HMAS OVENS, (Oberon class submarine), made the first of the RAN’s sub-surface firings of the UGM48 Harpoon anti-ship missile. This was also the first Harpoon firing from a conventional submarine. ...
Australian Naval History on 28 November1985
Australian Naval History on 25 November 1985
An American Remote Controlled Undersea Vehicle conducted a search of the sea floor of St. George’s Channel at Simpsonhaven, New Britain for the wreck of the Australian submarine AE1, lost ...
Australian Naval History on 22 November 1985
HMAS YARRA, (destroyer escort), was decommissioned into reserve. YARRA was sold 1991, and broken up in 1992. ...
Australian Naval History on 3 November 1985
A Naval Board Instruction was promulgated in ships and establishments of the RAN banning homosexuals in the service. ...
Australian Naval History on 2 November 1985
HMAS CANBERRA signalled the Russian ship FRUNZE which she had shadowed for three days in the South China Sea; ‘Happy 68th Birthday, (of the Russian Revolution). We leave you in ...
Australian Naval History on 1 November 1985
HMAS Canberra intercepted and shadowed the large Soviet cruiser Frunze and her escorts. The Soviet Surface Action Group (SAG) comprised the Kirov Class cruiser Frunze, the Sovremenny Class guided missile ...
Australian Naval History on 23 October 1985
A gas leak from a sullage tank in HMAS STALWART, (escort maintenance ship), caused the death of three sailors. Another fifty of the ship’s crew were affected by the gas, ...
Australian Naval History on 18 October 1985
HMAS ASSAIL, the last of the RAN’s Attack class patrol boats still in commission, was transferred to the Indonesian Navy as a gift. ...
Australian Naval History on 13 October 1985
The guided missile destroyer HMAS PERTH, (CAPT G. Sloper, RAN), rescued the crew of the Singaporean ship HOE LIEN, in mountainous seas off Newcastle, NSW. PERTH took the ship in ...
Australian Naval History on 11 October 1985
HMAS CURLEW, (mine hunter), and RAN Clearance Divers recovered the bodies from the Pel-Air freighter aircraft which had crashed into Botany Bay, Sydney. ...
Australian Naval History on 9 October 1985
Service in HMA Ships SYDNEY, JEPARIT, and BOONAROO, (troop supply ships), was accepted as ‘war service’ in the Vietnam War, under the terms of the Repatriation Act. ...
Australian Naval History on 28 September 1985
The RAN, Port Authorities, and shipping lines, participated in Operation Bell Buoy, a world-wide exercise to standardise procedures in the naval control of commercial shipping in states of emergency. ...
Oilers in the Royal Australian Navy
IN THE BEGINNING there was COAL!! Lots of it. Dirty, dusty, nostril filling and seemingly unlimited in supply. Coaling Ship was an evolution in which everybody was engaged in the ...
ML 817’s New Guinea Operations
New Meaning put into the word Camouflage WARSHIP CAMOUFLAGE came in some weird and wonderful forms during WW II. But for one of the smaller ships of the RAN it ...
Australian Naval History on 23 September 1985
HMAS Balikpapan was temporarily decommissioned and placed in a state of reserve at Cairns. She remained in reserve until mid-1989, when it was decided that she would be reactivated as ...
Australian Naval History on 19 September 1985
The strength of the RAN’s heavy landing ship squadron was cut by half when HMA Ships TARAKAN, WEWAK, and BALIKPAPAN, were decommissioned ...
Australian Naval History on 18 September 1985
A naval court martial convened at HMAS PENGUIN, Sydney, found the Commanding Officer of HMAS WOLLONGONG, (patrol boat), guilty of negligence in grounding his ship off Gabo Island on 31 ...
Australian Naval History on 6 September 1985
The first official rum issue made in a ship of the RAN in 30 years, was made to the crew of HMAS HOBART, (guided missile destroyer), at Victoria, British Columbia. ...
Australian Naval History on 2 September 1985
A RAN Sea King helicopter, piloted by LCDR T. King, USN, rescued the crew of the yacht VOSS in heavy seas off Newcastle NSW ...
Australian Naval History on 16 August 1985
HMAS Wewak decommissioned at HMAS Moreton, and the following day departed for Cairns for refit and operational lay-up. ...
Australian Naval History on 1 August 1985
CAPT F. N. Cook, DSC, RAN, died in Sydney. He distinguished himself in operations in Occupied France in WWII. ...
Australian Naval History on 16 July 1985
HMAS BENDIGO, became the first patrol boat to circumnavigate Australia. ...
Australian Naval History on 30 June 1985
The uniformed strength of the RAN was 15,536 officers and ratings. ...
Messages from the Clouds Highlighted a Night of High Drama
FOR COUNTLESS GENERATIONS seamen have navigated by the stars. But it was a ‘Message from the Clouds’ that held the key to the rescue of several hundred servicemen after a ...
Kimbla – Alias ‘The Snail’
HMAS KIMBLA was laid down in 1953 and was launched by Mrs. J.W.N. Bull, wife of Captain John Bull who, at the time, was General Overseer Eastern Area. Kimbla’s launch ...