On This Day - 11 February
- 1788
- HMS SIRIUS landed a party on Garden Island, Sydney, to prepare a ship's garden. Three sets of initials, 'FM', 'IR', and 'WB', were carved on a rock on the northern hill. These are now the oldest marks extant made by white men in Australia.
- 1891
- The Clipper ship SOBRAON was purchased by the NSW Government as a replacement for the boys' training ship VERNON. The vessel was commissioned into the RAN as HMAS TINGIRA in 1912.
- 1902
- Anglo-Japanese treaty signed. The treaty required Britain and Japan to join the other in the event of hostilities. Australian naval policy was strongly influenced by this treaty. It expired on 13 July 1921.
- 1916
- The RAN Bridging Train assumed responsibility for the maintenance of the bridges across the Suez Canal at Serapeum.
- 1941
- HMAS STUART, (destroyer), picked up one survivor from the South African trawler SOUTHERN FLOE at night off Tobruk.
- 1944
- HMA Ships IPSWICH and LAUNCESTON and HMIS JUMNA, sank the Japanese submarine RO-110, 20 miles south-east of Vizagapatam. RO-110 had torpedoed the merchant ship ASPHALION but was quickly tracked by the Asdic of the escort vessels.
- 1945
- HMAS Nizam, twelve miles off Cape Leeuwin Light and while altering course, the ship struck a freak wave and rolled very heavily, 75 to 80 degrees, to port and 10 ratings were lost overboard. This accident occurred at ten o'clock at night with the wind at nearly gale force. The ship circled for a long period but no sign of any survivor was seen. Some damage was caused and Nizam remained at Fremantle until 7 March 1945 making good defects
- 1970
- RAN Clearance Diving Team 3 completed a nine-day search-and-destroy operation in the Phu Cuong area of Vietnam. The team destroyed three enemy bunkers and a large quantity of ordnance. Three Viet Cong soldiers were killed in the operation.
- 1985
- HMAS ATTACK, name-ship of the RAN's Attack class patrol boats, sailed from Sydney streaming a 38.7 metre paying off pennant. The patrol boat was transferred to the Indonesian Navy as a gift.
- 1997
- RADM C.A. Ritchie, AM, RAN, was appointed as Maritime Commander, Australia.
- 2006
- HMA Ships Wollongong II and Bunbury II decommissioned at HMAS Coonawarra, Darwin
- 2006
- HMAS Wollongong II decommissioned
- 2025
- The Armidale class patrol boats HMA Ships LARRAKIA, (LCDR Anthony Powell, RAN), and BATHURST, (LCDR Andrew Quinn, RAN), were commissioned in Cairns, QLD. Both ships were laid down by Austral Ships in Henderson, Western Australia
'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.