- Author
- Date, John C., RANVR (Rtd)
- Subjects
- WWII operations, History - WW2, History - post WWII
- Tags
-
- RAN Ships
- None noted.
- Publication
- June 1995 edition of the Naval Historical Review (all rights reserved)
Australia Remembers 1945-1995.
Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the end of World War II
In World War II (1939-1945) units of the Royal Australian Navy traversed the globe in service as part of the Royal Navy and in particular in the defence of Australia.
Australian warships acted as escorts in transporting Australian troops overseas, – in seeking out enemy raiders and their supply ships, – giving fire support and protection to Australian army units in the Mediterranean, India, Atlantic and Pacific Ocean theatres of war and in working with fleet units of both the Royal Navy and United States Navy.
At the same time close support was given following attacks on the mainland of Australia when Darwin was first bombed on 19th February 1942, the Japanese midget submarine penetration of Sydney Harbour on the night of 31st May 1942 and with enemy mine-laying and submarine warfare around the coast.
With the advent of significant war anniversaries in the 1990s, in particular commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the end of World War II, we can be proud of the far flung achievements of the Royal Australian Navy. Distance from our homeland, sometimes involving years of service overseas with many naval personnel held as prisoners-of-war by both the Axis Powers and Japan, and families suffering the grievous loss of loved ones have all added to the legacy of our national heritage.
- Peak Strengths – Ships and Personnel and Casualties
- Brief Diary Map of The RAN In World War II
- HMA Ships of War 1939-1945
- Naval History Notes
PEAK STRENGTHS-SHIPS AND PERSONNEL-AND CASUALTIES
Peak Strength – wartime strength of the R.A.N., including officers and ratings, W.R.A.N.S. and Nursing Sisters, was 39,650. This figure, reached on 30th June 1945, comprised:
| Officers | Ratings | |
| R.N., R.A.N., Permanent Naval Forces | 838 | 6,219 |
| Royal Australian Fleet Reserve | 963 | |
| Royal Fleet Reserve | 7 | |
| Pensioners, Royal Navy and Royal Marines | 106 | |
| R.A.N.R. (Seagoing) | 476 | |
| R.A.N.R. | 794 | 24,566 |
| R.A.N.V.R. | 1,645 | 1,350 |
| R.N.V.R. | 8 | |
| R.N.R. | 4 | |
| Women’s Royal Australian Naval Service | 108 | 2,509 |
| Nursing Sisters | 57 |
The strength of the R.A.N. at 30th June 1945 was 36,976, comprising 3,765 officers and 33,211 ratings – including 676 Perth complement and 21 others missing, excluding the women’s services.
Casualties:
Royal Australian Navy and Royal Navy serving with the R.A.N. during the period of hostilities (3rd September 1939 to 15th August 1945) were:
| Officers | Ratings | |
| Killed in Action | 16 | 111 |
| Died of wounds | 10 | 35 |
| Missing presumed dead | 144 | 1,407 |
| Died as prisoners of war | 6 | 113 |
| Drowned (due to service) | 4 | 65 |
| Drowned (not due to service) | 2 | 10 |
| Accidentally killed (due to service) | 5 | 31 |
| Accidentally killed (not due to service) | 4 | 60 |
| Died of natural causes | 28 | 119 |
| TOTAL | 219 | 1,951 |
The casualties in the Women’s Royal Australian Naval Service were 1 rating accidentally killed (not due to service) and 5 ratings died of natural causes.
War service causalities (hostilities) in R.A.N. ships totalled 1,852 – excluding deaths not due to service.
Losses by ships were:
| Armidale | R.A.N. | 1 officer and 9 ratings killed in action; |
| 2 ratings died of wounds; | ||
| 1 officer and 26 ratings missing presumed dead. | ||
| R.N. | 1 rating missing presumed dead. | |
| Netherlands Army: | 2 officers and 58 native troops missing presumed dead. | |
| Arunta: | R.A.N. | 2 ratings died of wounds. |
| Australia: | R.A.N. | Leyte – 2 officers and 6 ratings killed in action; |
| 5 officers and 17 ratings died of wounds. | ||
| Lingayen – 1 officer and 25 ratings killed in action; | ||
| 1 officer died of wounds; | ||
| 1 officer and 16 ratings presumed dead. | ||
| Other than in Philippines | ||
| 1 rating accidentally killed | ||
| 1 officer and 3 ratings missing presumed dead | ||
| R.N. | 1 officer missing presumed dead | |
| Bundaberg | R.A.N. | 1 rating accidentally killed; |
| Burnie: | R.A.N. | 1 rating accidentally killed |
| Canberra: | R.A.N. | 1 officer and 8 ratings died of wounds; |
| 7 officers and 60 ratings missing presumed dead | ||
| R.N. | 2 ratings presumed dead | |
