NAVAL MILITARY ACTIONS
Moari War Meritorious Service Medals - 1860Note 2: the action in the Boxer Rebellion 1900-01 resulted in the loss of 7 personnel - one from the Victorian Contingent - a boy A.A. Gibbs (Captain Tickell's servant) buried at sea - and four personnel from the NSW Naval contingent - AB Rose, AB Bennett, AB Hamilton, and Staff Surgeon Steel - and two from the NSW Army Marine contingent Private Rogers (RMLI) and Private Smart (RMLI) . In addition, 4 sailors from the Victorian contingent were invalided.
Note 3: six ratings were killed and thirteen were wounded when a gun burst in HMS Cordelia during gun practice while on a cruise from Fiji to Noumea, 26 June 1891.
CONVICT REVOLT | ||
1804 |
5-Mar |
Marines and seamen from HMS Calcutta were despatched to Castle Hill near Sydney to put down a revolt by convicts. |
OPIUM WARS IN CHINA | ||
1840 | June | The first time Australia was actually to play one of the principal roles for which it was first settled - a strategic sea base - was in support of British efforts in the first Opium War in China. In June 1840, HMS Alligator returned to Sydney from China for supplies and to land twenty sailors who were suffering from scurvy. The Governor, Major Sir George Gipps, had received news of events in China and was prepared to provide every assistance. He invited Captain Sir J. Bremer to use the whole or part of his force in China. The result was the despatch of HM Ships Herald and Pelorus from Sydney in late July 1840. Gipps also arranged for the scurvy-stricken sailors to be replaced by a subalterns detachment from the 50th Regiment. Circumstances prevented this detachment from leaving Australia. |
GOLD FIELD RIOTS | ||
1853 |
23-May |
HMS Electra, sloop, was detached from the Eastern Imperial Squadron for special duties at Port Philip, Victoria. |
1854 |
1-Dec |
Eureka: On the 1st December 1854, combined military reinforcements - consisting of the HQ 1st Battn. 12th, and 40th Army Regiments, a mounted police force and a naval contingent - marched from Melbourne to Ballarat, a distance exceeding 200kms. However, they arrived at Ballarat on 5 December 1854, two days after the Eureka Stockade rebellion, and took no part in the actual engagement. The naval contingent consisted of two officers and seventeen seamen from HMS Fantome under Lieutenant Barnaby with the ships 6-pounder field piece, and two officers and seventeen seamen under Lieutenant George R Keene from the HMS Electra with that ships 6-pounder field piece. Also attached was one gunner (in charge of magazine), possibly William Stanton of HMS Electra, and one assistant surgeon, possibly Thomas B. Purchase of HMS Electra. Lieutenant Barnaby of the HMS Fantotne was in overall charge of the naval contingent. Also landed from the two ships were thirty-seven marines who were posted as guard to the Treasury building, Spring Street, Melbourne. The two field pieces were supplied with shrapnel shells. |
1861 |
23-Feb |
Lambing Flat: A naval brigade of 74 officers and ratings from HMS Fawn, screw corvette, was marched over 300klms from Sydney with a military contingent (6 officers and 101 men, with two field guns from the 12th Regt) to put down lawlessness amongst miners at Lambing Flats, NSW. |
MAORI WARS | ||
1860 |
30-Mar |
HMS Niger, wooden steam sloop, shelled Maori positions 25 miles south of Waireka, New Zealand. The Maoris had been driven from a strong fort on 29 March by the Naval Brigade. |
1860 |
30-Apr |
HMVS Victoria transported 120 troops of the 90th Regiment from Sydney to New Plymouth, New Zealand. |
1860 |
27-Jun |
The Naval Brigade of HMS Pelorus flagship of the Australia Station, participated in an unsuccessful attack on the Maori Pah at Puketakauere New Zealand. |
