On This Day
1945 > WW2
On This Day - 1945
- June 17, 1945
LEUT W. J. Starkey, RAN, in HMAS LACHLAN, (frigate), piloted assault craft up the Padas River to attack Weston, in Brunei.
- June 15, 1945
HMAS LACHLAN, (frigate), continued the survey and buoying of Brunei Bay.
- June 13, 1945
CDRE J. A. Collins. CB, RAN, was appointed to command His Majesty’s Australian Squadron. His Flagship was HMAS AUSTRALIA, (cruiser).
HMAS WARREGO, (sloop), completed the survey of Wewak, New Guinea.
The Australian Government announced that five ‘Q’ class destroyers had been presented to the RAN by Great Britain. The ‘gift’ ships were:- QUADRANT, QUALITY, QUEENBOROUGH, QUIBERON, and QUICKMATCH.
- June 12, 1945
HMAS WARREGO, (sloop), bombarded Japanese troops and fortifications on Forok Point, east of Wewak, New Guinea.
- June 11, 1945
The armament store-carrier HMAS MULCRA, was commissioned. MULCRA was laid down in Svendborg, Denmark, in 1925. She was requisitioned for the RAN from her owners, the Adelaide Steamship Co Ltd, in 1945.
- June 10, 1945
Dentists were first attached to destroyer flotillas in the RAN.
HMA Ships SHROPSHIRE, HOBART, ARUNTA, LACHLAN, HAWKESBURY, WESTRALIA, MANOORA, and KANIMBLA, engaged in the invasion of Brunei.
- June 9, 1945
HMAS Wollongong berthed at Port Kembla to visit her namesake city. Owing to the minimum depth of water at Wollongong, and to the regret of the local council, the corvette was unable to berth any closer. The Mayor and Councillors met the ship on arrival and were duly welcomed by the Commanding Officer. The officers were hosted at a civic reception at the Town Hall, while her ship’s company were transported to Wollongong to march through the main street to the War Memorial where a wreath was laid. Afterwards they were entertained at a luncheon and into the evening.
- June 7, 1945
HMAS LACHLAN, (frigate), surveyed and laid navigation buoys in Brunei Bay for the Australian invasion. During the operation LACHLAN placed buoys within 30 metres of the beach.
HMS ALBATROSS, former HMAS ALBATROSS, (seaplane carrier), operated as a landing craft repair ship off the beaches of Normandy.
- June 4, 1945
The stores carrier HMAS FALIE, (LCDR C. V. Wood, RANVR), departed Madang under the tow of the tug TANCRED. On 8 June TANCRED caught fire and was in danger of drifting ashore. LCDR Wood started FALIE’s engines, and took TANCRED in tow. Subsequently FALIE was towed to Sydney by the tug CALEDONIAN SALVOR.
- June 3, 1945
HMAS COLAC, (minesweeper), was towed to Finschhafen, New Guinea, after suffering damage from Japanese shore batteries at Bougainville.