On This Day

On This Day - 3 August

1903

The first Marines Corps formed in Australia were the New South Wales Marine Light Infantry, recruited as the Third Contingent to join New South Wales' volunteers in South Africa. The unit sailed in the transport SALAMIS for China.

1909

British Admiralty's hard-nosed opposition to the idea of Dominion navies suddenly changed. Admiralty now expressed the opinion that each Dominion should have 'a distinct fleet unit' comprising a battle-cruiser, three light cruisers, six destroyers, and three submarines, plus auxiliaries to  manned by Australians. This gave support for Australian moves to create an Australian Navy blue-water force.

1914

Even before the declaration of war between Britain and Germany, the Australian Cabinet met in Melbourne and promptly offered the Australian fleet to Britain.

Port war lookout and examination stations were manned by the Royal Australian Naval Brigade. Stations were established at all major ports.

All wireless stations in Australia were placed under the control of the Naval Board. Censorship of all cable and wireless traffic was enforced.

1916

The Australian Naval Board took over the wireless-manufacturing workshops of Father A. J. Shaw at Randwick, NSW. For the first two years of the First World War a large proportion of wireless equipment supplied to RAN ships was manufactured by this resourceful priest.

1941

HMAS Vendetta, completed the last of her 39 Tobruk Ferry runs, departing the fortress’s harbour 42 minutes after midnight and returning to Alexandria in company with HMS Havock. HMAS Vendetta conducted more supply runs to Tobruk than any other Australian ship. HMAS BATHURST passed through the Suez Canal and proceeded to Alexandria for duty with the Mediterranean Fleet. BATHURST and LISMORE had been retained at Suez to assist with the large liners of the US.11A convoy

1943

The GC was awarded to LEUT Hugh Randall Syme, GM and Bar, RANVR, for conspicuous bravery in bomb and mine disposal.

1944

HMAS BARWON, (frigate), was launched at Cockatoo Island, Sydney.

1954

850 Squadron decommissioned and 851 Squadron commissioned at NAS Nowra as a training squadron flying Fairey Fireflies and Douglas Dakotas.

1965

HMAS Parramatta (III), concluded operations around Borneo as part of the Indonesian Confrontation conflict

1969

HMAS BRISBANE, (guided missile destroyer), laid down gunfire support for an attack by the 1st Australian Task Force, in Phuoc Tuy Province, Vietnam.

1987

Two crewmen from the Oberon class submarine HMAS OTAMA, (LCDR R. Taubman, RAN), lost their lives, in heavy seas off the east coast of Australia, when OTAMA dived while they were still on the submarines casing. The two men were Able Seaman Hugh Edward Markcrow, and Seaman Damien Humphries. Despite an intensive air and sea search, neither body was ever recovered. A Board of Inquiry into the incident revealed that the two men had gone back onto the casing to secure loose equipment, after having been already checked off as coming inside the submarine's pressure hull. Their absence was then not noticed for some time.

1990

The new ship WALLAROO, (mine counter-measures vessel), was transferred to the RAN at Singapore.

2019

The decommissioned USS Goldsborough arrived at Garden Island after purchase from the USN for equipment  to establish training facilities for maintenance personnel and spare parts for RAN DDGs