February 12th - On This Date - Royal Australian Navy

1788

HMS SIRIUS landed a party on Garden Island, Sydney, to prepare a ship's garden. Three sets of initials, 'FM', 'IR', and 'WB', were carved on a rock on the northern hill. These are now the oldest marks extant made by white men in Australia.

1891

The Clipper ship SOBRAON was purchased by the NSW Government as a replacement for the boys' training ship VERNON. The vessel was commissioned into the RAN as HMAS TINGIRA in 1912.

1902

Anglo-Japanese treaty signed. The treaty required Britain and Japan to join the other in the event of hostilities. Australian naval policy was strongly influenced by this treaty. It expired on 13 July 1921.

1916

The RAN Bridging Train assumed responsibility for the maintenance of the bridges across the Suez Canal at Serapeum.

1941

HMAS STUART, (destroyer), picked up one survivor from the South African trawler SOUTHERN FLOE at night off Tobruk.

1944

HMAS LAUNCESTON, (minesweeper), and HMIS JUMNA, (sloop), sank the Japanese submarine RO-110, 20 miles south-east of Vizagapatam. RO-110 had torpedoed the merchant ship ASPHALION but was quickly tracked by the Asdic of the escort vessels.

1945

HMAS NIZAM, (destroyer), lost 10 men overboard when a freak wave caused her to broach to off Cape Leeuwin, WA. LCDR W. Cook, RAN, estimated the angle of heel between 60° and 70°. Similar incidents of broaching were reported from other ships of this class.

1970

RAN Clearance Diving Team 3 completed a nine-day search-and-destroy operation in the Phu Cuong area of Vietnam. The team destroyed three enemy bunkers and a large quantity of ordnance. Three Viet Cong soldiers were killed in the operation.

1985

HMAS ATTACK, name-ship of the RAN's Attack class patrol boats, sailed from Sydney streaming a 38.7 metre paying off pennant. The patrol boat was transferred to the Indonesian Navy as a gift.

1997

RADM C.A. Ritchie, AM, RAN, was appointed as Maritime Commander, Australia.

'On This Day' is based on the book "Navy Day by Day: Historic Naval Events in Australia and Abroad" written by the late Lew Lind.