On This Day

1940 > WW2

December 30, 1940

HMAS WATERHEN, (destroyer), collided with, and sank, HMS BANDOLERO, (anti-submarine trawler), off Sollum, Libya. Damage to WATERHEN required a month in dock to repair.

HMAS VOYAGER, (destroyer), captured the 190 ton Italian supply schooner ZINGARELLA, in a night sweep off Sollum, Libya. CMDR Morrow reported in the destroyer’s Proceedings, that ‘when the schooner was boarded it was found that British POWs had turned the tables on their Italian captors and taken the vessel. More than 100 crewmen and passengers were battened below’. The schooner was escorted into Sollum.

The auxiliary minesweeper HMAS TOLGA, was commissioned. TOLGA, (as SIR T HUGH BELL, ex-DORLONCO), was laid down in Dorman Long & Co, Sydney, in 1925. She was requisitioned for the RAN, from her owners, the Adelaide Steamship Co, (who had renamed her TOLGA), on 1 November 1940.

December 28, 1940

HMAS PERTH, (cruiser), was painted in camouflage colours. The pattern and colour scheme was so unusual the ship was requested to ‘try again’.

December 27, 1940

HMAS PERTH was at Alexandria for camouflage painting on the 27/12/40 and 28/12/40, and on the 30/12/40 replaced sister ship SYDNEY in the 7th Cruiser Squadron.
HMAS VAMPIRE, (destroyer), sailed from Alexandria to relieve HMS WRYNECK on the Inshore Patrol off Bardia. VAMPIRE developed engine problems and returned to port for urgent repairs.

December 26, 1940

The intensity of the struggle in the Mediterranean may be gauged from this diary entry of HMAS WATERHEN: ‘Torpedo attack by aircraft 3.30pm. Attack by 24 bombers escorted by 18 fighters. First salvo missed WATERHEN 40 yards clear on starboard side. CHALKA near-missed and leaking. Many soldiers killed on shore. Great dog fight by Gladiators, several bombers and Italian fighters shot down by our fighters. 7.15pm torpedo attack by aircraft turned away by fire from WATERHEN‘s main armament. 9pm left Salum on patrol westward of Bardia. ‘

December 25, 1940

HMAS WATERHEN, (destroyer), on the Libyan coast, sank the Italian supply schooner TIREREMO DIRRITO, west of Bardia. From a prisoner the destroyer learnt the schooner was carrying the garrison’s Christmas mail and comforts.

HMAS NAPIER, (destroyer), at Scapa Flow, Scotland, recorded ‘a coldly sober Christmas’. The fare was turkey, apple pie and ice cream. A disappointed sailor wrote: ‘Never even spliced the main brace. Never will forget it’.

December 24, 1940

HMAS PERTH, (cruiser), relieved HMAS SYDNEY, (cruiser), in the Mediterranean Fleet.

December 23, 1940

HMAS NAPIER, (destroyer), blew off her own galley funnel in sub-calibre shoots in Scapa Flow.

December 22, 1940

HMAS ORARA, (auxiliary minesweeper), signalled HMAS SWAN, (sloop), on observing her coloured minesweeping lights burning too brightly on her stern:- ‘May I hang my stocking on your Christmas tree?’ SWAN replied:- ‘Yes, and I will shortly be hanging a sprig of mistletoe over my stern’

December 21, 1940

HMAS AUSTRALIA, (cruiser), sustained damage when bombed in dry dock at Liverpool, England.

A 1588 kg aerial torpedo fell between the ship and the dockside, but failed to explode.

December 19, 1940

HMAS NIZAM, (destroyer), was commissioned under LCDR M. J. Clark, RAN, at Clydebank, Scotland.

December 18, 1940

The auxiliary minesweeper HMAS GUNBAR, was commissioned. GUNBAR was laid down in Ardrossan, Scotland, in 1911. She was requisitioned for the RAN, from her owners, the North Coast Steam Navigation Co, NSW, on 30 September 1940.

December 17, 1940

The cruiser HMAS SYDNEY, (CAPT J. A. Collins, RAN), sailed from Suda Bay to join the fleet in the Adriatic Sea.

December 16, 1940

HMA Ships VOYAGER and VENDETTA, (destroyers), supported HMS TERROR, (monitor), in the bombardment of Bardia, Libya.

December 15, 1940

CAPT H. L. Waller, RAN, in HMAS STUART, (destroyer), was appointed Senior Naval Officer Afloat to command the Inshore Squadron comprising HMA Ships VAMPIRE, VENDETTA, VOYAGER, and WATERHEN, (destroyers), HMS TERROR, and a number of minesweepers, gunboats, and anti-submarine trawlers.

December 12, 1940

HMAS PERTH arrived at Aden for escort duty in the Red Sea until 22 December and HMS HOBART departed Aden for Fremantle where she arrived on the 28th.

December 11, 1940

An Australian National Security Regulation was issued, making the fitting of minesweeping paravanes compulsory on all Australian ships over 800 tons.

December 10, 1940

HMAS BALLARAT, (minesweeper), was launched at Williamstown Dockyard, VIC.

December 6, 1940

HMAS BATHURST, (minesweeper), was commissioned under LEUT A. V. Bunyan, RANR(S), at Sydney. BATHURST was the first of 60 vessels of this class built in Australia for the RAN, RN, and the RIN.

December 3, 1940

The Australian Naval Board asked the British Admiralty to redeploy Australian ships in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, to counter the operations of German raiders.

November 30, 1940

HMAS ARUNTA, (Tribal class destroyer), was launched at Cockatoo Island, Sydney.

November 28, 1940

The N class destroyer HMAS NAPIER, (CAPT S. H. T. Arliss, RN, CAPT(D), 7th flotilla), was commissioned. NAPIER was laid down in Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering co Ltd, Govan, Scotland, on 26 July 1939, and launched on 22 May 1940. CAPT Arliss was the brother of the actor George Arliss.

November 27, 1940

Australian troop convoy US 7 departed Fremantle with Polish liner BATORY (14287grt) and British liners ORION (23371grt), STRATHMORE (23428grt), STRATHEDEN (23722grt), escorted by HMAS PERTH. HMAS CANBERRA joined the convoy on the 28th and escorted it until 3 December when she returned to Fremantle.

November 22, 1940

HMAS CANBERRA, (cruiser), picked up three boatloads of survivors from the merchant ship PORT BRISBANE, in the Indian Ocean. PORT BRISBANE was sunk by the German raider PINGUIN.

November 20, 1940

HMAS GOORANGAI, (auxiliary minesweeper), was sunk in a collision with the liner DUNTROON, in Port Phillip Bay, VIC. The full complement of 24 from GOORANGAI were lost. This was the first RAN loss of WWII.

November 16, 1940

HMAS GOULBURN, (minesweeper), was launched at Cockatoo Island, Sydney.

HMAS SYDNEY, (CAPT J. Collins, RAN), took part in troop transport operations to Greece.