February 6th - On This Date - Royal Australian Navy

1887

VADM Sir John Crace, KBE, CB, RN, was born at Gungahlin, NSW, (now part of modern-day Canberra). Although Australian by birth he entered the Royal Navy in 1902. He rose steadily through the ranks of the Royal Navy and was appointed Commander of the Australian Squadron in November 1939 with the rank of Rear Admiral. He commanded the Squadron during the Battle of the Coral Sea in May 1942. Crace returned to England in June 1942, was knighted in 1947, and lived there until his death in 1968.

1893

During a flood the gunboat HMQS PALUMA (CAPT G. Pirie, RN), the steamer ELIMANG, and the hulk MARY EVANS, were washed up high and dry in Brisbane’s Botanical Gardens. The same disastrous flood carried away three bridges across the Brisbane River and swept 12 other ships out to sea.

1915

HMAS PIONEER, (cruiser), arrived at Zanzibar to join the blockade of the German cruiser KONIGSBERG in the Rufigi River, East Africa.

1942

A Carley float containing the remains of a corpse was discovered off Christmas Island. The body was brought ashore and buried in the European Cemetery at Flying Fish Cove. It was believed at the time that the float and the body were from the cruiser HMAS SYDNEY, sunk the previous November, but the evidence could not be verified. Christmas Island was taken over by the Japanese in March 1942 and the Carley float and all records concerning it and the body were destroyed during the war. A search conducted by the RAN for the grave site in the late 1990’s failed to find the grave and thus the mystery remains.

HMAS WOLLONGONG, (minesweeper), sailed from Singapore with refugees for Sumatra. She was the last ship of the RAN to leave the port before it was occupied by the Japanese. HMAS HAWKESBURY, (frigate), was the first ship of the RAN to enter the port after the Japanese surrender in 1945.

HMA Ships WOLLONGONG and BENDIGO, (corvettes), were subject to air raids two or three times daily, starting on 1 February, whilst in Singapore harbour.

1945

The Fremantle-based USS PAMPANITO, (submarine) sank the Japanese transport ENGEN MARU in the approaches to Singapore.

1967

Clearance Diving Team 3, LEUT M. T. Shotter, RAN, arrived at Vung Tau. This was the first unit of the RAN to serve in Vietnam.

2002

HMAS CANBERRA, (frigate), apprehended the MV LENA near Heard Island and a boarding party fast roped on to the illegal fishing vessel. The next day CANBERRA apprehended the MV VOLGA, which was also fishing illegally in Australian waters. During this time CANBERRA was supported by HMAS WESTRALIA, (tanker),who refueled the frigate regularly to allow her to extend her time in the area.

2004

The Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial was dedicated at the Ballarat Botanical Gardens by the Chief of the Defence Force (General Peter Cosgrove, AO, MC). Among the 35,000 names on the memorial are those of men from the Australian submarine AE2 (sunk during WWI), HMAS PERTH, (sunk at the Battle of Sunda Strait in 1942), and naval personnel captured while serving in Merchant ships.