1860 |
22-Oct |
Cdre Loring, commanding the Australia Station, reported from New Zealand where he was commanding a naval squadron against the Maoris: The disturbances in New Zealand are likely to detain HM ships in these waters for an indefinite time. |
1860 |
29-Dec |
The Naval Brigade of HMS Pelorus landed at Kairau, New Zealand, to support British troops under attack from Maoris. |
1861 |
23-Jan |
A gun crew from HMS Pelorus joined the defenders of the British redoubt at Huirangi, NZ, in repulsing savage attacks by Maoris. |
1863 |
31-Oct |
HM ships Pioneer and Avon, armoured paddlewheel gunboats, supported General Camerons attack on the Maori pahs at Meremere, New Zealand. Pioneer was built in Sydney. |
1863 |
20-Nov |
HMS Pioneer, a stern wheel iron gunboat built by Russell at Sydney, operated with Cdre Sir William Wisemans Flotilla in the attack on the Maori pahs at Rangariri, New Zealand. The Flotilla consisted of HM ships Curacoa, Ant, Avon, Chub, Flirt and Midge. In the engagement Midshipman Watkins, RN, was killed and Lt Alexander, RN, was wounded. Both officers were from HMS Curacoa. |
1863 |
8-Dec |
The iron gunboats Koheroa and Rangariri, stern-wheel paddle steamers built by Russell and Co. of Balmain, Sydney, were shipped in sections to Paterangi, New Zealand, to support General Camerons army. |
1864 |
28-Apr |
Naval brigades from HM ships Curacoa and Miranda of the Australia Station attacked the Grand Pah in New Zealand. The naval campaign in the Maori Wars was directed by the Commodore Commanding Australia Station. |
SUDAN WAR | ||
1884 |
16-Mar |
HMVS Childers, torpedo boat, was diverted to Suakin to participate in the Sudan War. The Victorian gunboats Victoria and Albert joined her on 19 March but the war was already won and the services of the colonials were not required. |
1885 |
3-Mar |
The Australian contingent to the Sudan War sailed from Sydney in the troopships Iberia and Australasian. |
BOER WAR | ||
1899 |
25-Nov |
The Naval Brigade from HMS Powerful, flagship of the Australia Station, fought in the Battle of Graspan against the Boers in South Africa. |
1900 |
6-Jan |
The Naval Brigade from HMS Powerful repulsed a strong Boer attack at Ladysmith, South Africa. |
1900 |
30-Oct |
The Naval Brigade of HMS Powerful attacked Boer positions at Lombards Kop, Ladysmith, South Africa. |
BOXER REBELLION | ||
1900 |
7-Jan |
HMS Protector, former South Australian gunboat, returned from service in the Boxer Rebellion. |
1900 |
3-Jun |
HM ships Wallaroo, Mohawk and Lizard sailed from Sydney to join Admiral Sir P. Seymours squadron in China. |
1900 |
27-Jun |
HMS Orlandos Naval Brigade joined forces with HMS Endymio in the capture of the Chinese arsenal at Tientsin |
1900 |
31-Jul |
The Victorian Naval Brigade Contingent for the Boxer Rebellion sailed from Melbourne in the transport Salamis. |
1900 |
6-Aug |
HM colonial ship Protector sailed from Adelaide via Sydney to China to participate in the Boxer Rebellion. |
1900 |
8-Aug |
Naval Brigade contingents from Victoria and New South Wales sailed in the transport Salamis from Sydney for China and service in the Boxer Rebellion. |
1900 |
12-Aug |
HMCS Protector sailed from Sydney for China. |
1900 |
15-Aug |
The Victorian Naval Brigade contingent to the Boxer Rebellion landed at Taku. They advanced to Tientsin next day but fighting had ended and they were employed as police and firemen. |
1900 |
19-Sep |
A force of 600 drawn from the Australian Naval contingents assembled at Tientsin for the attack on Chinese Boxer fortifications at Peking. The 600 strong Australian Naval Brigade Contingent advanced by lighter and road to attack the Chinese Boxer fortifications at Peking. They arrived to find that the Russians had taken the fort. |