On This Day - 4 September

1969
LEUT James A. Hopson, USN, was reprimanded for dereliction of duty and negligence, in connection with the collision of HMAS MELBOURNE, (aircraft carrier), and USS FRANK E EVANS, (destroyer)
1943
Engaged in the Allied landing at Lae, New Guinea, HMA Ships SHEPPARTON and BENALLA, (corvettes), carried out a close bombardment of enemy troop positions. A preliminary survey of the landing beaches was made by HMA Ships STELLA and POLARIS.
1940
The cruiser, HMAS SYDNEY, (CAPT J. A. Collins, RAN), and HM Ships DAINTY and ILEX, (destroyers), bombarded Italian airfields at Scarpanto. Three Italian E-boats attacked the squadron, but accurate fire from ILEX sank two, and the other withdrew.
1939
HMAS KURUMBA, (fleet oiler), was commissioned. The ship had served with the RN between 1916 and 1919. She was later transferred to the RAN. KURUMBA was sold out of service in 1946, and was renamed ANGELIKI in 1948, and EVANGELOS in 1955.
1914
The cruiser HMS PSYCHE, (later HMAS PSYCHE), and survey ship HMS FANTOME, (later HMAS FANTOME), joined the contraband patrol in the Bay of Bengal.
1861
HMVS VICTORIA, (CAPT W. H. Norman, RN), rescued the crew of the bark FIREFLY from a reef in the Sir Charles Hardy Islands off Queensland. The two vessels were searching for the ill-fated Burke and Wills trans-Australia expedition.
Credit:
'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.

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