On This Day
1944 > WW2
On This Day - 1944
- February 16, 1944
HMAS Larrakia was paid off. As she was no longer required by the Northern Territory administration the vessel was subsequently sold, on 3 April 1946, to a Mr Cochron
- February 12, 1944
The Japanese submarine I-27 attacked a troopship convoy south of the Maldive Islands. The submarine fired a salvo of torpedoes of which two struck the troopship KHEDIVE ISMAIL, which sank in two minutes. Of the 1550 personnel onboard there were only 200 survivors. Among those lost were a number of RAN ratings. I-27 was then attacked and sunk by the destroyers HMS PETARD and HMS PALADIN.
- February 11, 1944
HMA Ships IPSWICH and LAUNCESTON and HMIS JUMNA, sank the Japanese submarine RO-110, 20 miles south-east of Vizagapatam. RO-110 had torpedoed the merchant ship ASPHALION but was quickly tracked by the Asdic of the escort vessels.
- February 10, 1944
HMAS STUART, (destroyer), was taken in hand by Garden Island Naval Dockyard for conversion to a fast transport.
- February 7, 1944
LEUT B.M. MacFarlane, RANVR along with LEUT Jack MARSDEN RANVR was lost when midget submarine X-22 was rammed and sunk by HMS SYRTIS during exercises in Pentland Forth, Scotland. LEUT MacFarlane commanded X-8 in the attack on the German battleship TIRPITZ, but was forced to withdraw when X-8 parted her tow.
RADM Crutchley’s flag was hauled down in HMAS AUSTRALIA and transferred to HMAS SHROPSHIRE. SHROPSHIRE was the cruiser gifted by the RN to Australia to replace HMAS CANBERRA which had been lost at the Battle of Savo Island in August 1942.
- February 4, 1944
The Australian Government resolved “that all higher Royal Australian Navy appointments would be Australian”.
- February 2, 1944
The services reconnaissance department craft HMAS ALATNA, was commissioned.
- January 28, 1944
The landing ship, infantry, HMAS WESTRALIA, (CMDR A. V. Knight, DSC, RANR(S)), was attacked by a Japanese bomber off Milne Bay, New Guinea. The ship suffered some damage and one crew member wounded.
- January 21, 1944
Cook R. W. Andrews was swept overboard when a freak wave caused HMAS NEPAL, (destroyer), to almost broach to south of Cape Town. The man was sighted when an albatross was observed pecking at his scalp. He was picked up and treated for a fractured leg and beak wounds.
- January 19, 1944
Coastwatcher LEUT B. W. G. Hall, AIF, commanded a party of six Europeans and two natives in a guerrilla war on Long Island off New Guinea which forced the Japanese garrison of 500 troops to evacuate the island.