On This Day

On This Day - 10 December

1878

CDRE John C. Wilson, ADC, was appointed Commodore Commanding Australia Station.

1910

Commonwealth ships HMAS PARRAMATTA and HMAS YARRA, (torpedo boat destroyers), the first warships built for the Australian navy since Federation, arrived in Port Phillip, Melbourne, Victoria, the Federal Capital of Australia.

1918

HMAS BRISBANE, (light cruiser), operated with the Australian Destroyer Flotilla in the Black Sea.

1919

HMAS SYDNEY, (light cruiser), patrolled the Timor Sea as beacon ship for Ross and Keith Smith's flight from England to Australia. The aviators recorded the cruiser was sighted exactly on station.

1940

HMAS BALLARAT, (minesweeper), was launched at Williamstown Dockyard, VIC.

1941

Japanese bombers sank HMS PRINCE OF WALES, (battleship), and HMS REPULSE, (battle-cruiser), in the South China Sea. HMAS VAMPIRE, (destroyer), picked up survivors. One of those lost in the sinking of HMS REPULSE was MIDN R. I. Davies, RAN, who commanded an Oerlikon gun on the port side of the battle-cruiser. The Naval Review wrote: 'An Australian midshipman was still firing his Oerlikon gun at an aircraft; several enemy aircraft were brought down by Midshipman Davies after the order to abandon ship had been given.'

1945

The Q class destroyer, HMAS QUEENBOROUGH, was commissioned. QUEENBOROUGH was laid down at Swan Hunter's Yard, England, on 6 November 1940, and launched on 16 January 1942. QUEENBOROUGH was transferred to the RAN in September 1945.

1968

Clearance Diving Team 3 recovered bodies, weapons and diving equipment from a Viet Cong supply sampan, sunk in an ambush at Rung Sat, Vietnam.

1969

The first Australian chart published in metric measurement was issued by the RAN Hydrographic Office.

1983

The Fremantle class patrol boat HMAS GERALDTON, was commissioned. GERALDTON was laid down in Cairns, QLD.