On This Day
1940 > WW2
On This Day - 1940
- January 15, 1940
The auxiliary patrol vessel HMAS ST. GILES was commissioned. ST. GILES was built in 1919 at Ferguson Bros. Scotland. In 1922 ST. GILES was purchased by J. & A. Brown of Newcastle, NSW, and brought to Australia. She was requisitioned for naval service in 1939.
- January 12, 1940
The Australian tug HEROS, (escort vessel), was commissioned into the RAN. She was re-commissioned on 12 February 1943 as a naval salvage tug.
- January 10, 1940
The first Australian and New Zealand troop convoy of the Second World War, US 1, sailed from Sydney for the Middle East. The escort consisted of HMA Ships CANBERRA and SYDNEY,(cruisers), and HMS RAMILLIES, (battleship).
The auxiliary minesweeper HMAS NAMBUCCA was commissioned. NAMBUCCA was built as a wooden coastal steamer by E. Wright, Tuncurry, NSW, for the North Coast Steam Navigation Co. NAMBUCCA was requisitioned for naval service on 7 November 1939. The ship was transferred to the USN on 19 April 1943.
- January 3, 1940
HMA Ships VENDETTA and WATERHEN departed Marseilles escorting convoy K.6 consisting of troopships ROHNA (8602grt), TAIREA (7933grt), DEVONSHIRE (11,275grt), DILWARA (11,080grt), RAJULA (8478grt) and TALAMBA (8018grt).
- January 2, 1940
The 5 destroyers of the Scrap Iron flotilla were organised as the 19th Destroyer Division of the Mediterranean Fleet. They had arrived at Malta between the 17th and 24th of December 1939