On This Day

On This Day - 28 January

1915

HMAS AUSTRALIA, (battle-cruiser), docked at Rosyth, Scotland, after reaching British waters by way of Cape Horn.

1920

The S class destroyer, HMAS TASMANIA, (LCDR H. O. Joyce, RN), was commissioned. TASMANIA was laid down in William Breadmore Yard, UK, on 23 November 1918.

1936

HMAS AUSTRALIA, (battle-cruiser), in Alexandria, Egypt, fired a 70 gun salute on the occasion of the funeral of HM King George V.

1942

HMA Ships NIZAM, NAPIER, and NESTOR, (destroyers), escorted HMS INDOMITABLE, (aircraft carrier), which was carrying 48 pilots and their Hurricane fighter aircraft, bound for Malaya. The aircraft were flown off the INDOMITABLE south of Java. A Japanese destroyer landed two parties on Tabar Island to capture Coastwatcher SBLT C.L. Page, RANVR. Page eluded the search parties.

1943

The examination vessel HMAS JOHN OXLEY was commissioned. JOHN OXLEY was laid down in Bow, McLachlan & Co, Paisley, Scotland, in 1927, and requisitioned from her owners, the Queensland Government Harbours and Marine Department on 28 January 1943. HMAS STUART, (destroyer), was damaged in a collision with the US Liberty ship HENRY DEARBORN at Townsville.

1944

The landing ship, infantry, HMAS WESTRALIA, (CMDR A. V. Knight, DSC, RANR(S)), was attacked by a Japanese bomber off Milne Bay, New Guinea. The ship suffered some damage and one crew member wounded.

1945

HMAS MELBOURNE, (aircraft carrier), ex HMS MAJESTIC, launched at Vickers Armstrong Yard, England.

1946

HMAS Benalla (I) paid off into reserve at Fremantle. Benalla (I) remained at Fremantle until 25 March 1955, when the tug HMAS Sprightly sailed for Melbourne with Benalla (I) in tow. The ships arrived at Melbourne on 4 April and Benalla (I) remained in reserve but was later transferred to Geelong. While still remaining in reserve the ship was towed from Geelong to Sydney by Sprightly, departing Geelong on 21 January 1956 and arriving at Sydney on 25 January. On 20 February 1958 Benalla (I) was sold for scrap to Mitsubishi Shoji Kaisha Ltd of Tokyo. HMAS Bowen paid off into reserve having steamed 95,651 miles on active service. Bowen was sold on 18 May 1956 to Hong Kong Rolling Mills, Hong Kong, to be broken up.

1966

RADM V. A. T. Smith, CBE, DSC, was appointed Flag Officer Commanding Her Majesty's Australian Fleet.

1983

The guided missile frigate, (FFG), HMAS SYDNEY, was commissioned in the United States. SYDNEY was laid down in Todd Yard on 29 September 1980.

1986

HMA Ships HOBART, SYDNEY, PARRAMATTA, DERWENT, and VAMPIRE, and aircraft of No.817 Squadron were dispatched to search for an F111 bomber which crashed into the sea off Bateman's Bay, NSW.

2011

808 Squadron recommissioned into the Fleet Air Arm at Nowra to fly the MRH-90 Taipan