On This Day
1850-1899 > Colonial Navies & RN
On This Day - 1850-1899
- November 12, 1884
RADM George Tryon, CB, RN, was appointed Flag Officer Commanding the Australia Station. His flagship was HMS NELSON.
- September 30, 1884
HMC gunboat PROTECTOR, (CAPT J. C. P. Walcot, RN), arrived in Port Adelaide, SA.
- September 26, 1884
The Queensland Navy gunboats GAYUNDAH and PALUMA completed shipbuilder trials on the Tyne River England. Both vessels attained a speed of 10 knots.
- July 28, 1884
The Admiralty requested the services of either HMQ Ships GAYUNDAH or PALUMA for survey duties in northern waters. PALUMA was selected and converted for the purpose.
- July 16, 1884
HMQS MOSQUITO, (2nd class torpedo boat), was launched in the UK.
- June 19, 1884
The steel twin-screw gunboat PROTECTOR was commissioned. PROTECTOR was laid down in Armstrong, Mitchell & Co., Elswick, Newcastle Upon Tyne, England, for service with the South Australian Government. Heavily armed for her size PROTECTOR was practically a small cruiser.
- May 13, 1884
HMQS GAYUNDAH, (gunboat), was launched at Newcastle upon Tyne, England.
- May 1, 1884
Tasmania’s only warship, a 2nd class torpedo boat known as TB191, arrived in Hobart.
- March 16, 1884
HMVS CHILDERS, en route to Australia, was diverted to the port of Suakin to participate in the Sudan War. The Victorian gunboats VICTORIA and ALBERT, joined her there on 19 March, but their services were not required and they were then sent on their way to continue passage to Australia.
- February 29, 1884
HMVS CHILDERS, (torpedo boat), ran out of coal off the coast of Portugal and was forced to lay-to until found by the steamer Pathan which supplied her with enough coal to reach Gibraltar. To avoid a similar situation on the run from Malta to Alexandria she was diverted to Crete, and so became the first Australian warship to visit the Greek naval base at Suda Bay.