On This Day

On This Day - 1 December

1911

SBLT A. M. Longmore, RN, an Australian serving in the RN, successfully landed a Short S27 aircraft fitted with airbags on the Medway River, England.

1914

HMA Ships MELBOURNE and SYDNEY, (cruisers), sailed from Gibraltar to join the British West Indies Fleet.

1916

HMAS SYDNEY saw her first action in the North Sea.

1941

An RAN interrogation team, consisting of CAPT Farquar-Smith, CMDR Dechaineaux, CMDR Ramage, and LCDR. Salm, (Royal Netherlands Navy), questioned prisoners from the German raider KORMORAN. CAPT H. B. Farncomb conducted a separate inquiry into the loss of HMAS SYDNEY. HMAS BUNDABERG, (minesweeper), was launched at Evans Deakin, QLD.

1942

The minesweeper HMAS ARMIDALE, (LCDR D. H. Richards, RAN), was sunk by 12 Japanese bombers, 70 miles south of Betano Bay, Timor. ARMIDALE was involved in the re-supply of Australian and Dutch forces fighting a guerilla campaign against Japanese forces in Timor. The ship was struck by two torpedoes, and sank within a few minutes, with the loss of over 2 officers, 38 ratings, and 37 Dutch native troops. Japanese aircraft then machine gunned the survivors in the water. OS Teddy Sheean, despite being mortally wounded, remained at his 20 mm Oerlikon gun, and continued to fire at the attacking aircraft, even when his position had gone under water. He was credited with shooting down one of the enemy aircraft, and driving the others off. Sheean was later posthumously awarded a MID, and in 2001 a Collins class submarine was commissioned as HMAS SHEEAN in his honour. This was the first and only time a ship of the RAN had been named in honour of a sailor. HMAS KURU recorded in her Report of Proceedings:- 'Attacks by Japanese bombers off Timor: Two on my bows, about 10 feet off, one aft, which blew up our assault boat which was being towed by 10 feet of line. The straddle shook up the ship's clock, an eight day striking clock, and rang the bell. One of the ratings, Signalman Jamieson, looked up at the planes and said "Tojo, you've got a bloody cigar".'

1944

The 21st and 22nd Minesweeping Flotillas, HMA Ships BURNIE, BALLARAT, MARYBOROUGH, LISMORE, WHYALLA, GOULBURN, KALGOORLIE, TOOWOOMBA, and BENDIGO, and HMA Ships GAWLER, GERALDTON, CESSNOCK, CAIRNS, IPSWICH, TAMWORTH, WOLLONGONG, PINE, and LAUNCESTON, were attached to the British Pacific Fleet.

1958

808 Squadron, flying Sea Venoms, decommissioned at Nowra.

1961

RAN Clearance Divers operating from HMAS KIMBLA, and the diving tender WALRUS, salvaged vital parts of a Viscount civil airliner, which had crashed with the loss of 15 lives into Botany Bay, NSW.

1965

The Australian Naval Board approved 'Australia' shoulder insignia as standard uniform for the RAN.

1971

The Five Power Defence Agreement, (FPDA), was created with membership by Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore and the United Kingdom. This alliance was created as a result of the withdrawal of British forces east of Suez, where the parties agreed 'to consult each other in the event of any perceived external threat to Malaysia or Singapore'. Originally land, sea, and air forces of Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom were based in Malaysia and Singapore, but these were gradually withdrawn over the next 20 years. Despite this, the 'Five Powers' conduct regular exercises, in Malaysia and Singapore, controlled by the Headquarters Integrated Area Defence System, (HQIADS).

1978

HMAS CANBERRA, (guided missile frigate), was launched at Seattle, USA.

1986

The Bay class mine hunter HMAS RUSHCUTTER, (LCDR G. Mapson, RAN), was commissioned. RUSHCUTTER was laid down in Carrington Shipyards, Newcastle, NSW, and launched on 3 May 1986. Lady Bennet, (Wife of the Chief of the Defence Force, General Sir Phillip Bennet), performed the launching ceremony.

1988

Three RAN cooks were part of the Australian Defence Force, (ADF), team to compete in the Culinary Olympics held in Frankfurt, West Germany. They were:

• PO Cook Murray McAuliffe,
• PO Cook Tom Clarke, and
• LS Cook Bill Matthews.

The ADF team won several medals in this competition.

1991

The RAN's sail training vessel YOUNG ENDEAVOUR sailed from Sydney on a round the world voyage.

1995

HMAS OVENS, (Oberon class submarine), decommissioned at HMAS STIRLING, WA.

2004

CAPT P. G. Lockwood, DSC, CSC, RAN, was awarded the United States Bronze Star, in recognition of his meritorious service as the Commanding Officer of HMAS ANZAC, (guided missile frigate), during her service in Iraqi waters in 2003 as part of the RAN contribution to Operation Falconer. A few days later the Bronze Star was also awarded to CAPT A. Ingram, RAN, Commanding Officer of HMAS DARWIN, (guided missile frigate), and CAPT D. L. McCourt, OAM, DSM, RAN, Commanding Officer of HMAS KANIMBLA, (landing platform amphibious), in the same conflict.

2017

The AS350BA Squirrel Helicopter was retired from RAN service.

2017

Retirement of the S-70B-2 Seahawk and AS350BA Squirrel helicopters from 723 and 816 Squadrons during a ceremony at Nowra