| R.A.A.F. | 1 officer and 3 airmen presumed dead; 1 airman died of wounds. | |
| U.S.N. | 1 officer presumed dead. | |
| Chinampa | R.A.N. | 1 officer killed in action |
| Colac | R.A.N. | 1 rating killed in action; |
| 1 rating died of wounds. | ||
| Echuca | R.A.N. | 1 rating drowned. |
| Gascoyne | R.A.N. | 1 rating drowned. |
| Goorangai | R.A.N. | 3 officers and 21 ratings drowned |
| Gunbar | R.A.N. | 1 rating died of wounds. |
| HDML 1326 | R.A.N. | 1 rating accidentally killed; |
| Hobart | R.A.N. | 4 officers and 3 ratings killed in action |
| 3 officers and 3 ratings presumed dead | ||
| Kangaroo | R.A.N. | 1 rating killed in action |
| Kara Kara | R.A.N. | 1 rating killed in action |
| 1 rating died of wounds | ||
| Karangi | R.A.N. | 1 rating accidentally killed |
| Katoomba | R.A.N. | 1 rating accidentally killed |
| Kiama | R.A.N. | 1 rating missing presumed dead |
| Koala | R.A.N. | 1 rating drowned |
| Kookaburra | R.A.N. | 1 officer accidentally killed |
| Korowa | R.A.N. | 1 rating drowned |
| Kuttabul | R.A.N. | 18 ratings killed in action |
| 1 rating missing presumed dead | ||
| Lismore | R.A.N. | 3 ratings drowned |
| Lithgow | R.A.N. | 1 officer accidentally killed |
| Lolita | R.A.N. | 2 ratings accidentally killed |
| Manoora | R.A.N. | 1 rating died as prisoner of war |
| Matafele | R.A.N. | 4 officers and 20 ratings missing presumed dead |
| 13 native crew missing presumed dead | ||
| ML427 | R.A.N. | 3 ratings accidentally drowned |
| Napier | R.A.N. | 1 officer and 2 ratings drowned |
| Nestor | R.A.N. | 3 ratings killed in action |
| R.N. | 1 rating killed in action | |
| Nizam | R.A.N. | 12 ratings drowned |
| Norman | R.A.N. | 1 rating drowned |
| Parramatta | R.A.N. | 9 officers and 121 ratings missing presumed dead |
| R.N. | 1 officer and 7 ratings missing presumed dead | |
| Patricia Cam | R.A.N. | 2 ratings killed in action |
| 2 ratings missing presumed dead | ||
| 1 rating died of wounds | ||
| 2 natives killed in action | ||
| 1 native died of wounds | ||
| 1 passenger (Rev. Kentish) subsequently executed by Japanese | ||
| Perth | R.A.N. | 1 officer and 10 ratings killed in action |
| 17 officers and 321 ratings presumed dead | ||
| 104 ratings died while prisoners of war | ||
| 1 rating drowned | ||
| R.N. | 5 officers and 2 ratings missing presumed dead | |
| 1 rating died while prisoner of war | ||
| R.A.A.F. | 4 airmen missing presumed dead | |
| Canteen staff | 3 missing presumed dead | |
| Pirie | R.A.N. | 1 officer and 6 ratings killed in action |
| Platypus | R.A.N. | 1 rating accidentally killed |
| Quickmatch | R.A.N. | 1 rating accidentally killed |
| Shropshire | R.A.N. | 1 rating drowned |
| 1 rating accidentally killed | ||
| Southern Cross | R.A.N. | 1 rating accidentally killed |
| Stuart | R.A.N. | 3 ratings accidentally killed |
| Swan | R.A.N. | 3 ratings killed in action |
| Sydney | R.A.N. | 36 officers and 592 ratings missing presumed dead |
| R.N. | 5 officers and 2 ratings missing presumed dead | |
| R.A.A.F. | 1 officers and 5 airmen missing presumed dead | |
| Canteen staff | 4 missing presumed dead | |
| Tambar | R.A.N. | 1 officer and 2 ratings accidentally killed |
| Vampire | R.A.N. | 6 ratings killed in action |
| 1 officer and 2 ratings missing presumed dead | ||
| 2 ratings died of wounds | ||
| R.N. | 1 rating killed in action | |
| 1 officer died of wounds | ||
| Vendetta | R.A.N. | 1 rating drowned |
| Voyager | R.A.N. | 1 rating drowned |
| 1 rating accidentally killed | ||
| Wallaroo | R.A.N. | 2 ratings killed in action |
| 1 rating missing presumed dead | ||
| Warrnambool | R.A.N. | 3 ratings died of wounds |
| 1 rating missing presumed dead | ||
| Whang Pu | R.A.N. | 1 rating drowned |
| Yarra | R.A.N. | 8 officer and 124 ratings missing presumed dead |
| 1 rating accidentally killed | ||
| R.N. | 5 ratings missing presumed dead | |
| Canteen staff | 1 rating missing presumed dead |
Total War service casualties (hostilities) in R.A.N. ships were:
| R.A.N. | 113 officers, 1,603 ratings |
| R.N. | 13 officers, 22 ratings |
| R.A.A.F. | 2 officers, 13 airmen |
| U.S.N. | 1 officer |
| Canteen staff | 8 |
| Netherlands Army | 2 officers, 58 native troops |
| Native crew | 16 |
| Passengers | 1 |
| Total loss of life | 1,852 |
Including 24 RAN officers and 53 ratings lost in Royal Navy ships; 8 RAN officers and 10 ratings lost serving at RN bases and 14 RAN officers and 59 ratings lost in merchant ships.
Ref. G. Hermon Gill, Royal Australian Navy 1942-45