Waves of Japanese aircraft bombed a convoy escorted by HMA Ships SWAN, WARREGO, VOYAGER, ARMIDALE, and CASTLEMAINE, in the Timor Sea. Despite the concerted attack the convoy reached Koepang, (Dutch ...
Australian Naval History on 16 February 1942
The naval tug HMAS FORCEFUL was commissioned. FORCEFUL was laid down in Alex Stephen & Sons, Govan, Scotland, and launched on 20 November 1925, for MacDonald Hamilton & Co. She ...
Australian Naval History on 15 February 1942
The cruiser, HMAS HOBART, (CAPT H. L. Howden, RAN), was attacked by 109 Japanese aircraft in 13 attacks in the Dutch East Indies. HOBART escaped. The Island of Singapore was ...
Australian Naval History on 14 February 1942
The cruiser, HMAS HOBART, (CAPT H. L. Howden, RAN), joined an Allied naval striking force at the western end of Java, organized by ABDA, (Australian-British-Dutch-American), but the enemy had carried ...
Australian Naval History on 13 February 1942
HMS SCORPION, (gunboat), was sunk south of Singapore. Among her crew who were killed was AB Daniel Ingram of the RAN. Ingram had been serving in HMAS BENDIGO when he ...
Australian Naval History on 12 February 1942
Garden Island, Sydney, the RAN’s main base, was joined to the mainland by coffer-dams in the course of the building of the Captain Cook Graving Dock. A temporary road laid ...
Australian Naval History on 7 February 1942
HMAS WARRAMUNGA, (Tribal class destroyer), was launched at Cockatoo Island, Sydney. HMAS TOOWOOMBA, (minesweeper), picked up survivors from the merchant ship BRITISH AIRMAN, marooned on an uninhabited island near Sumatra. ...
Australian Naval History on 6 February 1942
A Carley float containing the remains of Able Seaman Thomas Welsby Clark from HMAS Sydney II was discovered off Christmas Island. The body was brought ashore and buried in the ...
Australian Naval History on 5 February 1942
HMAS YARRA, (sloop), took off 1304 troops from the burning troop transport EMPRESS OF ASIA near Sultan Reef, Singapore. The rescue was effected under heavy air attack. LCDR W H ...
Australian Naval History on 4 February 1942
While escorting the troopship AQUITANIA to Batavia, Netherlands East Indies, HMAS CANBERRA, (cruiser), sighted a Japanese submarine directly ahead of the troopship. The submarine dived and escaped before CANBERRA could ...
Australian Naval History on 3 February 1942
HMAS TOOWOOMBA, rescued the crew of the bombed merchant vessel LOCH RANZA in the Rhio Strait, Malaya. The United States Navy transferred its submarine base from Darwin to Fremantle. The ...
Australian Naval History on 2 February 1942
HMAS VENDETTA, (destroyer), was towed by HMS STRONGHOLD from Singapore to Java. VENDETTA was in the middle of an extended refit and was immobilised. The former Chinese river boats PING ...
Australian Naval History on 1 February 1942
Twenty Australian built corvettes, (or ocean minesweepers), were in commission with the RAN. The 650 ton ships were being launched at the rate of one a month. ...
Australian Naval History on 31 January 1942
The British Far Eastern Fleet, which included HMA Ships NAPIER, NIZAM and NESTOR, (destroyers), passed within 90 miles of a superior Japanese fleet in the Indian Ocean. ...
Australian Naval History on 30 January 1942
HMAS GYMPIE, (minesweeper), was launched at Evans Deakin Yard, Brisbane. ...
Australian Naval History on 28 January 1942
HMA Ships NIZAM, NAPIER, and NESTOR, (destroyers), escorted HMS INDOMITABLE, (aircraft carrier), which was carrying 48 pilots and their Hurricane fighter aircraft, bound for Malaya. The aircraft were flown off ...
Australian Naval History on 27 January 1942
HMAS VAMPIRE and HMS THANET, (destroyers) launched a night attack on a superior Japanese force landing troops at Endau, Malaya. The destroyers penetrated the enemy line and engaged vessels on ...
Australian Naval History on 26 January 1942
The Bathurst class minesweeper, (corvette), HMAS CESSNOCK, (A/LCDR Marchington, RNR),was commissioned at Sydney. Lady Gordon, (Wife of a Director of Cockatoo Dockyard), performed the commissioning ceremony. CESSNOCK was laid down ...
Australian Naval History on 25 January 1942
HMA Ships CANBERRA, (cruiser), and VAMPIRE, (destroyer), arrived in Singapore, having escorted the liner AQUITANIA, which was carrying troops from Australia. HMAS NIZAM, (destroyer), on an early morning anti-submarine sweep ...
Australian Naval History on 23 January 1942
HMAS ARMIDALE was launched at Mort’s Dock, Sydney. ADML Royle informed the Australian War Cabinet that an invasion of Australia by the Japanese was a distinct possibility. ...
Australian Naval History on 21 January 1942
Off Darwin, NT, HMA Ships DELORAINE, KATOOMBA, and LITHGOW, (corvettes), with the USS EDSALL, (destroyer), took part in depth-charge attacks which destroyed the Japanese submarine I124, the first warship of ...
Australian Naval History on 17 January 1942
HMAS ECHUCA was launched at Williamstown Naval Dockyard, VIC. The lugger, HMAS ST. FRANCIS, (LEUT (Brother) Andrew Smith, RANVR), sighted a Japanese submarine on the surface off Melville Island. In ...
Australian Naval History on 16 January 1942
The Bathurst class minesweeper, (corvette), HMAS GEELONG, (LCDR C. G. Hill, RANR(S)), was commissioned. GEELONG was laid down at Williamstown Dockyard, VIC, on 16 October 1940. Lady Dugan, (Wife of ...
Australian Naval History on 8 January 1942
The Bathurst class minesweeper, (corvette), HMAS WHYALLA, was commissioned at Whyalla, SA. Lady Barclay-Harvey, (wife of the Governor of South Australia, Sir Malcolm Barclay-Harvey), performed the launching ceremony. WHYALLA was ...
Australian Naval History on 7 January 1942
HMAS HOBART, (cruiser), joined the ABDA Fleet at Batavia. The cruiser was returning to Australia after service in the Mediterranean when she was diverted to the Far East. ...