On This Day

On This Day - 30 May

1912

HMAS MELBOURNE, (cruiser), was launched at Cammel Lairds Shipyard in England.

1941

The sloop HMAS PARRAMATTA, (LCDR W.H. Harrington, RAN), re-floated the streamer MOUNT OTHRYS, which had run aground on a sand bar near Port Suez. HMA Ships NAPIER and NIZAM, (destroyers), went again to Sfakia, Crete, where they embarked 1403 troops between them. HMAS PERTH, (cruiser), came under heavy air attack from German dive bombers south of Crete. At 0943 the ship was hit by two bombs, (one hit a gun turret and the other penetrated the deck and exploded in No 1 Boiler Room). Four of PERTH's crew were killed, and nine soldiers, being evacuated from Crete were also killed. PERTH also suffered further damage from a number of near misses in later attacks that day.

1980

HMA Ships ATTACK, ADVANCE, and BUCCANEER, (patrol boats), commenced offshore oil rig patrols. The patrols were organized to prevent terrorist attacks on the oil rigs

1990

The Minister of Defence, The Honorable G. N. Bilney, announced that female members of the RAN were now able to serve in all Australian warships, with the exception of submarines. Within 10 years, even this restriction would be lifted so that women could serve in any RAN warship.

1993

HMAS SYDNEY, (guided missile frigate), sailed from Darwin en-route to the Red Sea, to take part in UN trade sanctions against Iraq, as part of the RAN's ongoing Operation Damask.

2002

HMAS MELBOURNE, (CAPT S. R. W. McDowell, CSM, RAN), departs Sydney for a five month deployment to the Persian Gulf, to enforce maritime sanctions against Iraq, (Operation Slipper). She departed the Middle East area of operations on 8 November, after 136 days in theatre, and having conduct 315 boardings. She eventually arrived back in Sydney on 20 December.

2024

HMAS Huon II decommissioned at HMAS Waterhen