On This Day
1850-1899 > Colonial Navies & RN
On This Day - 1850-1899
- February 14, 1884
The steam gunboat, HMVS VICTORIA, (CAPT A. B. Thomas, RN), sailed from Portsmouth for Australia.
- March 18, 1883
The German corvette SMS CAROLA, sailed from Sydney with orders to lay claim to eastern New Guinea and islands of the Bismarck Archipelago, on behalf of the German Government. The Queensland premier, Sir Thomas McIlwraith, saw this as threat and dispatched the Government steamer PEARL to Port Moresby. While his actions caused serious concern within the British Foreign Office, it did forestall the Germans annexing all of eastern New Guinea. The northern portion of New Guinea became the colony of German New Guinea, with the southern section controlled by the British.
- July 3, 1882
The RN established the Directorate of Intelligence under ADML Sir George Tryon. Both Tryon and ADML Sir Lewis Beaumont, who later directed DNI, served on the Australia Station, and contributed to the formation of the RAN.
- March 23, 1882
The Report of a Royal Commission into Colonial Defence ordered by the British Prime Minister, Disraeli, was published in part. Sections dealing with the un-preparedness of Australian colonies to defend themselves were suppressed.
- February 15, 1882
The Melbourne Age claimed the visit of ADML Aslanbegoff’s squadron to Australia was directly associated with the threatened war between Britain and Russia and their presence was for the purpose of raiding British commerce.
- January 21, 1882
CDRE James E. Erskine, RN, was appointed Flag Officer Commanding Australia Station. His flagship was HMS NELSON.
- January 20, 1882
HMCS WOLVERINE sailed on her first training cruise with the NSW Naval Brigade.
- January 16, 1882
HMS WOLVERINE, (screw corvette), was presented to the NSW Government as a “royal gift”. The ship was used for training the NSW Naval Brigade.
- June 29, 1881
HMS NELSON, (armoured-belt cruiser), was flagship of the Imperial Squadron on the Australia Station. Two warships of the same name were in Australian waters at this period. The second HMS NELSON, (1st rate), later reduced to a single deck ship, and re-named HMVS NELSON, was flagship of the Victorian Navy.
- May 31, 1881
RADM Sir Leighton Seymour Bracegirdle, KCVO, CMG, DSO, RAN, was born in Balmain, Sydney.