On This Day

1940 > WW2

September 19, 1940

HMAS AUSTRALIA, (cruiser), sighted three Vichy French cruisers, 250 miles south of Dakar, and shadowed them north.

The cruiser HMAS ADELAIDE, (CAPT H. A. Showers), escorted the Norwegian tanker NORDEN, which was carrying the new governor of New Caledonia, Henri Sautot, into Noumea. ADELAIDE sailed in with the French sloop, DUMONT d’URVILLE alongside the wharf, with her guns trained fore-and-aft.

September 7, 1940

HMAS ADELAIDE, (cruiser), arrived at Vila to install De Gaullist M. Sautot as French Commissioner of the New Hebrides. Vila was in the hands of Vichy sympathisers, and ADELAIDE stood off the port until 16 September, before sailing for Noumea. On her arrival at the latter port the French sloop DUMONT D’URVILLE was observed at the wharf. A signal from a shore station warned ADELAIDE:- ‘You must not enter harbour’. Conflict was avoided when De Gaullist supporters seized control. DUMONT D’URVILLE sailed for Saigon on 25 September, and M Sautot was installed as Commissioner.

September 6, 1940

HMAS Australia departed the Clyde for Freetown to replace HMS Fiji in Operation Menace. On 8 September, U.56 unsuccessfully attacked Australia, which arrived at Freetown on the 14th.

September 5, 1940

HMAS HOBART, escorting convoy BS.3 at 15‑25N, 41‑46E, was unsuccessfully attacked eight times by Italian bombers.
The auxiliary minesweeper HMAS SAMUEL BENBOW, was commissioned. SAMUEL BENBOW was laid down in the UK in 1918. She was requisitioned for the RAN, from her owners, Cam ; Sons Pty Ltd, Sydney, on 4 August 1940

September 4, 1940

The cruiser, HMAS SYDNEY, (CAPT J. A. Collins, RAN), and HM Ships DAINTY and ILEX, (destroyers), bombarded Italian airfields at Scarpanto. Three Italian E-boats attacked the squadron, but accurate fire from ILEX sank two, and the other withdrew.

September 3, 1940

While proceeding to Brisbane from Sydney, en route to New Caledonia, HMAS Adelaide (I) was in collision with SS Coptic of the Shaw Savill and Albion Line. Although both ships avoided major damage, this collision resulted in a court case in 1947 when the owners of Coptic sued the Commonwealth for £35,000 damages

September 2, 1940

The German raider ORION laid dummy mines off Albany, WA.

The auxiliary anti-submarine vessel HMAS WILCANNIA, (LCDR G. Tancred, RAN), was commissioned. WILCANNIA, (as WYRALLAH), was laid down in Burmeister & Wain, Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1934. She was requisitioned for the RAN, from her owners, the North Coast Steam Navigation Co Ltd, in 1940.

August 26, 1940

HMAS AUSTRALIA, (cruiser), launched her Seagull amphibian aircraft on a solo bombing attack of Tromso, Norway. Heavy cloud and poor visibility caused the aircraft to turn back.

August 24, 1940

HMAS WATERHEN, (destroyer), and HM Ships DIAMOND, ILEX, and JUNO, of the 10th Destroyer Flotilla, bombarded the Italian seaplane base at Bomba, Libya.

August 23, 1940

In Operation DR, HMS NORFOLK (Captain A J L Phillips) and HMAS AUSTRALIA (Captain R R Stewart RN) departed Scapa Flow at 1939 to operate in the area of Bear Island to capture German fishing vessels. No contact was made and they arrived back at 0728 on 29/8/40.
HMAS WATERHEN, (destroyer), covered HMS LADYBIRD, (monitor), when she entered the enemy held port of Bardia, and fired point-blank on buildings and harbour defences. Both vessels withdrew safely after the attack.

August 22, 1940

The Grimsby type escort sloop HMAS WARREGO, (CMDR R. V. Wheatley), was commissioned. WARREGO was laid down in Cockatoo Island Dockyard, Sydney, on 15 May 1939, and launched on 10 February 1940. Mrs R. G. Menzies, (Wife of the Prime Minister, Mr R. G. Menzies), performed the launching ceremony.

August 19, 1940

The cruiser HMAS HOBART, (CAPT H. Howden, RAN), bombarded the main buildings and port installations of Berbera, as the Italian Army entered the port. During the bombardment three exhausted soldiers of the King’s African Rifles were seen on the beach. LEUT T. M. Synnot, RAN, took a boat in close to the beach, and stood off while AB V. E. Lewis swam ashore and brought the men off.

August 18, 1940

The evacuation of Berbera was completed. HMAS HOBART, (cruiser), launched her Seagull amphibian aircraft soon after dawn, on a reconnaissance of the Berbera Plains. No enemy activity was observed.

