On This Day

1942 > WW2

December 23, 1942

The Bathurst class minesweeper, (corvette), HMAS WAGGA, (LEUT D. K. Cracknell, RANR), was commissioned. WAGGA was laid down in Mort’s Dock, Sydney, 9 March 1942, and launched on 25 July 1942.

The auxiliary boom defence vessel HMAS KOOMPARTOO, was commissioned. KOOMPARTOO was laid down in Walsh Island, Newcastle, NSW, in 1922. She was transferred to the RAN, from the British Ministry of War Transport, in October 1942.

December 21, 1942

HMAS QUIBERON, (destroyer), took off troops and crew from the bombed and burning transport STRATHALLAN, torpedoed off North Africa.

December 15, 1942

HMAS CASTLEMAINE, (minesweeper), beat off Japanese aircraft attacks on the convoy she was escorting on the north Australian coast.

December 13, 1942

HMA Ships COLAC, BALLARAT, BROOME, and WHYALLA, (minesweepers), landed troops at Buna, New Guinea.

December 12, 1942

Merchant vessel MERKUR was requisitioned by the RAN and converted to a victualling ship.

December 9, 1942

HMAS LANIKAI, (auxiliary boom defence vessel), was commissioned. LANIKAI was lost in a storm in the Philippines in 1946.

December 7, 1942

HMAS BUNGAREE, (minelayer), laid a defensive minefield along the Great Barrier Reef QLD, to protect shipping lanes from Japanese submarine attacks.

December 3, 1942

HMAS COOTAMUNDRA, (minesweeper), was launched at Poole & Steel’s Yard, Sydney. On the same day HMAS PIRIE was launched at Whyalla, SA.

December 2, 1942

HMAS QUIBERON, (destroyer), with HM Ships ARGONAUT, AURORA, SINUS, and QUENTIN, sank the Italian destroyer FOLGORE, and four merchant ships, in a point-blank night attack off Skerki Bank, North Africa.

HMAS KURU, (auxiliary patrol boat), fought off 23 attacks by 44 Japanese aircraft in the Arafura Sea. An estimated 200 bombs fell in close proximity to the 23 metre wooden vessel. Although damaged by near-misses, KURU arrived safely at Darwin on 3 December.

A motorboat from HMAS ARMIDALE, (minesweeper), set out for Darwin to obtain assistance for other survivors on rafts. The boat was sighted by an RAAF reconnaissance aircraft on 5 December, 150 miles north-east of the position where ARMIDALE sank. HMAS KALGOORLIE found the boat next day. The 35 men on the rafts were never recovered.

December 1, 1942

The minesweeper HMAS ARMIDALE, (LCDR D. H. Richards, RAN), was sunk by 12 Japanese bombers, 70 miles south of Betano Bay, Timor. ARMIDALE was involved in the re-supply of Australian and Dutch forces fighting a guerilla campaign against Japanese forces in Timor. The ship was struck by two torpedoes, and sank within a few minutes, with the loss of over 2 officers, 38 ratings, and 37 Dutch native troops. Japanese aircraft then machine gunned the survivors in the water. OS Teddy Sheean, despite being mortally wounded, remained at his 20 mm Oerlikon gun, and continued to fire at the attacking aircraft, even when his position had gone under water. He was credited with shooting down one of the enemy aircraft, and driving the others off. Sheean was later posthumously awarded a MID, and in 2001 a Collins class submarine was commissioned as HMAS SHEEAN in his honour. This was the first and only time a ship of the RAN had been named in honour of a sailor.

HMAS KURU recorded in her Report of Proceedings:- ‘Attacks by Japanese bombers off Timor: Two on my bows, about 10 feet off, one aft, which blew up our assault boat which was being towed by 10 feet of line. The straddle shook up the ship’s clock, an eight day striking clock, and rang the bell. One of the ratings, Signalman Jamieson, looked up at the planes and said “Tojo, you’ve got a bloody cigar”.’

November 30, 1942

RAAF Beaufighters of No. 31 Squadron, drove off 14 Japanese fighters and bombers which were attacking HMA Ships CASTLEMAINE and ARMIDALE, (minesweepers), in the Arafura Sea.

November 28, 1942

HMAS QUIBERON and HMS QUENTIN sank the Italian submarine DESSIE, north of Bone, North Africa. HMA Ships BALLARAT and KATOOMBA, (minesweepers), were attacked by 10 Japanese dive bombers west of Buna. The ships escaped serious damage, shot down one aircraft, and damaged two. In the Indian Ocean HMAS Adelaide (I) intercepted the German blockade runner Ramses, flying a Norwegian ensign and identifying herself as Taiyang. Adelaide did not fall for the ruse and opened fire. Ramses’ crew abandoned ship and scuttled her.

November 26, 1942

HMAS ADELAIDE, (cruiser), intercepted the German blockade runner RAMSES in the Indian Ocean. RAMSES was sunk by gunfire, and 88 survivors, plus a dog and a pig, were picked up.

