On This Day

1941 > WW2

May 10, 1941

The Bathurst class minesweeper, (corvette), HMAS BENDIGO, (LEUT S. J. Griffith, RANR), was commissioned. BENDIGO was laid down at Cockatoo Island Dockyard, Sydney, on 12 August 1940, and launched on 1 March 1941. Dame Mary Hughes, (Wife of W. M. Hughes, the Federal Attorney-General and Minister for the Navy), performed the launching ceremony.

HMAS NIZAM, (destroyer), engaged in a spirited action against German aircraft which made moonlight attacks on HMS FORMIDABLE, (aircraft carrier), and the ships of Force H, south of Malta. The bombers were fought off without loss to the convoy.

May 9, 1941

HMAS VENDETTA evacuated wounded from Tobruk during the night of 9/10 May to Alexandria

May 8, 1941

HMAS NESTOR’S log recorded:- ‘At 2100 what we believed to be the conning tower of a submarine was sighted on the port bow and course was altered to ram. However it turned out to be a dead whale’. The destroyer was returning from operations off Iceland.

HMAS WARRNAMBOOL, (minesweeper), was launched at Mort’s Dock, Sydney.

May 7, 1941

The 6th Destroyer Flotilla, of which included HMAS NESTOR, captured a German weather ship in the Arctic.

May 5, 1941

HMAS PARRAMATTA arrived at Suez to reinforce the Mediterranean Fleet. However, she was ordered to remain there temporarily to provide anti-aircraft protection for liners QUEEN MARY and QUEEN ELIZABETH.
HMAS VOYAGER made the ‘Scrap Iron Flotilla’s’ first run into the besieged port of Tobruk. WATERHEN followed on 6 May, VENDETTA on 8 May, VAMPIRE on 15 May and STUART on 16 May. In all, RAN warships made a total of 139 re-supply runs into Tobruk during the siege.

May 4, 1941

HMA Ships NAPIER and NIZAM, (destroyers), arrived at Alexandria to join other units of the RAN based there.

May 2, 1941

HMAS WATERHEN, (destroyer), picked up the crew of an aircraft from HMS FORMIDABLE, (aircraft carrier), which had ditched in the sea off Crete.

May 1, 1941

The auxiliary minesweeper HMAS PATERSON, was commissioned. PATERSON was laid down as a coastal steamer in 1920, and requisitioned for the RAN on 1 May 1941.

April 30, 1941

The auxiliary minesweeper HMAS COOMBAR, was commissioned. COOMBAR was laid down in Port Glasgow, Scotland, in 1912, and requisitioned for the RAN from her owners, Wm Crosby & Co, Melbourne, on 30 January 1941.

April 29, 1941

HMAS PERTH, (cruiser), engaged a German E boat with her main armament in Kasos Strait, off Crete. The E boat withdrew at high speed.

April 28, 1941

A Seagull amphibian aircraft from HMAS PERTH, (cruiser), was shot down by German aircraft off Anti Kyrethia, Greece. The aircraft crashed into the sea, but her crew of three, (Flight Lieutenant E. V. Beaumont, RAAF, SBLT G. F. Brian, RAN, and PO Telegraphist D. Bowden), swam to a nearby island and were later rescued by HMS HAVOCK. PERTH had been sent to Greece again to embark troops at Kalamata, which was unsuccessful, and some 6000 troops were left behind to fall into German hands.

A beginning was made by the RAN in the employment of women, when 12 members of the Womens’ Emergency Signalling Corps were engaged for duty as telegraphists at Harman wireless station, Canberra, ACT.

LEUT J.H.H. Kessack, RANVR, was killed in a premature explosion while attempting to render safe an enemy mine in an English port. Kessack had dealt successfully with 10 mines before his death. He was awarded the George Medal posthumously.

April 27, 1941

HMA Ships STUART, VENDETTA, VAMPIRE, and WATERHEN, (destroyers), sailed from Suda Bay to Alexandria as escort to convoy GA12.

RAN ships evacuating troops from Greece, picked up the last message from Radio Athens as German troops entered the city; ‘Closing down for the last time and looking forward to happier days. God be with you and for you’.

