On This Day

On This Day - 19 December

1860

HMCS VICTORIA, (CMDR Norman, RN), landed a detachment of seamen, and captured Matarikoriko Pa, New Zealand.

1878

CDRE John C. Wilson, ADC, was appointed Commodore Commanding Australia Station. His flagship was HMS WOLVERENE.

1939

The cruiser HMAS PERTH, (CAPT H. B. Farncomb, RAN), was shadowed by the USS VINCENNES, (cruiser), while on the Yucatan Channel patrol in the West Indies. VINCENNES demanded PERTH's identity, but PERTH refused to comply.

1940

HMAS NIZAM, (destroyer), was commissioned under LCDR M. J. Clark, RAN, at Clydebank, Scotland.

1941

HMS NEPTUNE sank after striking a mine off the coast of Tripoli. Only one rating of the crew of 717 survived. Among those lost were the two RAN members of the ship's company, ORD K. Campbell and ORD S. Kemp. The Bathurst class minesweeper HMAS TOWNSVILLE, (LCDR J. Abbott, RAN(E)), was commissioned. TOWNSVILLE was laid down in Evans Deakin Yard, Brisbane, on 4 November 1940, and launched on 13 May 1941. HMAS NIZAM reported she was lifted bodily out of the water by an underwater explosion in Alexandria Harbour. Shortly after, HM Ships QUEEN ELIZABETH and VALIANT, (battleships), bottomed at their moorings. The tanker SAGONA, and HMS JERVIS were severely damaged. The attack was launched by Italian frogmen. HMA Ships CANBERRA and PERTH joined a convoy of comprising BLOEMFONTEIN (10,081grt), COAST FARMER (3290grt), MEIGS (12,568grt), WILLARD A. HOLBROOK (14,812grt), REPUBLIC (17,886grt), ADMIRAL HALSTEAD (3289grt), and CHAUMONT (7555grt) and USS PENSACOLA and USS NIAGARA, which had departed San Francisco on 21 November for the Philippines.

1942

HMAS KALGOORLIE, (minesweeper), picked up 29 survivors from HMAS ARMIDALE's whaler, 150 miles north-west of Darwin. ARMIDALE was sunk by Japanese bombers off Timor.

1944

CAPT H. B. Farncomb was promoted and appointed Commodore Commanding Australian Squadron.

1967

HMAS HOBART, (guided missile destroyer), and USS CANBERRA, (guided missile heavy cruiser), attacked an enemy missile site near Dong Hoi, Vietnam, with gunfire.

1992

HMAS Jervis Bay I departed Sydney for Mogadishu, Somalia, to provide strategic sea-lift for Operation SOLACE, the Australian Defence Force’s contribution to the US-led operation to bring peace and humanitarian relief to the war torn African nation