HMAS GLADSTONE, (minesweeper), was launched at Maryborough, QLD.

November 23, 1942

The Tribal class destroyer, HMAS WARRAMUNGA, (CMDR E. F. V. Dechaineux, RAN), was commissioned. WARRAMUNGA was laid down in Cockatoo Island Dockyard on 10 February 1940, and launched on 7 February 1942. Mrs F. M. Forde, (wife of the Minister for the Army), performed the launching ceremony.

HMAS URALBA, (minefield tender), was commissioned. The vessel served on the east coast of Australia, and in New Guinea. In 1971, URALBA was sunk in Port Phillip, VIC, to form an artificial reef.

November 22, 1942

The minefield tender HMAS URALBA, was commissioned. URALBA was laid down in E Wright Yard, Tuncurry, NSW, in 1942. She was requisitioned for the RAN, from her owners, the North Coast Steam Navigation Co, NSW, on 13 July 1942.

November 18, 1942

The Bathurst class minesweeper, (corvette), HMAS HORSHAM, was commissioned. HORSHAM was laid down in Williamstown Naval Dockyard, VIC, on 26 June 1941, and launched on 16 May 1942.

The Garden Island Company of the Volunteer Defence Corps commenced training. The Company was initially a RAN unit. It was armed with Oerlikon guns, machine-guns and small arms, and trained to resist commando-type raids on the dockyard. The unit was absorbed into the Army later in the war.

November 16, 1942

The Bathurst class minesweeper, (corvette), HMAS GLENELG, was commissioned. GLENELG was laid down in Cockatoo Island Dockyard, Sydney, on 2 March 1942, and launched on 22 September 1942. Mrs H. V. Evatt, (Wife of the Attorney- General and Minister for External Affairs), performed the launching ceremony.

November 13, 1942

HMAS BURRA BRA, (target vessel), was commissioned. BURRA BRA was a former Sydney Harbour ferry, and was later employed as an anti-submarine training ship at Jervis Bay, NSW.

November 12, 1942

Coastwatcher SBLT M. Wright, RANVR, was landed by the US submarine S42 at Adler Bay, New Britain, to determine the natives’ loyalty. Wright remained a week behind the Japanese lines, and was taken off by S42. He was awarded the DSC for outstanding gallantry.

HMAS FAURO CHIEF, (auxiliary ketch), drove off a Japanese submarine in a point-blank gun battle at Misima, Louisiade Archipelago. FAURO CHIEF matched her single Vickers machine-gun against the submarine’s 4-inch gun and other weapons.

November 11, 1942

AB H. Hammond, RANR, was awarded the DSM for his courage and cool leadership. He commanded the single 4-inch gun mounted in the tanker ONDINA, in an engagement in which the tanker and her escort, HMIS BENGAL, defeated the heavily armed Japanese raiders HOKOKU MARU and AIKOKU MARU, in the Indian Ocean. 1943 The Fremantle-based US Submarines BOEFIN and CAPELIN, sank three Japanese ships. BOWFIN torpedoed two small tankers in Sibutu Passage, and CAPELIN torpedoed the transport KUNITAMA MARU, north of Timor.

November 10, 1942

Australian Coastwatcher, LEUT P. E. Mason, RANVR, signalled from Buin:- ‘At least 61 ships this area viz 2 Nati, 1 Aoba, 1 Mogambi, 1 Kis, 1 Tatsuta, 2 sloops, 33 destroyers, 17 cargo, 2 tankers, and 1 passenger liner of 8000 tons’. Mason identified the cruisers by their class names from a page of Jane’s Fighting Ships.

November 9, 1942

The Bathurst class minesweeper, (corvette), HMAS BOWEN, (LEUT G. L. Olsen, RAN), was commissioned. BOWEN was laid down in Walker’s Yard, Maryborough, QLD, on 9 February 1942, and launched on 11 July 1942. Mrs G. Crittall performed the launching ceremony.

November 8, 1942

HMAS QUIBERON, (destroyer), participated in Operation Torch, the Allied landing in North Africa.

November 7, 1942

Coastwatcher LEUT W. J. Read, RANVR, on the north end of Bougainville, reported a convoy of 12 Japanese ships steaming south for the Solomons.

The USN requisitioned the following Australian vessels between 7 and 17 November:- KAROORA, WORTANNA, MULCRA, NOORA, and ARGOSY LEMAL. The latter vessel was a small, auxiliary engined, schooner rigged coaster.

November 6, 1942

The Bathurst class minesweeper, (corvette), HMAS LATROBE, was commissioned. LATROBE was laid down in Mort’s Dock, Sydney, on 27 January 1942, and launched on 19 June 1942. The Reverend A. G. Rix, (of St John’s Parish, which included Mort’s Dock in it’s boundaries), performed the launching ceremony.