On This Day - 28 March
- 1860
- HMCS VICTORIA, (screw steamer), joined the Australian Squadron, HM Ships IRIS, NIGER, CORDELIA, PELORUS, MIRANDA, HARRIET, and ORPHEUS, involved in the second Maori War.
- 1885
- HMQS GAYUNDA, (gunboat), arrived at Brisbane on her maiden voyage.
- 1935
- HMAS YARRA, (sloop), was launched at Cockatoo Island, Sydney.
- 1936
- HMAS SWAN, (sloop), was launched at Cockatoo Island, Sydney.
- 1941
- The Battle of Matapan commenced. HMA Ships PERTH, STUART, and VENDETTA participated in the battle which destroyed Italian naval supremacy in the Mediterranean. VENDETTA was the first Australian ship to come under fire in the battle.
- 1942
- The raid on St Nazaire, France, was conducted with the aim of damaging the port facilities there. LEUT N. B. H. Wallis, RANVR, (ML 192), and SBLT P. W. Landy, RANVR, (ML 306), were wounded during the operation.
- 1943
- Australian transports BANTAM and MASAYA were sunk by Japanese dive bombers at Oro Bay, New Guinea. BANTAM was later salvaged and towed to Sydney.
- 1945
- The air/sea rescue vessel, (search and rescue craft), HMAS AIR BIRD, (SBLT D. Farquhar, RANVR), was commissioned.
- 1963
- Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II signalled the destroyer HMAS ANZAC at the conclusion of the Royal Tour of Australia; "Splice the main brace". The RAN does not splice the main brace except on the order of the Commander-in-Chief.
- 1967
- Clearance Diving Team 3 carried out their first underwater examination of a ship in the Vietnam War at Vung Tau. The vessel was the Australian ship MV JEPARIT, later to be commissioned as HMAS JEPARIT.
- 1970
- HMAS VENDETTA, (Daring class destroyer), completed her deployment in Vietnam. VENDETTA fired 13,709 rounds against the enemy.
- 1990
- HMAS WESTRALIA, (oil replenishment ship), conducted her first dual replenishment at sea, with HMA Ships TOBRUK, (landing ship heavy), and SYDNEY, (guided missile destroyer).
- 1992
- HMAS Adroit decommissioned at HMAS Stirling
'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. More information.