On This Day

On This Day - 22 December

1916

50 personnel from the RANBT, under CMDR L. S. Bracegirdle, RAN, landed at El Arish on the Sinai Peninsula, to build a pier to land supplies in support of the ANZAC mounted columns advance into Palestine. The Turkish forces had withdrawn to Magdahba only a few days before, leaving El Arish undefended, but the beach was still mined. These men stayed at El Arish until late March to maintain the pier and unload supplies.

1921

The Department of the Navy was absorbed into the Department of Defence.

1939

HMAS PERTH, (cruiser), attempted to tow the British merchant ship HOUSTON CITY off rocks, near Plum Point Lighthouse, Jamaica. The line parted and the tow was abandoned. The ship was floated clear on the next high tide.

1940

HMAS ORARA, (auxiliary minesweeper), signalled HMAS SWAN, (sloop), on observing her coloured minesweeping lights burning too brightly on her stern:- 'May I hang my stocking on your Christmas tree?' SWAN replied:- 'Yes, and I will shortly be hanging a sprig of mistletoe over my stern'

1941

The boom working vessel HMAS KARANGI, was commissioned. KARANGI was laid down in Cockatoo Island Dockyard, Sydney, on 5 February 1941, and launched on 16 August 1941. Mrs G. Hutcheson performed the launching ceremony.

1947

LST 3501, Later HMAS Labuan, landed a party of Australian National Research Expedition members on Heard Island off the Antarctic continental shelf. In a brief ceremony the Australian Flag was raised and the lonely outcrop was formally claimed for the Commonwealth.

1969

The Oberon class submarine HMAS ONSLOW, (LCDR C. Nixon-Eckersall, RN), was commissioned at Greenock, Scotland. ONSLOW was laid down in Scotts Shipbuilding & Engineering Co Ltd, Greenock, Scotland, on 26 May 1967, and launched on 3 December 1968. Princess Alexandra performed the launching ceremony. ONSLOW was transferred to the Australian National Maritime Museum, Sydney, as a permanent exhibit after decommissioning in March 1999.

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 took refuge at CRESWELL during the height of the fires.

2018

HMAS Gascoyne II returned to Australia after completing the longest voyage undertaken by a vessel of its class. Gascoyne, along with sister ship, HMAS Huon, had visited ports and exercised in the Republic of Korea, Japan and the Philippines.  Gascoyne and Huon steamed in excess of 4,000 nautical miles during the voyage and were the first Australian Mine Warfare vessels to travel to the Republic Of Korea