HMAS
Canberra (1) History
HMAS CANBERRA
was one of two 10,000 ton County Class heavy cruisers ordered by the Australian
Government as part of a five year naval development program begun in 1924
and completed in 1929. She commissioned at Clydebank on 9 July 1928, two
months after her sister ship, HMAS AUSTRALIA, under the command of Captain
George L. Massey RN.
She was built to the Kent Class design of County Class cruisers, her sister
ships being HMAS AUSTRALIA and HM Ships KENT, BERWICK, CORNWALL, CUMBERLAND
and SUFFOLK.
After some five months in British home waters, CANBERRA sailed from Portsmouth
for Australia on 4 December 1928 and arrived at Fremantle on 25 January
1929, having sailed via Gibraltar, Freetown, Lagos, Cape Town, Simonstown
and Durban.
The new cruiser remained in Australian home waters until September 1931
when she made her first voyage outside of the Australia Station to visit
to New Caledonia and Fiji.
In the following nine years leading up to the outbreak of the World War
II, CANBERRA remained in commission with several periods as the Flagship
of the Australian Squadron. She visited the China Station in 1932 and
again in 1937. New Zealand ports saw her on three occasions but for the
remainder of the time it was the routine cruising of the peace time navy
in home waters. In 1934 she acted as escort to His Royal Highness The
Duke of Gloucester during his visit in HMS SUSSEX.
At the outbreak of hostilities in September 1939, CANBERRA began her war
time career patrolling and escorting in home waters and the Tasman Sea
under the command of Captain Wilfrid R. Patterson CVO RN, a service which
occupied the cruiser for the first nine months of the war.
In June 1940 Captain Harold B. Farncomb MVO RAN assumed command and the
following month CANBERRA began a period of service in the Indian Ocean
on escort duty from Fremantle to Colombo and Cape Town. In July she made
an unsuccessful search for the German raider ATLANTIS, then at large on
the shipping routes leading from Africa to India and the Malay States.
In November 1940 she rescued survivors of the SS PORT BRISBANE and carried
out a prolonged but again unsuccessful search for her attacker, the German
raider PINGUIN, then en route for Antarctica after mining Australian ports.
In 1941 CANBERRA continued her Indian Ocean escort and patrol duties,
making further surface raider searches in January and again in February
when she took part in the fruitless hunt for the battleship ADMIRAL SCHEER.
In March 1941, however, the cruiser reaped the reward of the constant
patrolling, when in the company of HMNZS LEANDER she intercepted the German
supply ship COBURG and the ex Norwegian tanker KETTY BROVIG, which had
been taken in prize the previous month by the raider ATLANTIS.
In mid June 1941 CANBERRA visited the west Indian Ocean for the last time
and departing Zanzibar proceeded for Colombo. After a brief period escorting
in Indian waters, she returned to Australia during the last week of July.
The second half of 1941 saw CANBERRA operating in the eastern Indian Ocean
escorting convoys from Australia to Singapore and Ceylon and in the Tasman
Sea.
When war broke out with Japan on 8 December 1941, CANBERRA was berthed
in Sydney Harbour with more than 175,000 miles of war time operational
steaming to her credit.
Following the outbreak of the Pacific War she continued her role of escort
cruiser, convoying troops to New Guinea in January 1942 and convoys to
the Malayan / Java theatre. On 7 February 1942 she docked in Sydney for
extensive refit work that was not completed until mid May, when she escorted
a convoy south to Melbourne. Back in Sydney she lay at anchor not far
from the cruiser USS CHICAGO on the night of the Japanese midget submarine
attack on 31 May / 1 June 1942.
Captain Frank E. Getting RAN assumed command of CANBERRA in June 1942.
During the same month CANBERRA took part in offensive sweeps in the Coral
Sea as part of Task Force 44, which included US Ships CHICAGO and SALT
LAKE CITY.
In August 1942 CANBERRA operated with the naval force supporting the American
landings at Guadalcanal and Tulagi, operations which ended with her loss
in the Battle of Savo Island on 9 August 1942.CANBERRA was struck by two
torpedoes on her starboard side and over 20 salvoes of 8-inch shellfire.
With power lost and the ship listing, the wounded and survivors the transferred
to USS PATTERSON and USS BLUE.
HMAS
Canberra Heavily Damaged
Rear Admiral R.K. Turner USN ordered that CANBERRA be abandoned and sunk
if she could not steam by 6:30 am. Once all the survivors had been evacuated,
and acting in accordance with the orders of Rear Admiral Turner and Rear
Admiral V.A.C. Crutchley VC DSC RN, who was officer in tactical command
of the combined force of Australian and American cruisers and destroyers
at Guadalcanal, USS SELFRIDGE fired 263 5-inch shells and four torpedoes
into CANBERRA, although she refused to sink. Eventually a torpedo fired
by USS ELLET administered the final blow. CANBERRA sank about 8:00 am
on 9 August 1942.
HMAS
Canberra being assisted by USN Destroyer
There were 193 casualties amongst the 819 personnel serving in CANBERRA
on 9 August 1942. Missing believed killed were nine officers (including
one Royal Australian Air Force and one United States Navy) and 65 ratings
(including three Royal Australian Air Force and two Royal Navy); one officer
(Captain Getting) and nine ratings (including one Royal Australian Air
Force) died of wounds; and 10 officers (including one Royal Navy), 96
ratings (including two Royal Australian Air Force, one Royal Navy and
two United States Navy) and three civilian Canteen Staff were wounded.
Role
of Honour
Canberra
ACT
"Lest
we forget"
HMAS
Canberra Memorial
Canberra
ACT
Australia
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