On This Day

1941 > WW2

December 31, 1941

HMA Ships NAPIER, NIZAM, and NESTOR, (destroyers), joined HM Ships AJAX, KINGSTON, ARROW, and GURKHA in the bombardment of German defence posts on the outskirts of Bardia.

December 24, 1941

CAPT H. B. Farncomb, RAN, assumed command of HMAS AUSTRALIA, (cruiser), at Sydney.

December 22, 1941

The boom working vessel HMAS KARANGI, was commissioned. KARANGI was laid down in Cockatoo Island Dockyard, Sydney, on 5 February 1941, and launched on 16 August 1941. Mrs G. Hutcheson performed the launching ceremony.

December 20, 1941

MIDN L. J. Tathan, RAN, and the crew of the whaler from HMS KANDAHAR which he was commanding in rescue operations, was killed when the boat was heavily strafed by German aircraft. KANDAHAR had gone to the rescue of HMS NEPTUNE, (cruiser), which had struck a mine before the aircraft launched their attack. KANDAHAR also struck a “mine, and was later sunk by HMS JAGUAR. The minefield was laid off Tripoli.

December 19, 1941

HMS NEPTUNE sank after striking a mine off the coast of Tripoli. Only one rating of the crew of 717 survived. Among those lost were the two RAN members of the ship’s company, ORD K. Campbell and ORD S. Kemp.

The Bathurst class minesweeper HMAS TOWNSVILLE, (LCDR J. Abbott, RAN(E)), was commissioned. TOWNSVILLE was laid down in Evans Deakin Yard, Brisbane, on 4 November 1940, and launched on 13 May 1941.

HMAS NIZAM reported she was lifted bodily out of the water by an underwater explosion in Alexandria Harbour. Shortly after, HM Ships QUEEN ELIZABETH and VALIANT, (battleships), bottomed at their moorings. The tanker SAGONA, and HMS JERVIS were severely damaged. The attack was launched by Italian frogmen.

HMA Ships CANBERRA and PERTH joined a convoy of comprising BLOEMFONTEIN (10,081grt), COAST FARMER (3290grt), MEIGS (12,568grt), WILLARD A. HOLBROOK (14,812grt), REPUBLIC (17,886grt), ADMIRAL HALSTEAD (3289grt), and CHAUMONT (7555grt) and USS PENSACOLA and USS NIAGARA, which had departed San Francisco on 21 November for the Philippines.

December 17, 1941

HMA Ships SWAN, (sloop), and BANTAM, (transport), landed troop reinforcements on Ambon Island.

HMAS NIZAM, (destroyer), was straddled twice by 15 inch shells from Italian battleships during the Battle of Sirte. This was the last occasion a ship of the RAN was engaged by an enemy battleship.

The Bathurst class minesweeper, (corvette), HMAS KATOOMBA, (CMDR A. P. Cousins, RANR), was commissioned. KATOOMBA was laid down in Poole & Steel Ltd, Sydney, on 9 September 1940, and launched on 16 April 1941.

December 16, 1941

HMAS YARRA passed through the Suez Canal to return to Australia. She arrived at Colombo on the 30/12/41 and Batavia on 11/1/42 for escort duties

December 15, 1941

HMAS NESTOR, (destroyer), sank the German submarine U127 south-west of Cape St Vincent. The following awards resulted from this action:-

• Bar to DSO CAPT A. S. Rosenthal;
• DSC Mr. R. G. Fennessy, RAN;
• DSM AB J. S. McLeod;
• DSM AB A. V. Healy;
• DSM LS R. J. Anderson;
• MID SBLT P. S. Colclough;
• MID LS A. M. Krautz;

December 14, 1941

Three gallantry awards to RAN officers for service in the Mediterranean were announced:

• DSC CMDR M. J. Clark
• DSC CMDR G. McD. Wilson; Both received for gallantry in the Battle of Crete.
• DSC LCDR R. Rhoades. Received for gallantry while commanding HMAS VENDETTA, (destroyer), in the Mediterranean.

December 12, 1941

HMAS NESTOR, (destroyer), opened fire on an aircraft showing a navigation light in the North Atlantic. The ‘aircraft’ was later identified as the planet Venus.

HMAS MARRAWAH, (a former coaster), was commissioned as an auxiliary minesweeper.

December 11, 1941

The Australian Government requested the British Admiralty to return HMAS HOBART, (cruiser), and HMAS YARRA, (sloop), to Australian waters.

The minesweeper HMS LADY SHIRLEY, (LCDR Callaway, RANVR), was sunk by the German submarine U374 in the Straits of Gibraltar. There were no survivors. A search for the missing vessel was carried out by HMS ST, NECTAN, commanded by LEUT Osborne, RANVR.

December 10, 1941

Japanese bombers sank HMS PRINCE OF WALES, (battleship), and HMS REPULSE, (battle-cruiser), in the South China Sea. HMAS VAMPIRE, (destroyer), picked up survivors. One of those lost in the sinking of HMS REPULSE was MIDN R. I. Davies, RAN, who commanded an Oerlikon gun on the port side of the battle-cruiser. The Naval Review wrote: ‘An Australian midshipman was still firing his Oerlikon gun at an aircraft; several enemy aircraft were brought down by Midshipman Davies after the order to abandon ship had been given.’

December 9, 1941

The Director of Naval Intelligence, CMDR R. B. M. Long, RAN, warned the Government:- ‘It is likely in view of Japan’s present attack against Hawaii that raids will be made by heavier units other than submarines against strategic areas such as Newcastle’.

