• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Naval Historical Society of Australia

Preserving Australia's Naval History

  • Events
  • Account
  • Members Area
  • Volunteer
  • Donate
  • Contact us
  • Show Search
  • 0 items
Hide Search
Menu
  • Home
  • Research
    • Where to start
      • Research – We can help!
      • Self help
      • Naval Service Records
      • Library
      • Related Maritime websites
    • Resources
      • Articles
      • Videos
      • On This Day
      • Podcasts
      • Australian Military Ship Losses
      • RAN events on a  Google Earth Map
      • RAN Vessels – Where are they now?
      • Related Maritime websites
    • Other
      • Newsletters: Call The Hands
      • Occasional Papers and Historical Booklets
      • Books
      • HMAS Shropshire
      • Book reviews
    • Close
  • Naval Heritage Sites
    • World Heritage Listings
      • Cockatoo Island
    • National Heritage Listings
      • HMAS Sydney II and the HSK Kormoran Shipwreck Sites
      • HMVS Cerberus
    • Commonwealth Heritage Listings
      • Garden Island NSW
      • HMAS Watson
      • HMAS Penguin
      • Spectacle Island Explosives Complex NSW
      • Chowder Bay Naval Facilities
      • Beecroft Peninsula NSW
      • Admiralty House, Garden and Fortifications
      • HMAS Cerberus
      • Naval Offices QLD
      • Garden Island WA
      • Royal Australian Naval College ACT
      • Royal Australian Naval Transmitting Station ACT
    • NSW Heritage Listings
      • HMAS Rushcutter
    • Close
  • Naval Art
  • Tours & Cruises
    • Navy in Sydney Harbour Cruise, East
    • Navy in Sydney Harbour Cruise, West
    • Anniversary Cruise: Sydney under Japanese Attack
    • Tour Bookings
    • Close
  • About us
    • About Us
      • What we do
      • Our People
      • Office Bearers
      • Become a volunteer
      • Our Goals and Strategy
    • Organisation
      • Victoria Chapter
      • WA Chapter
      • ACT Chapter
    • Close
  • Membership
  • Shop
  • Become a volunteer
  • Donate
You are here: Home / Article topics / Publications / Naval Historical Review / HMAS Australia – Battle of Leyte Gulf

HMAS Australia – Battle of Leyte Gulf

Roberts, Keith · Mar 19, 1990 · Print This Page

Author
Roberts, Keith
Subjects
Ship histories and stories, WWII operations
Tags
Leyte
RAN Ships
HMAS Australia I
Publication
March 1990 edition of the Naval Historical Review (all rights reserved)

On the night of October 20, 1944, the heavy cruiser HMAS Australia, part of the Task Group 77.3 under command of Rear Admiral R.S. Berkey, US Navy, took up position in Leyte Gulf with the immense array of American and Allied ships.

The heavy cruiser HMAS Shropshire, the Australian destroyers Warramunga and Arunta, the Royal Australian Navy landing ships Infantry (LSI) Kanimbla, Manoora and Westralia, also formed part of that group. The Royal Navy was represented by the minelayer HMS Ariadne.

Given the size of the force, and the lack of experience among the commanding officers of many of the United States ships, it was an orderly performance. No sooner had the major ships anchored in position and everyone settled in their ‘Alert Positions’ to see out the night, than a lone Japanese aircraft appeared. Within gun range of the immense armada and with breathtaking audacity, the plane flew right down the line of ships, all of which, according to Lt David Wells (communications officer and Flag Lieutenant onboard AUSTRALIA) had loaded and manned guns sticking out like porcupine spines. Captain shouted orders to engage, but by the time one ship’s captain had ordered his guns crews to open fire, the aircraft had passed out of range.

And so it went on until finally the plane’s pilot carefully selected his target, torpedoed the US Carrier HONOLULU and flew away. The torpedo hit just forward of the bridge, tearing a huge hole in the ship’s side, killing 60 officers and men.

Since for a long time there had been no air attacks on any of the hundreds of ships that were assembled, many of them had never been attacked, and thousands of men, even at that late stage of the war, had never been shot at, or had shot anything, there was an inbuilt reluctance to open fire, but once firing began everyone wanted to be in it.

‘After HONOLULU was hit, the landing force Commander, the Admiral, the General, and Uncle Tom Cobley, all got on the TBS (circuit to all ships) in turn and swore in unseemly terms to everyone’, writes Lt. Wells. The boldness and success of the Japanese pilot’s attack was silently admired by the professionals in our force.

On the morning of October 21, Wells was in his position on the bridge of Australia with Commodore John Collins, the commander of the Task Group 74, with some 40 others, and a further 60 in the air defence position above the bridge and just behind it.

At first light radar picked up an approaching plane. Everyone in the Fleet was still smarting under the poor performance which led to the torpedoing of the Honolulu. Wells had his head down and his anti-flash gloves off, taking a signal from Commodore Collins for transmissions to the rest of the group. At first they thought there was only one plane, then someone in the air defence position shouted there were three and then four.

AUSTRALIA had anchored in Leyte Gulf during the night and had weighed anchor, standing by to provide fire support as needed by the American forces ashore. She was beginning to pick up speed, but not enough to take evasive action.

Lieut. David Hamer (now Senator Hamer), who had just joined the ship, was sitting on top of one of the 8” gun turrets, everyone in those days slept at their action stations, and he found the top of the turret the coolest place to be.

The early morning was balmy, and Hamer was enjoying it, and around 0630 he saw two aircraft. Usually there were a lot of American planes about, but these were very different. ‘They’re Japs’ he shouted to the two single Oerlikons on the Quarterdeck which opened fire. Lieutenant Commander Richard Peek, the Gunnery Officer, was on the bridge and saw a plane about the same time astern and about a mile from AUSTRALIA, travelling at about 300 feet above the water, and on a course almost the same as AUSTRALIA.

‘Just look at this’ Peek called to Captain E.P.P. Dechaineux, ‘she’s aiming for us’. Captain Dechaineux one of the most admired officers in the Royal Australian Navy, walked across to the port side of the compass platform to join Peek.

Pages: Page 1 Page 2

Naval Historical Review, Ship histories and stories, WWII operations Leyte

Primary Sidebar

SUBSCRIBE

Sign up for our monthly e-newsletter.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Categories

Latest Podcasts

  • The Fall of Singapore
  • HMAS Armidale
  • Napoleon, the Royal Navy and Me
  • The Case of the Unknown Sailor
  • Night of the midget subs — Sydney under attack

Links to other podcasts

Australian Naval History Podcasts
This podcast series examines Australia’s Naval history, featuring a variety of naval history experts from the Naval Studies Group and elsewhere.
Produced by the Naval Studies Group in conjunction with the Submarine Institute of Australia, the Australian Naval Institute, Naval Historical Society and the RAN Seapower Centre

Life on the Line Podcasts
Life on the Line tracks down Australian war veterans and records their stories.
These recordings can be accessed through Apple iTunes or for Android users, Stitcher.

Video Links

  • Australian War Memorial YouTube channel
  • Royal Australian Navy YouTube Channel
  • Research – We can help!
  • Naval Heritage Sites
  • Explore Naval Art
  • Dockyard Heritage Tour
  • About us
  • Shop
  • Events
  • Members Area
  • Volunteer
  • Donate
  • Contact us

Follow us

  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • Members Area
  • Privacy Policy

Naval Historical Society of Australia Inc. Copyright © 2025