On This Day - 1 March
- 1901
- The order was gazetted that all Australian armed forces should be transferred from the jurisdiction of the State Governments to the Federal Government, which under the Federal Constitution, would be the sole Australian Defence authority. The Commonwealth Naval Force came into existence. It's war equipment consisted of a motley collection of largely obsolescent warships, including, HMC Ships CERBERUS and PROTECTOR, torpedo boats CHILDERS, COUNTESS OF HOPETOWN, LONSDALE, NEPEAN, and MOSQUITO, gunboats GAYUNDAH and PALUMA, and a number of small naval auxiliaries. Naval personnel strength was 240 permanent members, and 1348 members of the Naval Brigade.
- 1904
- Control of State Defence Forces was formerly transferred to the Commonwealth of Australia.
- 1913
- Training of the first entrants to the Royal Australian Naval College commenced at Osborne House, Geelong, VIC, under CAPT B. M. Chambers, RN. HMS PIONEER, (3rd class cruiser), was presented to the Commonwealth of Australia as a gift from the British Admiralty and commissioned into the RAN with a nucleus crew, as tender to HMAS Penguin.
- 1915
- HMAS PIONEER joined RN forces blockading the German cruiser KONIGSBERG in the Rufigi River, East Africa.
- 1924
- HMS HOOD and HMS REPULSE, (battle cruisers), arrived in Fremantle. Both ships were part of the Royal Navy Special Service Squadron conducting a world cruise to "show the flag"}. HM Ships DELHI, DANAE, DAUNTLESS, and DRAGON, (cruisers), accompanied them. The Squadron later visited Albany, Adelaide, Melbourne, Hobart, Jervis Bay, and Sydney, before proceeding across the Tasman Sea to New Zealand. Both capital ships were lost during 1941 to enemy action, (HOOD in the Atlantic during the battle with the BISMARCK, and REPULSE to Japanese bombers off the east coast of Malaya).
- 1941
- HMAS BENDIGO, (minesweeper), was launched at Cockatoo Island, Sydney.
- 1942
- HMAS PERTH, (cruiser), was sunk by enemy action. 23 officers and 333 ratings lost their lives. HMAS HOBART, (cruiser), evacuated 512 refugees from Padang and landed them at Colombo.
- 1943
- Stoker Cecil Stokes of HMAS PERTH, dies from Malaria on the Thai Burma Railway. He was the first PERTH survivor to succumb to disease and ill treatment during the construction of the infamous Burma railway.
- 1945
- The air/sea rescue vessel, (search and rescue craft), HMAS AIR SENSE, (SBLT J. R. Young, RANVR), was commissioned.
- 1951
- HMAS LABUAN, (tank landing ship), arrived at Fremantle from Antarctica.
- 1952
- HMAS VOYAGER, (Daring class destroyer), was launched at Cockatoo Island, Sydney.
- 1966
- The last recorded RAN Fairey Firefly flight; after being withdrawn from frontline service in 1955.
- 1967
- The Australian White Ensign was hoisted in all ships and establishments of the RAN. The British White Ensign had been used by the RAN since 1913. The supply ship HMAS BOONAROO, (CMDR P. R. Burnett, RAN), was commissioned as an ammunition carrier, (to carry ammunition to Australian forces then operating in South Vietnam). The vessel was requisitioned by the Australian Government following continuous industrial action which had delayed her loading. HMAS BOONAROO also became the first RAN vessel to be commissioned flying the newly created Australian White Ensign, which was introduced on this day. BOONAROO was built in 1953 for the Australian Line, and was returned to her owners in May 1967.
- 1968
- LEUT W. D. H. Lees, RAN, and two divers of Clearance Diving Team 3, embarked in USCGC POINT GRACE to intercept an enemy trawler attempting to land ammunition at the mouth of the Song Bo De in Vietnam. The trawler was sighted in the early hours of 1 March and immediately opened fire with machine guns while running for the shore. A direct hit from a 4.5 inch shell fired by USCGC WINONA caused the trawler to blow up and sink. The Attack class patrol boat HMAS SAMARAI, was commissioned. SAMARAI was laid down in Evans Deakin Yard, Brisbane, in December 1966, and launched on 14 July 1967. Mrs L. B. Evans, (Wife of the Deputy Chairman of the Defence Business Board), performed the launching ceremony. She was gifted to the PNGDF in November 1974.
- 1980
- HMAS TOBRUK, (amphibious heavy lift ship), was launched at Newcastle, NSW.
- 1982
- HMAS LAUNCESTON, (Fremantle Class Patrol Boat), was commissioned.
- 1985
- A permanent and purpose built Maritime Headquarters for the RAN was established at Fleet Base East, Sydney.
- 1991
- The keel of the second Collins Class submarine, HMAS FARNCOMB, was laid at Osborne, South Australia.
- 2003
- The Huon class mine hunter coastal HMAS YARRA, was commissioned. YARRA was laid down in ADI Yard, Newcastle, NSW, and launched on 19 January 2002.
'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.