The first Japanese aircraft were sighted over Rabaul. The aircraft were reported by radio when they passed over Tabar Island by Coastwatcher SBLT C. L. Page, RANVR.

December 8, 1941

HMA Ships VAMPIRE and VENDETTA, (destroyers), and BURNIE, GOULBURN, BENDIGO, and MARYBOROUGH, (corvettes), were at Singapore when Japan mounted her first air raid at 0300. MANOORA was also at Singapore, and KANIMBLA was on passage from Penang to Singapore.

The siege of Tobruk ended.
The nine RAN ships employed on the Tobruk Ferry were HMA Ships STUART, VAMPIRE, VENDETTA, VOYAGER, WATERHEN, (destroyers, the ‘Scrap Iron Flotilla’), NAPIER, NIZAM, PARRAMATTA, and YARRA. WATERHEN and PARRAMATTA were lost in the operation. Australian ships were credited with making 139 individual passages, with 39 by VENDETTA being a record number of runs of any ship in the Tobruk Ferry.

HMAS VAMPIRE, (destroyer), put to sea that evening with ships commanded by the British naval commander, ADML Sir Tom Phillips, RN, HM Ships PRINCE OF WALES and REPULSE, (battleships), TENEDOS, ELECTRA, and EXPRESS,(destroyers).

The war signal, ‘Commence hostilities against Japan,’ was received at 7.43 am.

The auxiliary patrol vessel HMAS KURU, was commissioned. KURU was laid down in Sydney in 1938. She was requisitioned for the RAN, from her owners, the Northern Territory Administration, in December 1941.

The auxiliary patrol boat HMAS LARRAKIA, was commissioned.

December 7, 1941

The Siege of Tobruk ends after 242 days. RAN ships supported the Allied forces in Tobruk by running a ‘ferry service’ bringing in ammunition, food, water, medical supplies, and fresh troops, while evacuating wounded and prisoners of war.

December 5, 1941

HMAS YARRA and HMS FLAMINGO, (sloops), were heavily attacked by German bombers between Mersa Matruh and Tobruk. FLAMINGO was hit in the engine room and was taken in tow by YARRA. The ships arrived safely in Tobruk.

HMS REPULSE, (battle-cruiser), screened by HMAS VAMPIRE and HMS TENEDOS, (destroyers), sailed from Singapore for Darwin.The ships were recalled when Japanese convoys were sighted steaming for Malaya.

December 4, 1941

HMAS NEPAL, (destroyer), was launched at Thornycraft’s Yard, England.

The Australian Government deferred a decision to sail Australian shipping in convoys.

December 1, 1941

An RAN interrogation team, consisting of CAPT Farquar-Smith, CMDR Dechaineaux, CMDR Ramage, and LCDR. Salm, (Royal Netherlands Navy), questioned prisoners from the German raider KORMORAN.

CAPT H. B. Farncomb conducted a separate inquiry into the loss of HMAS SYDNEY.

HMAS BUNDABERG, (minesweeper), was launched at Evans Deakin, QLD.

November 30, 1941

The Australian Naval Board announced that six boats and two rafts, carrying a total of 315 German survivors from the raider KORMORAN, had been either picked up at sea, or found on the WA coast. On the same day the Prime Minister, Mr. J. Curtin, announced the loss of HMAS SYDNEY, (cruiser).

November 29, 1941

ADML A. B. Cunningham, C in C, Mediterranean, signalled: ‘I deeply deplore the loss of HMAS PARRAMATTA. This fine little ship had built up for herself a splendid standard of efficiency and achievement fully in accord with the record of the Australian ships in the Mediterranean’.

November 28, 1941

The Commanding Officer of the German raider KORMORAN, (CAPT T. Detmers), was interrogated at Carnarvon, WA. On the same day HMAS HEROS found a Carley float from HMAS SYDNEY. The float had been badly damaged by shell fire, and was the only substantial wreckage ever recovered from SYDNEY. The float is now on permanent display in the Australian War Memorial, Canberra.

November 27, 1941

The sloop HMAS PARRAMATTA, (CMDR J. H. Walker, RAN), was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U559, while on passage to Tobruk. Of the ships complement of 162, there were only 24 survivors. 21 were picked up by HMS AVON VALE, (destroyer), while another three managed to swim ashore to the Libyan coast, and were rescued by advancing British troops.

HMAS HEROS recovered a Carley type lifefloat and two lifebelts, 160 miles north-west of Carnarvon, WA. They were believed to be from HMAS SYDNEY, (cruiser), sunk by the German raider KORMORAN.

November 26, 1941

CAPT Theodor Detmers, (German raider KORMORAN), claimed the last signal hoisted by HMAS SYDNEY, (cruiser), was the two flags IK:- ‘You should prepare for a hurricane or a typhoon’. The signal was not understood.

November 25, 1941

HMAS NIZAM, (destroyer), and HM Ships JERVIS, JACKAL, and HOTSPUR, (destroyers), picked up 450 survivors from HMS BARHAM, (battleship), sunk by the German submarine U331 south of Crete.

November 23, 1941

The Bathurst class minesweeper, (corvette), HMAS DELORAINE, (LCDR D. A. Menlove, RANR(S)), was commissioned. DELORAINE was laid down in Mort’s Dock, Sydney, on 19 March, 1941, and launched on 29 July 1941. Dame Mary Hughes, (wife of the Minister for Navy), performed the launching ceremony.

HMAS NAPIER, (destroyer), took off the crew of the transport GLEN ROY, torpedoed by German aircraft near Tobruk. The ship was later beached.