On This Day

On This Day - 22 May

1866

CDRE Rochford Maguire, RN, was appointed Commodore Commanding Australia Station. His flagship was HMS CHALLENGER.

1940

The cruiser HMAS SYDNEY, (CAPT J. A. Collins, RAN), arrived at Aden, en-route to the Mediterranean. During the ship's passage from Sydney, she had struck, and cut in half, a whale. HMAS NAPIER, (destroyer), was launched at Fairfield's Yard, England. HMS MELBOURNE, (armed trawler), was sunk by German aircraft during the battle for Narvik, Norway. The battle honour 'Narvik' is now carried by all RAN ships to carry the name MELBOURNE.

1941

Six ratings from HMAS YARRA, (sloop), disguised as Arab fishermen, carried out a daring reconnaissance of Maqil, Iraq. This was in preparation for Operation Scoop, which was the British invasion of Iraq to prevent the country siding with Germany. HMAS PERTH, (cruiser), sank a caique loaded with troops, north of Crete, and together with HMAS NAIAD, (destroyer), engaged enemy destroyers. During the day the ship was under continuous German air attack. A signal was received from the C-in-C, Mediterranean, that night; 'Stick it out. Navy must not let the Army down. No enemy force must reach Crete by sea'. In the next 24 hours the Luftwaffe sank two cruisers and two destroyers, and damaged two battleships and two destroyers.

1942

The repair ship HMAS PING WO, (LCDR D. M. Clarke, RANR), was commissioned. PING WO was a former Yangtse River ferry The ship had escaped from Singapore in February 1942, and was involved as one of the vessels which towed HMAS VENDETTA, (destroyer), to Australia. She served as a tender for HMA Ships KANIMBLA, MANOORA, and WESTRALIA, (landing ships infantry). PING WO, and another converted ferry HMAS WHANGPU, (repair ship), were known throughout the Navy as the 'China Fleet' ships.

1944

Task Force 74, which consisted of HMA Ships AUSTRALIA, SHROPSHIRE, ARUNTA, and WARRAMUNGA, and the US Navy vessels MULLANY and AMMEN, withdrew to Humboldt Bay, (New Guinea), to refuel, after having supported the US landings at Biak Island.