On This Day - 15 July
- 1918
- HMAT Barunga was on its way to Australia with 800 sick and wounded on board and was torpedoed at 4.30 pm on 15 July 1918. Destroyers which had been some miles away were quickly on the scene to pick up survivors and returned them to Plymouth. All hands were saved before Barunga subsequently sank. SS Barunga was formerly the German-Australian liner Sumatra of Hamburg, captured at Sydney, NSW, at the outbreak of war. She was requisitioned by the Australian Government and during the period 1915-1918 was used to transport troops and or produce in various areas.
- 1940
- The examination vessel HMAS KING BAY, was commissioned. KING BAY was laid down in Fremantle, WA, in 1938. She was requisitioned for the RAN on 8 July 1940, from her owners, Cossack Lightering and Trades Ltd, Perth, WA. The examination vessel HMAS WONGALA, was commissioned. WONGALA was laid down in Norway in 1919 as the wooden steamer FANEFJORD. She later became HMAS WYATT EARP in November 1947.
- 1942
- The Bathurst class minesweeper, (corvette), HMAS WALLAROO, (LEUT E. S. Ross, RANR), was commissioned. WALLAROO was laid down in Poole & Steel Ltd., Sydney, on 24 April 1941, and launched on 18 February 1942.
- 1945
- The RAN reached its peak WWII strength. Ships in commission numbered 315. Personnel totalled 39,650, of whom 2,617 were WRANS, and 57 nursing sisters.
- 1976
- HMAS YARRA, (destroyer escort), located the disabled yacht MARQUEEN in heavy seas off the Queensland coast. The yacht was towed to Trial Bay, NSW.
- 1977
- HMAS MORESBY, (survey ship), went to the aid of a refugee vessel with 47 Vietnamese men, women and children aboard off the West Australian coast. A boarding party from MORESBY repaired the vessel's engine, and it steamed safely to Broome.
- 1986
- Sea King Mk50 903 made an emergency Landing in the sea off Kiama during Anti Submarine exercise with HMAS Adelaide when transmission oil lost. Capsized in the moderate sea. HMAS Adelaide attempted salvage struck the floating fuselage and the aircraft sank
- 2002
- HMAS Newcastle, arrived back in her home port of Sydney following a six-month patrol in the Middle East region in support of Operation SLIPPER.
- 2006
- The Armidale class patrol boat HMAS ALBANY was commissioned in Albany, Western Australia.
'On This Day' is based on the book "Navy Day by Day: Historic Naval Events in Australia and Abroad" written by the late Lew Lind. More information.
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Credit:
'On This Day' is based on the book "Navy Day by Day: Historic Naval Events in Australia and Abroad" written by the late Lew Lind. More information.
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