On This Day

On This Day - 27 November

1869

HMS PHOEBE, (corvette), arrived at Port Phillip with ADML Hornby's Flying Squadron. A midshipman in the vessel was William Creswell.

1914

HMAS MELBOURNE, (cruiser), entered the Mediterranean on passage to the West Indies Station.

The first naval aviation unit was despatched from Point Cook, VIC, to embark in HMAS UNA for service in New Guinea. The unit was equipped with a Maurice Farman seaplane, and a BE2A landplane.

1941

The sloop HMAS PARRAMATTA, (CMDR J. H. Walker, RAN), was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U559, while on passage to Tobruk. Of the ships complement of 162, there were only 24 survivors. 21 were picked up by HMS AVON VALE, (destroyer), while another three managed to swim ashore to the Libyan coast, and were rescued by advancing British troops. HMAS HEROS recovered a Carley type lifefloat and two lifebelts, 160 miles north-west of Carnarvon, WA. They were believed to be from HMAS SYDNEY, (cruiser), sunk by the German raider KORMORAN.

1943

The Fremantle-based USS BOWFIN, (submarine), sank the Japanese transport VAN VOLLENHOVEN, in the South China Sea.

1944

The services reconnaissance department (SRD) craft HMAS KARINA, was commissioned. The air/sea rescue vessel AIR WATCH, (SBLT W. A. Bach, RANVR), was commissioned.

1945

HMAS Vendetta paid off for disposal. On 20 March 1946 she was sold to Penguin Pty Ltd, Sydney. Her hull was scuttled off Sydney Heads on 2 July 1948. Sub Lieutenant Leslie John Norton RANVR lost his life in a Seafire XV, whilst doing an air display at Schofields. The accident was initially blamed on pilot error, but an investigation found that at high speeds the Seafire was subject to aileron reversal. This condition could result in wing spar failure.

1956

Firefly VX381 was involved in a midair collision over Jervis Bay, NSW. The pilot, SBLT(P) David Eagles RN, was able to successfully ditch the aircraft in Hare Bay and he and his pupil observer, MIDN Donald Debus RAN were rescued.  The other firefly,WD887, struck the water at high speed, breaking apart and killing pilot Acting Sub Lieutenant Arthur Arundel and trainee observer Midshipman Noel Fogarty. The wreck of VX381 was found in Jervis Bay in 1983 and the wreck of WD887 in 2016.

1964

The Minister for the Navy, Mr. F. C. Chaney, announced plans to establish the RAN's submarine base at Neutral Bay, Sydney. The base was commissioned HMAS PLATYPUS.

1980

CDRE E. E. Johnson, OBE, RAN, was appointed Administrator of the Northern Territory. CDRE Johnson was honoured for his services in the aftermath of Cyclone Tracy.

1991

HMAS WOLLONGONG, (patrol boat), operated with Solomon Islands maritime forces in the joint maritime surveillance off Honiara, exercise Weather Eye.