January 20th - On This Date - Royal Australian Navy

1882

HMCS WOLVERINE sailed on her first training cruise with the NSW Naval Brigade.

1936

HMA Ships AUSTRALIA and SYDNEY, (cruisers), fired a 70 gun salute on the death of King George V.

1940

The troop convoy US1, left Fremantle, escorted by HM Ships RAMILLES, (battleship), and KENT, (cruiser), and the French cruiser SUFFREN. Australia had refused a request to involve HMA Ships CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA, and SYDNEY, (cruisers), for fear of depleting defences in local coastal waters.

1948

HMAS MILDURA, (corvette), was decommissioned and placed in reserve at Careening Bay, WA. She was later re- commissioned in 1951 as a training ship for National Servicemen, and undertook this task until 11 September 1953, when she was paid off again into reserve. MILDURA was finally sold for scrap in 1956.

1958

The Royal Australian Naval College, returned to Jervis Bay and was commissioned as HMAS CRESWELL. The college had originally been located at Jervis Bay from 1915 until 1930, however economic restrictions during the depression forced it’s transfer to HMAS CERBERUS in 1931

1970

The River class, (modified type 12 frigate), destroyer escort, HMAS SWAN, (CMDR D. W. Falconer, RAN), was commissioned. SWAN was laid down in Williamstown Dockyard, VIC, on 18 August 1965, and launched on 16 December 1967. Mrs Fairhall, (Wife of the Minister of the Navy), performed the launching ceremony. 1976 HMA Ships HAWK and GULL, (minesweepers),were sold out of service at Sydney.

1984

The destroyer escort HMAS STUART, (CMDR. C. Barrie, RAN), became the first large RAN warship to be home-ported on the Australian west coast.

1989

Mr. Kim Beazley, Minister for Defence, announced the basing of patrol boats at a forward base at Port Hedland, WA. This never actually occurred and within ten years all patrol boats were permanently in Darwin or Cairns.