Febrauary 7th - On This Date - Royal Australian Navy

1863

The screw corvette HMS ORPHEUS, (CDRE William Burnett, RN), flagship of the Australia Station, was wrecked at the entrance to Manukau Harbour, New Zealand. Of the 256 ship's crew, 187, including CDRE Burnett, and a number of Australian Midshipmen, were lost. ORPHEUS was less than two years old.

1920

Major S. J. Goble, the RAN's representative on the Commonwealth Air Board, recommended the adoption of Admiral Jellicoe's proposals for an Australian Naval Air Service. The proposals allowed for one squadron of ship-borne seaplanes, a squadron of fighters, a squadron of torpedo bombers and 11.5 squadrons of flying boats.

1940

The boom working vessel HMAS KOALA, was commissioned. KOALA was laid down in Cockatoo Island Dockyard, Sydney, on 21 June 1939, and launched on 21 November 1939. Mrs Custance, (Wife of RADM W. N. Custance, RN), performed the launching ceremony. 

1941

The Australian Prime Minister, Mr. R. G. Menzies, inspected HMA Ships PERTH, STUART, VAMPIRE, and VOYAGER at Alexandria, Egypt. 

1942 

Event #1 

HMAS WARRAMUNGA, (Tribal class destroyer), was launched at Cockatoo Island, Sydney. 

Event #2

HMAS TOOWOOMBA, (minesweeper), picked up survivors from the merchant ship BRITISH AIRMAN, marooned on an uninhabited island near Sumatra.

1944

LEUT B.M. MacFarlane, RANVR, was lost when midget submarine X-22 was rammed and sunk by HMS SYRTIS during exercises in Pentland Forth, Scotland. LEUT MacFarlane commanded X-8 in the attack on the German battleship TIRPITZ, but was forced to withdraw when X-8 parted her tow. RADM Crutchley's flag was hauled down in HMAS AUSTRALIA and transferred to HMAS SHROPSHIRE. SHROPSHIRE was the cruiser gifted by the RN to Australia to replace HMAS CANBERRA which had been lost at the Battle of Savo Island in August 1942.

1952

Ships of the RAN fired a salute of 56 minute guns on the death of King George VI.

1966

RAN clearance divers operating from HMAS KIMBLA, (trials ship), located and recovered a ton of explosives lost overboard from a vessel off Lakes Entrance, VIC.

1984

The RAN's No. 816 Squadron, equipped with Westland Wessex Mk.31B helicopters, commissioned at Nowra. 

2004

The first of 11 RAN personnel sent to Iraq to assist with the creation of the new Iraqi Coastal Defence Force arrived at Umm Qasr. The RAN personnel under the command of LCDR Tony Powell, RAN, joined a Coalition training team of 72 personnel from Britain, the United States, Holland and Italy.