naval History on 24 February 2004
VADM Chris Ritchie, AO, RAN, (Chief of Naval Staff), released a signal to the RAN concerning the safety of Anthrax injections issued to RAN personnel who were involved in the ...
Australian Naval History on 7 February 2004
The first of 11 RAN personnel sent to Iraq to assist with the creation of the new Iraqi Coastal Defence Force arrived at Umm Qasr. The RAN personnel under the ...
Australian Naval History on 6 February 2004
The Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial was dedicated at the Ballarat Botanical Gardens by the Chief of the Defence Force (General Peter Cosgrove, AO, MC). Among the 35,000 names on ...
Australian Naval History on 26 January 2004
CDRE J. P. V. Goldrick, CSC, RAN, and CAPT A. K. Du Toit, RAN, were awarded the AM for their services to the Commander Task Group, (CTG), during Operation Slipper ...
Australian Naval History on 23 January 2004
HMAS WARRAMUNGA, (frigate), intercepts the illegal fishing vessel MAYA V near Heard Island. Due to bad weather and heavy seas a Navy boarding party was fast roped, from a Seahawk ...
Australian Naval History on 21 January 2004
The patrol boat, HMAS GLADSTONE, (LCDR M. Moore, RAN), apprehended the illegal fishing vessel SUMUT SAKHON in the Gulf of Carpentaria. GLADSTONE was forced to fire rifle shots across the ...
Australian Naval History on 19 January 2004
The submarine HMAS DECHAINEAUX becomes the first RAN vessel to use the new Naval Ammunition Wharf at Twofold Bay, NSW. The facility was built to replace the previous ammunition storage ...
Australian Naval History on 28 December 2003
The patrol boat HMAS CESSNOCK, (LCDR R. Stevenson, RAN), rescued 13 Taiwanese and Vietnamese fishermen from the long-liner vessel PACIFIC TARKER, which had run aground on Roncador Reef, (200 miles ...
Australian Naval History on 22 December 2003
Sea King helicopters from 817 Squadron were involved in water bombing to fight several fires burning near HMAS CRESWELL, Jervis Bay, NSW. Over 100 campers, from nearby Green Patch, also ...
Australian Naval History on 15 December 2003
HMAS Cessnock II arrived in the Solomon Islands as a part of a naval task group and ground forces to help restore law and order ...
Australian Naval History on 11 December 2003
HMAS Newcastle arrived home in Sydney from the Middle East Area of Operations. In addition to the 396 boardings the crew conducted during her deployment, three Newcastle sailors in one ...