April 26, 1941

HMAS PERTH, (cruiser), carried 911 Australian and New Zealand troops, and HMAS STUART, (destroyer), evacuated 109, from Tolos to Suda Bay, Crete. Earlier that night STUART had ferried 600 troops from Tolos to Navplion, where they were transferred to ORION.

April 24, 1941

Operation Demon, (the evacuation of Greece from 24-29 April), took place. HMAS PERTH, (cruiser), and HMA Ships STUART, VAMPIRE, VENDETTA, VOYAGER, and WATERHEN, (destroyers, the Scrap-Iron Flotilla?), all took part in evacuating troops from Greece, PERTH from Port Rafti, whilst STUART and VOYAGER the port of Navplion embarking 301 troops, plus a party of Australian, New Zealand, and British nurses.

HMAS VENDETTA, (destroyer), evacuated 350 ANZAC troops from the beach at Megara, in Greece. Another 70 were taken off by sister ship HMAS WATERHEN, which was giving seaward cover to the evacuation.

April 22, 1941

HMAS GEELONG, (minesweeper), was launched at Williamstown, VIC.

April 21, 1941

HMAS VENDETTA, (destroyer), sank an Italian supply schooner in a night action off Derna, Libya.

HMAS PERTH, (cruiser), and HM Ships AJAX and ORION, (cruisers), provided support for the bombardment of the port of Tripoli, (Tunisia).

April 20, 1941

HMAS VAMPIRE, (destroyer), took off the crew of the burning tanker BRITISH JUDGE, while under heavy air attack north of Crete.

April 19, 1941

HMA Ships STUART, VOYAGER, and WATERHEN, (destroyers), covered a landing by British Commandos on enemy positions near Bardia, Libya.

The German raiders ATLANTIS and KORMORAN rendezvoused in the Indian Ocean. On leaving the rendezvous KORMORAN changed her disguise to the Dutch ship STRAAT MALACCA.

April 18, 1941

Twelve telegraphists, and two stewards of the Women’s Emergency Signalling Corps, (WESC), commenced duty at the Harman W/T Station in Canberra. The WESC was the forerunner of the Women’s Royal Australian Naval Service, (WRANS), which was formed the following year.

April 16, 1941

HMAS KATOOMBA, (minesweeper), was launched at Poole and Steele’s Yard, Sydney.

April 15, 1941

The Bathurst class minesweeper, (corvette), HMAS BURNIE was commissioned. BURNIE was laid down at Mort’s Dock, Sydney, on 3 June 1940, and launched on 25 October 1940.

HMAS PERTH, (cruiser), joined ADML Cunningham’s battle fleet in the bombardment of the main Italian supply port of Tripoli.

April 14, 1941

HMAS SYDNEY embarked Australian delegates for the ABDA conference and departed for Singapore, arriving on the 19/4/41.
HMAS WATERHEN, (destroyer), rescued 430 patients and medical staff from the hospital ship VITA, bombed off Tobruk. A year later VITA was to rescue survivors from the destroyer’s sister-ship HMAS VAMPIRE.
LCDR T. K. Morrison, RAN, was awarded the OBE for gallantry while serving in HMAS HOBART during the evacuation of British Somaliland. After the Allied forces had withdrawn from the port of Berbera LCDR Morrison took the cruiser’s motor boat in close to the shore to rescue stragglers.

April 13, 1941

The destroyers HMAS STUART and HMS GRIFFIN, bombarded enemy positions at Sollum, Libya.

April 12, 1941

The siege of Tobruk started and went on for 242 days, until the 8 December. The Tobruk Ferry involved RAN destroyers making 139 runs, with HMAS VENDETTA alone making 39. VOYAGER and WATERHEN made the first runs at the beginning of May 1941, VENDETTA followed, and VAMPIRE made 2 runs before her defects caught up with her. HMA Ships taking part were STUART, VAMPIRE, VENDETTA, VOYAGER, WATERHEN, PARRAMATTA, NIZAM, and NAPIER, whilst YARRA took part in escort duties in the area.

April 10, 1941

HMAS Canberra joined military convoy WS 6 as relief for HMS PHOEBE