On This Day
1900-1913 > Federation, RAN and pre-WW1
On This Day - 1900-1913
- September 10, 1910
The River class destroyer HMAS YARRA was commissioned, Commanding Officer LEUT Thomas. W. Biddlecombe, CNF, (ex RNR), from South Australia. HMAS YARRA was laid down in Denny & Co, Dumbarton, Scotland, and Mrs N. J. Moore, (Wife of Western Australia’s Premier), performed the launching ceremony on 9 April 1910.
The River class destroyer HMAS PARRAMATTA, was commissioned Commanding Officer LEUT Henry J Feakes, CNF, (ex RNR), a Victorian. PARRAMATTA was laid down in Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering Co Ltd, Govan, Scotland, and launched on 9 February 1910. Mrs Asquith, (Wife of the British Prime Minister), performed the launching ceremony.
CAPT Frederick Tickell CMG RN(tempy), (CNF) was on board HMAS Parramatta as flag ship for his role as Senior Officer (unoficial Commodore) of the two ship flotilla as it sailed to Australia. Now the three officers commanding the two ships were, for this journey of delivery, Royal Navy. It appears that the ships were to remain Admiralty property, possibly for Maritime Law reasons, until formerly handed over to the Australian Government.
- July 25, 1910
The Australian Government authorised the building of two light cruisers for the Australian Navy. The cruisers were named HMAS SYDNEY and HMAS MELBOURNE.
- May 31, 1910
The Reserve Decoration, RD, was gazetted.
- April 9, 1910
The second Australian torpedo boat destroyer, HMAS YARRA, was launched at Dumbarton, Scotland.
- March 29, 1910
Hospital charges for naval patients in civil hospitals were:- Seamen; 3 shillings per day. Officers; 12 shillings per day. Mental patients at Callan Park and Gladesville Asylums; 3 shillings per day for all ranks.The principal hospital for naval patients in Sydney was St Vincent’s Hospital, Darlinghurst.
- February 9, 1910
HMAS PARRAMATTA, (torpedo boat destroyer), was the first warship ordered by the Government to be built for the Australian Navy since Federation in 1901. It was launched at Govan, Scotland, by Mrs. Asquith, wife of the British Prime Minister.
- January 27, 1910
The Minister for Defence announced the third torpedo boat destroyer would be built in NSW, but Victoria would receive a fair share of the future work authorised by the Federal Government.
- August 19, 1909
Detailed discussions were held between representatives of the British Admiralty and the Australian Government that resulted in a decision to proceed with the establishment of an Australian Fleet Unit
- August 3, 1909
British Admiralty’s hard-nosed opposition to the idea of Dominion navies suddenly changed. Admiralty now expressed the opinion that each Dominion should have ‘a distinct fleet unit’ comprising a battle-cruiser, three light cruisers, six destroyers, and three submarines, plus auxiliaries to manned by Australians. This gave support for Australian moves to create an Australian Navy blue-water force.
- February 28, 1909
Extract from Instructions to the Professional Officers of His Majesty’s Dockyards: “When gangs or companies are working by candlelight, such candles only as are necessary are to be demanded, and when so working on board a ship, the Officer in charge of the work is to take care that no candle is used without a candlestick of the established Admiralty pattern, with a distinguishing number stamped thereon, so that the person using it may be traced”.