August 17, 1940

The Port of Sydney was closed, when objects suspected of being mines were sighted, off Botany Bay.

HMA Ships STUART, VENDETTA, and WATERHEN, (destroyers), were on the screen of HM Ships WARSPITE, MALAYA, and RAMMILLIES, (battleships), during the bombardment of Italian military positions near Bardia, Libya.

August 16, 1940

LEUT E. T. Lees, RANVR, was awarded the DSC for bravery and conspicuous service while serving in HM trawler ARAB, during the Norwegian Campaign. Lees was First Lieutenant of the trawler, which fought off continuous German air attacks over a period of six weeks, and carried out a series of evacuations of British and French troops cut off by German advances. ARAB’S CO, LEUT R. B. Stannard, RNR, was awarded the VC.

August 15, 1940

CAPT H. Howden, RAN, commanding HMAS HOBART, (cruiser), was appointed Senior Naval Officer at Berbera. Howden successfully directed the evacuation of the port as it was invaded by superior Italian forces. The ships available for the task were HMAS HOBART, HM Ships CARLISLE, CERES, KIMBERLEY, KANDAHAR, CHAKDINA, LAOMEDON, SHOREHAM, VITA, (hospital ship), and AKBAR, (transport ship). Two tugs, ZEILA, and QUEEN, and four barges were manned by HOBART’S crew. The evacuation was completed on the night of 18th August, and the only loss was the tug QUEEN.

August 14, 1940

CMDR H. J. Buchanan, RAN, was awarded the DSO for conspicuous gallantry while commanding HMS VANITY, (destroyer), during the evacuation of Dunkirk. CMDR Buchanan later commanded HMA Ships NORMAN and NAPIER, the latter as CAPT (D), in the Burma Campaign.

August 10, 1940

At the request of the army HMAS HOBART sent ashore 3 volunteers to man a 3-pounder Hotchkiss saluting gun. The sailors were PO H. Jones, AB H. C. Sweeney, and AB W. J. Hurren. The gun was in position at Tug Argan Gap. In a losing struggle they were taken prisoner. HMAS LISMORE was launched at Evans Deakin, QLD.

August 9, 1940

The auxiliary minesweeper HMAS GOONAMBEE, was commissioned. GOONAMBEE was laid down in the State Dockyard, Newcastle, NSW, in 1919. She was requisitioned for the RAN, from her owners, Cam & Sons Pty Ltd, on 28 June 1940.

Engaged in the Battle of Tug Argan Gap, HMAS HOBART, (cruiser), landed her 1.3kg Hotchkiss saluting gun, mounted on a temporary carriage, to stiffen the British line near Berber. A crew of three volunteers, PO H. Jones, AB H.C. Sweeney, and AB W.J. Hurran, manned the gun, and fought alongside the troops until the position was captured by the overwhelming Italian forces. The gun crew was taken prisoner, until 1 April 1941, when British troops captured Eritrea.

August 8, 1940

HMAS HOBART’S, (cruiser), amphibian aircraft, made a solo bombing raid on the Italian airfield at Zeila, Somaliland. Italian bombers retaliated by straddling HOBART with bombs.

August 1, 1940

HMAS BATHURST, (minesweeper), the first of 60 of the class to be built in Australia, was launched at Cockatoo Island, Sydney.

The RAN Depot at Fremantle was commissioned as HMAS LEEUWIN. The depot had been created in 1926 when a drill hall was erected in Croke Lane, for the training of naval reservists. The base was moved to nearby Preston Point on 1 July 1942, following the appointment of the first Naval Officer in Charge Fremantle.

The Naval Depot in Brisbane, (HMAS PENGUIN IV), was re-commissioned as HMAS BRISBANE. This name lasted just over two years, before the depot was re-named again; this time as HMAS MORETON.

July 30, 1940

HMAS PARRAMATTA, (sloop), and HMS REGENT, (submarine), arrived at Aden after an unsuccessful search in the Indian Ocean for the German raider ATLANTIS.

July 29, 1940

HMAS DURRAWEEN, (auxiliary minesweeper), was commissioned.

HMAS STUART, (destroyer), picked up the pilot of a Gladiator fighter from HMS EAGLE, (aircraft carrier), in the central Mediterranean. The fighter shot down an Italian bomber, but exhausted her petrol and crashed into the sea.

July 28, 1940

HMAS SYDNEY and HMS NEPTUNE sank the Italian tanker ERMIOMI in the Aegean Sea.

July 27, 1940

HMAS SYDNEY, (CAPT J. A. Collins, RAN), was near-missed by two bombs which caused minor casualties, and damaged the ship’s new aircraft. ADML A. B. Cunningham saw the cruiser veiled in spray and signalled: ‘Are you all right?’ Collins replied: ‘I hope so’.