Sixty-nine years ago, about 100 soldiers were involved in the Stockton Bight disaster

Peter Edwards with a press clipping after one of the sunken amphibious tanks was discovered in Stockton Bight. Picture by Mike Scanlon

THIS week marked the anniversary in the Hunter of one of Australia's worst army disasters - at sea.

March 8, 1954, was the date that many people could now almost be forgiven for forgetting. But who could blame them? After all, it's 69 years since a large army convoy from Wave Trap Beach (Horseshoe Beach) at Camp Shortland (now parkland near Nobbys) set out at 2am to cross Stockton Bight in calm weather.