On This Day
1941 > WW2
On This Day - 1941
- April 8, 1941
HMAS PARRAMATTA, (sloop), towed the damaged cruiser HMS CAPETOWN to the port of Massawa. The cruiser had been attacked and torpedoed by Italian destroyers in the Red Sea.
- April 6, 1941
The Seagull amphibian from HMAS AUSTRALIA, (cruiser), crashed and sank when taking off in Cook Strait. HMAS HOBART, (cruiser), was in company with AUSTRALIA, and landed its Seagull aircraft on the water and was able to rescue the observer and air-gunner, but the pilot went down with the aircraft.
HMAS COOMBAR was commissioned as an auxiliary minesweeper.
Boats from HMAS PERTH, (cruiser), were involved in the rescue of survivors of ships sunk in Piraeus Harbour, (Greece), by a devastating German air attack. The port facilities were destroyed during the raid. Over 200 of PERTH’s crew were ashore at the time of the raid, but she suffered no casualties.
HMAS VENDETTA, (destroyer), survived a submarine attack while on passage from Sollum to Tobruk. The torpedo passed VENDETTA’S bows, ‘with several metres to spare’.
- April 5, 1941
The trading schooner GERARD was commissioned into the RAN as an auxiliary patrol vessel.
- April 3, 1941
HMAS PARRAMATTA, (sloop), passed a flotilla of Italian destroyers at night while escorting a convoy off Port Sudan. No sighting report was made by either side.
- April 2, 1941
HMAS VOYAGER, (destroyer), sank the heavily damaged cargo ships HOMEFIELD, and COLOUROUS XENOX, after savage German air attacks in the central Mediterranean.
- April 1, 1941
Three sailors from HMAS HOBART, (cruiser), who were captured after volunteering to man a shore-based gun in August 1940, were released from prisoner-of-war camp in Eritria, East Africa. They were PO H. Jones, AB H. C. Sweeney, and AB W. J. Hurren.
- March 31, 1941
The Italian submarine DAGABUR sank the cruiser HMS BONAVENTURE which was escorting convoy GA 8. 310 survivors were picked up by HMAS Stuart and HMS Hereward. HMAS Stuart heavily depth charged the Italian submarine but she managed to escape
- March 30, 1941
The Mediterranean Fleet returned to a vociferous welcome from ships at Alexandria after the Battle of Matapan. HMA Ships PERTH, STUART, and VENDETTA were detached after the battle to escort convoys to Greece.
- March 29, 1941
The destroyer HMAS STUART, (CAPT H.M.L. Waller, RAN), fired her last shots, in the Battle of Matapan, at the Italian destroyer VITTORIO ALFERI. The Italian Navy lost three cruisers and two destroyers in this battle.
HMAS SOUTHERN CROSS, (yacht), was commissioned as an auxiliary patrol vessel.
- March 28, 1941
The Battle of Matapan commenced. HMA Ships PERTH, STUART, and VENDETTA participated in the battle which destroyed Italian naval supremacy in the Mediterranean. VENDETTA was the first Australian ship to come under fire in the battle.