On This Day

On This Day - 24 September

1914

HMAS PARRAMATTA, (torpedo boat destroyer), captured the German merchant vessels MEKLONG and BRASS MONKEY, in Mioko Harbour, New Britain. The German armed merchant cruiser KORMORAN, (CMDR Zuckschwerdt), arrived at Port Alexis several hours before the Australian armed merchant cruiser BERRIMA. The German ship hid in a side channel until BERRIMA departed.

1916

SBLT S. J. Goble, an Australian serving in the RNAS, shot down a German LVG bomber near Ghistelles. Goble was flying a Sopwith Ship's Pup

1929

The London, (County), class cruiser HMAS SHROPSHIRE, (CAPT R. W. Oldham, RN), was commissioned. SHROPSHIRE was laid down in Wm Beardmore & Co Ltd, Dalmuir, Scotland, on 24 February 1926, and launched on 5 July 1928. HMS SHROPSHIRE was gifted to the RAN as a replacement for HMAS CANBERRA on 25 June 1943.

1935

The modified Leander class cruiser HMAS SYDNEY, (CAPT J. U. C. Fitzgerald, RN), was commissioned. SYDNEY was laid down in Swan Hunter and Wigham Richardson Yard, Wallsend-on-Tyne, England, on 8 July 1933, as HMS PHAETON, and launched 22 September 1934, having been purchased for the RAN, as HMAS SYDNEY. Mrs S. M. Bruce, (Wife of the Australian High Commissioner), performed the launching ceremony.

1940

HMAS AUSTRALIA, (cruiser), fired on two battleships and a cruiser in Dakar. The enemy cruiser was observed to be hit and caught fire. During the day AUSTRALIA'S Seagull amphibian was shot down by French fighters, and the crew was

1941

The auxiliary minesweeper HMAS WARRAWEE, was commissioned. WARRAWEE was laid down in 1909.

1942

HMAS NIZAM, (destroyer), captured the French Vichy vessel MARECHAL GALLIENI in the Mozambique Channel. LEUT V. Cohen, RANVR, sailed the ship as a prize to Durban.

1946

The merchant ship BANTAM was sunk as a gunnery target off Sydney by HMAS CONDAMINE, (frigate).

1984

HMAS ONSLOW became the world's first conventionally powered submarine to be upgraded to guided missile capacity, on completion of a $39 million conversion at Cockatoo Dockyard, Sydney, when Harpoon sub-surface to surface UGM48 missile capacity was installed

1987

The RAN's three surviving Bell UH1B Iroquois helicopters flew their farewell flight over Canberra on withdrawal from service.