First Macchi MB-326H delivered to RAN FAA ...
Fleet Air Arm
Australian Naval History on 13 November 1969
HMAS VENDETTA, (Daring class destroyer), operated as Navy gunfire ship for US Infantry Corps’ operations in Vietnam. Wessex N7-211 was lost in dramatic circumstances east of Jervis Bay. While conducted ...
Australian Naval History on 2 September 1968
851 Squadron recommissioned at NAS Nowra as a training and transport squadron flying Grumman Trackers and Dakotas ...
Australian Naval History on 5 June 1968
Three members of 723 Squadron, Lieutenant P.C. Ward, Petty Officer D.J. Sanderson and Naval Airman Mechanic Airframes and Engines (NAMAE) R.K. Smith, were lost when their Iroquois crashed over the ...
Australian Naval History on 22 November 1967
First Operational Grumman Tracker S2E aircraft delivered to the RAN. (One non flying S2A and one non flying S2E had been delivered in 1966 for training) ...
Australian Naval History on 31 October 1967
HMAS Melbourne departed from San Diego for the return journey to Australia after a journey to collect new FAA aircraft. She visited Pearl Harbor and Suva en route, and arrived ...
Australian Naval History on 25 August 1967
816 Squadron decommissioned while preparations were made to receive its new Grumman S-2E/G Tracker aircraft. ...
Australian Naval History on 26 July 1967
Delivery of the RAN’s first ten Skyhawks, eight A4Gs and two TA4Gs, began ...
Australian Naval History on 9 November 1966
As the floating crane “Falcon” was lifting a Tracker S2E, Bu No 151646, from the Pyrmont wharf on to a lighter, a sling broke and the aircraft fell into Sydney ...
Australian Naval History on 28 April 1966
Sea Venom WZ900 (866) crashed off HMAS MELBOURNE in the Philippine Sea. Arrestor wire parted during carrier landing, aircraft crashed into sea. The accident happened at approx 1500 Hrs. Pilot ...
Australian Naval History on 1 March 1966
The last recorded RAN Fairey Firefly flight; after being withdrawn from frontline service in 1955. ...
Australian Naval History on 24 March 1965
During the Indonesian ‘Confrontation’ to detect Indonesian boats smuggling arms or infiltrating Malaysia Fairey Gannets flew night-time patrols along the Strait of Malacca from HMAS Melbourne. Returning after a night ...
Australian Naval History on 17 April 1964
The first of three Bell Iroquois helicopters ordered for the RAN were received by the Fleet Air Arm. The FAA entered a period of uncertainty in the early 1960s with ...
Australian Naval History on 9 March 1964
First Bell UH-1B/1C Iroquois delivered to the RAN. Members of the Royal Australian Navy flew several variants of this aircraft in both the gunship and utility configuration as part of ...
Australian Naval History on 18 July 1963
817 squadron recommissioned with the Wessex 31A helicopter ...
Australian Naval History on 5 July 1963
A Sea Venom crashed into Sydney Harbour following a collision with another Sea Venom during a flypast. ...
Australian Naval History on 30 March 1963
805 Squadron, flying the Sea Venom, decommissioned at NAS Nowra ...
Australian Naval History on 20 March 1963
Two Westland Scout AH-1 helicopters were acquired by the RAN and operated by 723 Naval Air Squadron. The helicopters were embarked in the hydrographic survey ship HMAS Moresby with one ...
Australian Naval History on 11 March 1963
The first Wessex helicopter Search and Rescue (SAR) mission occurred when GPCAPT Mather ejected from his RAAF Sabre jet near Lake Bathurst in NSW, and was reported as having landed near ‘a ...
Australian Naval History on 1 November 1962
725 Squadron recommissioned flying the first two Westland Wessex 31A helicopters delivered to the RAN for ASW training and support to 817 Squadron, the Fleet Air Arm’s (FAA) front line ...
Australian Naval History on 6 September 1962
The first flight of an RAN Wessex was by LCDR John Salthouse and took place in Yeovil, England (near the Westland Factory) ...
Australian Naval History on 4 September 1962
First Wessex helicopter delivered to the RAN FAA ...
Australian Naval History on 31 May 1961
725 Squadron decommissioned and its aircraft were transferred to 724 Squadron. ...
Australian Naval History on 4 March 1961
The Navy Memorial Chapel at HMAS WATSON, (shore base, Sydney), was dedicated. Sycamore XD654 ditched alongside HMS Hermes while operating from HMAS Sydney near the Cocos Islands and written off. ...
Australian Naval History on 18 August 1959
817 squadron, flying the Fairey Gannet AS.1, decommissioned. ...