On This Day - 5 January
- 1909
- 15 sailors from HMS ENCOUNTER were drowned when the ship's pinnace was rammed by SS DUNSMORE off Garden Island, Sydney. The men were on their way ashore to conduct a range shoot at Malabar when the incident occurred. All those killed were later buried in a communal grave in the Naval Section of Rookwood Cemetery.
- 1922
- ADML Anthony Monckton Synnot was born at Corowa NSW, and entered the RAN in 1939. He was Chief of Defence Force during the period 1979 to 1982, and is one of the few RAN trained officers to reach the rank of full Admiral. His brother, Timothy Monckton Synnot also served as an officer in the RAN, reaching the rank of Commander.
- 1942
- CMDR S. H. K. Spurgeon, DSO, RAN, assumed command of HMAS STUART, (destroyer), at Williamstown, VIC. He commanded HMS ECHO in 1940, and took part in the Norwegian Campaign, He was the first RAN officer to receive a gallantry award in WWII, being admitted to the DSO in December 1939.
- 1943
- The following awards were made to HMAS VENDETTA, (destroyer), "for courage, endurance and devotion to duty" while under Japanese air attack in dock at Singapore, and during the tow of the then immobilised vessel from Singapore to Melbourne:-DSC LEUT W. G. Whitting RANR(S)DSC Gunner (T) J. C. Lace DSM CPO A. J. ThorneDSM DSM AB W. Roberetson
- 1945
- The Battle of Lingayen Gulf, 5 to 9 January. HMA Ships AUSTRALIA, SHROPSHIRE, ARUNTA, WARRAMUNGA, GASCOYNE and WARREGO were engaged. HMA Ships AUSTRALIA and ARUNTA were hit by Japanese kamikaze planes. A Zero carrying a large bomb dived on ARUNTA from low altitude but clever manoeuvring caused the aircraft to miss and plunge into the sea within metres of the destroyer's steering gear room on the port side. ARUNTA was holed and damage was caused to her steering motors. Stoker PO R.A. Hand and AB H.L.E. Sellick were killed. In the same attack a second kamikaze dive was made vertically into HMAS AUSTRALIA's upper deck, amidships on the port side. The explosion killed 25 and wounded 30 of the cruiser's crew. A fire set by the explosion was soon extinguished and reports indicated damage was slight and fighting efficiency was not greatly impaired. HMA Ships GASCOYNE, (frigate), and WARREGO, (sloop), and the USS BENNION engaged two Japanese destroyers in a running battle near Luzon. The faster enemy destroyers withdrew and escaped. HMAS Platypus left Sydney to proceed to New Guinea for service as a Repair and Maintenance Vessel.
- 1951
- The evacuation of Inchon, Korea, was completed. HMA Ships BATAAN and WARRAMUNGA, (destroyers) assisted US, British and Dutch ships to evacuate nearly 70000 personnel. Over 1400 vehicles, and 63000 tons of stores were also evacuated from the port.
- 1955
- HMAS AUSTRALIA, (8 inch cruiser), was advertised for disposal at Sydney.
- 1956
- HMAS Nirimba, RAN Apprentice Training Establishment commissioned. Until the previous day it had operated as a RAN Air Station. Six months later the first intake of apprentices drafted in.
- 1966
- HMAS Nirimba, RAN Apprentice Training Establishment commissioned. The site had previously been used by the military since 1950 in relation to the Fleet Air Arm.
- 1973
- The landing craft heavy, HMAS BRUNEI, (LEUT D. Sando, RAN), was commissioned. BRUNEI was laid down in Walker's Yard, Maryborough, QLD, in July 1971, and launched on 15 October 1971.
- 1979
- HMAS HOBART, (guided missile destroyer), was dispatched on a 3000 nautical mile mercy dash to Heard Island to evacuate a seriously ill biologist.
- 1994
- The RAN School of Survivability and Ship Safety (RANSSSS) was transferred from HMAS PENGUIN to HMAS CRESSWELL.
- 1997
- Two yachts in the Vendee Globe solo, non-stop circumnavigation race capsized in extreme rough weather in the Great Southern Ocean. The yachts, AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL, (Thierry Dubois), and EXIDE CHALLENGER, (Tony Bullimore), both activated their EPIRB systems, and thus set in train one of the greatest rescues at sea ever undertaken by the RAN.
'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.
