On This Day

On This Day - 29 November

1914

HMAS UNA became the first Australian warship to carry aircraft when she transported two aircraft, and their pilots, from Sydney to New Guinea. The aircraft were not used because the German forces surrendered before their arrival.

1941

ADML A. B. Cunningham, C in C, Mediterranean, signalled: 'I deeply deplore the loss of HMAS PARRAMATTA. This fine little ship had built up for herself a splendid standard of efficiency and achievement fully in accord with the record of the Australian ships in the Mediterranean'.

1943

HMA Ships ARUNTA and WARRAMUNGA, (destroyers), with the US Ships RALPH TALBOT and HELM, bombarded Japanese positions at Gasmata.

1969

The Daring class destroyer HMAS VENDETTA, (CMDR E. E. Johnston, RAN), withdrew from the fire-line off Tuy Hoa in Vietnam, in the face of increasing gales, fog and rain. She sailed to Taiwan for maintenance and restoring.

1973

The Department of the Navy ceased to exist. It was merged with the Departments of Army and Air to form the Department of Defence.

1985

HMAS YARRA, (destroyer escort), was paid off into reserve at Sydney.

2005

The patrol boat HMAS WARRNAMBOOL, (LCDR Michael Gulyas, RAN), was decommissioned in Darwin. Nicknamed the 'Bull', she was the first of the Fremantle class patrol boats to be built in Australia at North Queensland Engineers and Agents, (NQEA). During her career she was employed on Bass Strait oil rig surveillance patrols, as well as northern Australia border protection patrols. She was also the centre-piece for the opening of Darwin Naval Base by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, on 6 October 1982, and the reviewing ship for Victoria's Bicentennial Naval Salute in October 1988.

2006

Loss of an Australian Army Blackhawk helicopter which crashed while attempting to land on aft flight deck of HMAS Kanimbla II. It was lost over the side of the ship, resulting in the deaths of two of the ten crew members. Kanimbla was deployed as a part of Operation QUICKSTEP, the ADF contingency operation to evacuate Australians from Fiji in the face of an emerging coup.