January 17th - On This Date - Royal Australian Navy

1901

Sir John Forrest was appointed Defence Minister, and CAPT R. Muirhead Collins, (former RN officer), became Secretary of Defence in the Commonwealth administration.

 1940

The armed merchant cruiser/landing ship infantry, HMAS WESTRALIA, (CMDR A. S. Rosenthal, RAN), was commissioned. WESTRALIA was laid down in Harland & Wolff Ltd, Belfast, Northern Ireland, in 1929. She was requisitioned for the RAN, from her owners Huddart Parker Ltd, Melbourne, on 2 November 1939.

The first Australian and New Zealand troop convoy of the Second World War, US1, sailed from Fremantle. Ships in the convoy were:- STRATHAIRD, STRATHNAVER, OTRANTO, SOBIESKI, ORION, ORFORD, DUNERA 11, EMPRESS OF JAPAN, EMPRESS OF CANADA, ORCADES, and RANGITARA. Escort ships were; HM Ships RAMILLIES and KENT, and the French cruiser SUFFREN.

1942

HMAS ECHUCA, (minesweeper), was launched at Williamstown Naval Dockyard, VIC. HMA Ships DELORAINE, KATOOMBA, and LITHGOW sank the Japanese submarine I-124 in the Arafura Sea. LCDR D. A. Menlove, RNR, was admitted to the DSO for gallantry while commanding DELORAINE in the action.

The lugger, HMAS ST. FRANCIS, (LEUT (Brother) Andrew Smith, RANVR), sighted a Japanese submarine on the surface off Melville Island. In 1914 the ST. FRANCIS, a 15 metre mission lugger was blown 400 miles out into the Indian Ocean on her maiden voyage and was found by HMAS SYDNEY.

HMS QUEENBOROUGH, (destroyer), later HMAS QUEENBOROUGH, was launched at Swan and Hunter’s Yard, England.

CAPT J. A. Collins, CB, was appointed Commodore Commanding China Force

1943

Japanese submarine I-21 sank the merchant ship KALINGO, 110 miles east of Sydney.

1944

The River class frigate, HMAS BARCOO, was commissioned at Sydney.

1945

A fire broke out at No. 8 Berth, North Wharf, (Port of Fremantle), and engulfed the merchant ship MV PANAMANIAN, which was alongside loading flour. The fire took seven days to be totally extinguished. The submarine tender HMS MAIDSTONE also caught fire, and had to be moved by tugs to prevent the fire spreading to other ships. The fires were fought by RAN, RN, USN and civilian personnel. The fire in MAIDSTONE was quickly brought under control, but the PANAMANIAN became a total loss. Only one life was lost in the fire, that of AB Kenneth Shooter, a RNZN sailor serving in HMS RULER, who fell down a hatch onboard PANAMANIAN while fighting the fire on 23 January.

1952

In the period 17 to 25 January, HMAS SYDNEY, (aircraft carrier), flew 293 sorties against Communist targets in North Korea.

1956

HMS NAPIER, (destroyer), formerly HMAS NAPIER, was paid off for disposal.

1971

HMAS PERTH, (guided missile destroyer), fired on Viet Cong ambush sites at An Xuyen, Vietnam, inflicting casualties.

1985

Divers from Clearance Diving Team 1 raised a Japanese aerial bomb from the seabed under Darwin’s new Fort Hill Road.