On This Day - 24 April
- 1860
- HMVS VICTORIA sailed from Melbourne for service in the Maori War, in New Zealand. This was Australia's first commitment of forces overseas.
- 1917
- LEUT R. A. Little, an Australian serving with No. 8 Squadron, RNAS, brought down intact a German DFW fighter. Little was flying a Sopwith tri-plane.
- 1928
- The County class cruiser HMAS AUSTRALIA, (CAPT F. W. H. Goolden, RN), was commissioned. AUSTRALIA was laid down in John Brown Yard, Clydebank, Scotland, on 9 June 1925, and launched on 17 March 1927. Dame Mary Cook, (Wife of the Australian High Commissioner in London), performed the launching ceremony. RADM G. F. Hyde, RAN, hoisted his flag in AUSTRALIA for her voyage to Australia.
- 1940
- The Cunard liner QUEEN MARY commenced conversion to a troop ship at Sydney.
- 1941
- Operation Demon, (the evacuation of Greece from 24-29 April), took place. HMAS PERTH, (cruiser), and HMA Ships STUART, VAMPIRE, VENDETTA, VOYAGER, and WATERHEN, (destroyers, the Scrap-Iron Flotilla?), all took part in evacuating troops from Greece, PERTH from Port Rafti, whilst STUART and VOYAGER the port of Navplion embarking 301 troops, plus a party of Australian, New Zealand, and British nurses. HMAS VENDETTA, (destroyer), evacuated 350 ANZAC troops from the beach at Megara, in Greece. Another 70 were taken off by sister ship HMAS WATERHEN, which was giving seaward cover to the evacuation.
- 1943
- The Japanese submarine I-26 torpedoed the merchant vessel KOWARRA off Sandy Cape, NSW.
- 1945
- HMA Ships COLAC and DELORAINE, (minesweepers), bombarded Japanese fortifications at Cape Boiken, New Guinea.
- 1956
- The aircraft carrier HMAS MELBOURNE, (CAPT G. G. O. Gatacre, RAN), arrived at Fremantle on her maiden voyage to Australia.
- 1959
- HMA Ships SWAN and WARREGO commenced a three-month survey of the Outer Whitsunday Passage, QLD.
- 1985
- A civilian workman was killed onboard the ex-HMAS MELBOURNE, (aircraft carrier), berthed at Garden Island Dockyard, SYDNEY. He fell from the flight deck into the hangar when the aircraft hoist was lowered. He was part of a team preparing MELBOURNE for towing to China for breaking up.
- 1990
- RAN Sea King helicopters participated in the rescue of women and children cut off by rising flood waters at Nyngan, N.S.W.
- 1999
- HMAS PERTH, (destroyer), and HMAS ARUNTA, (frigate), arrived in Ho Chi Minh City, (Saigon), Vietnam, for a four day port visit. This was the first visit to Vietnam for Australian ships since the end of the Vietnam War. The following day an ANZAC Day dawn service was held onboard PERTH, which had seen action during the Vietnam War.
- 2004
- The ANZAC class frigate HMAS STUART, (CMDR Phillip Spedding, RAN), took part in the rescue of US personnel following a suicide attack by three boats on oil terminals at Basra and Al Faw, in southern Iraq. An 8-man coalition boarding party had spotted the suspicious vessels, and while attempting to board one of the dhows the explosives onboard were detonated. At least two coalition personnel were killed, and several wounded. STUART's Seahawk helicopter and RHIB were used to rescue coalition personnel, and bring them back to the ship for medical attention. The bodies of the two slain personnel were also recovered by STUART's RHIB.
'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.