On This Day
1946-1959 > Post WW2
On This Day - 1946-1959
- July 16, 1956
HMAS Gladstone paid off at Melbourne. She was not to be idle for long however, as she was sold to the Port Phillip Pilots’ Association. She served as a pilot relief ship for seventeen years under the name Akuna. In November 1973 press reports stated that Akuna had been bought by a Melbourne businessman, Mr Scot Bevan-Davies, for use as a private yacht. In February 1981 a report was received that Akuna II, as the ship had been renamed, was owned by ‘Food for the Hungry International’ and was based at Singapore. It was stated that she was engaged in picking up Vietnamese boat people in the Gulf of Thailand and had been doing so for about 18 months.
- June 16, 1956
HMAS GLADSTONE, (minesweeper), was sold to the Victorian Government, and renamed AKUNA.
- May 18, 1956
HMA Ships BOWEN and LATROBE, (minesweepers), were sold out of service for breaking up in Hong Kong.
- May 9, 1956
The aircraft carrier HMAS MELBOURNE, (CAPT G. G. O Gatacre, RAN), arrived at her home port of Sydney, on completion of her maiden voyage from the United Kingdom
- May 8, 1956
First Gannets delivered to RAN FAA after travelling from the UK to Australia on HMAS Melbourne II. They were offloaded at Jervis Bay by lighter
- April 24, 1956
The aircraft carrier HMAS MELBOURNE, (CAPT G. G. O. Gatacre, RAN), arrived at Fremantle on her maiden voyage to Australia.
- March 26, 1956
The boom defence vessel HMAS KIMBLA, was commissioned. KIMBLA was laid down in Walker’s Yard, Maryborough, QLD, on 4 November 1953, and launched on 23 March 1955. She was later converted to a trials and oceanographic research vessel in 1958-59. Nicknamed “The Snail”, due to her maximum speed of 11 knots, she was decommissioned in
- March 12, 1956
HMAS Melbourne sailed from Glasgow for Australia with 808 Squadron (Sea Venom all weather fighters) and 816 and 817 Squadrons (Gannet anti-submarine aircraft) embarked.
- March 8, 1956
HMAS Melbourne arrived at Glasgow, Scotland where the two squadrons of Gannets (24 aircraft in all) were loaded on board (along with two squadrons of Sea Venoms and two Bristol Sycamore helicopters for RAN use). Melbourne sailed for Australia on the 11th and in early May 1956 arrived in Jervis Bay where the aircraft were disembarked and transported by road to the Naval Air Station at Nowra.
- February 27, 1956
Sea Venoms where were formally accepted into RAN service. 808 Squadron had reformed in the United Kingdom on 23 August 1955 and was the first RAN Squadron to be equipped with Sea Venoms. The Squadron embarked in HMAS Melbourne, which had recently commissioned and completed her work up in British waters, in March 1956 and arrived in Australia in April.