On This Day

1943 > WW2

December 29, 1943

CMDR D. H. Harries, RAN, assumed command of HMS SHROPSHIRE, (cruiser), to supervise refit and transfer to the RAN.

December 26, 1943

HMA Ships Australia (II) (Captain HB Farncomb, DSO, MVO, RAN), Shropshire (Captain JA Collins, CB, RAN), Arunta (I) (Commander AE Buchanan, RAN) and Warramunga (I) (Captain EFV Dechaineux, DSC, RAN) bombarded enemy targets at Cape Gloucester, New Britain, in preparation for Allied landings.

Over the course of 80 minutes, the four vessels expended over 700 rounds of 8-inch, nearly 900 rounds of 4.7-inch, and nearly 100 rounds of 4-inch ammunition. By the end of the day 12,500 troops and 7600 tons of supplies had been landed at Cape Gloucester.

December 25, 1943

A Japanese coastwatcher on Cape Ward Hunt reported TF74, HMA Ships AUSTRALIA, SHROPSHIRE, WARRAMUNGA, and ARUNTA, and US Ships HELM and RALPH TALBOT, heading towards Cape Gloucester.

 

December 24, 1943

HMAS IPSWICH, (minesweeper), landed 134 survivors from the torpedoed merchant ship PESHAWAR, at Madras, India.

December 23, 1943

HMAS IPSWICH, (minesweeper), picked up 134 survivors from the torpedoed transport PESHAWAR, and landed them at Madras, India. IPSWICH, and HMIS ORISSA, carried out depth-charge attacks on the submarine.

December 20, 1943

HMAS GASCOYNE, (frigate), was commissioned under CMDR J. Donovan, RAN, at Sydney.

December 18, 1943

HMAS Gladstone, in company with HMA Ships Gympie (I) and Stawell (I), were escorting convoy TN 192 of eight ships with troops embarked bound for Milne Bay when almost the entire convoy ran aground on Bougainville Reef in the Great Barrier Reef just after 9:30pm that evening. Gladstone had observed Aldis Lamp signals down the convoy and intercepted the word “hit”. Assuming that the convoy was under attack, the ship closed up at action stations, altered course towards the ship thought to be under attack and increased speed. She then prepared to attack with a full pattern of depth charges. Luckily for Gladstone, less than a minute after going to actions stations, she observed the signal “am aground” enabling her to reduce speed and prevent a hard grounding on the reef. As it was, Gladstone made a soft grounding and, thanks to some masterful manoeuvring of the vessel, was refloated 42 minutes later. She navigated her way clear of the reef and waited, in company with Gympie and Stawell, until daylight.

December 15, 1943

Engaged in Operation Dexterity, HMA Ships AUSTRALIA and SHROPSHIRE, (cruisers), ARUNTA and WARRAMUNGA, (destroyers), bombarded Japanese positions, while HMAS WESTRALIA landed troops at Arawe.

December 8, 1943

The Advisory War Council abolished convoys for shipping south of Newcastle. The order was issued following the reduction in Japanese submarine activities on the east coast of Australia.

December 6, 1943

HMAS POYANG, (ammunition carrier), was commissioned.

December 3, 1943

HMAS STUART, (destroyer), stood by and escorted to Brisbane USS GUARDFISH, (submarine), which was damaged in a collision with a tender.

November 29, 1943

HMA Ships ARUNTA and WARRAMUNGA, (destroyers), with the US Ships RALPH TALBOT and HELM, bombarded Japanese positions at Gasmata.

November 27, 1943

The Fremantle-based USS BOWFIN, (submarine), sank the Japanese transport VAN VOLLENHOVEN, in the South China Sea.

November 26, 1943

The Fremantle-based USS BOWFIN, (submarine), sank the Japanese tanker OGURASAN MARU, and the transport TAINAN MARU, off Mindanao.

November 18, 1943

The River class frigate HMAS GASCOYNE, (LCDR J. Donovan, RAN), was commissioned. GASCOYNE was laid down in Mort’s Dock, Sydney, on 3 July 1942, and launched on 20 February 1943. Lady Wakehurst, (Wife of the Governor of New South Wales), performed the launching.

November 16, 1943

HMAS JUNEE, (minesweeper), was launched at Poole & Steel, Sydney.

November 15, 1943

The Fremantle-based USS SEAL, (submarine), sank the Japanese transport BOSTON MARU, off Palau. SEAL was damaged in the action when she was rammed by another vessel in the convoy, but reached port safely.

November 9, 1943

The Fremantle-based USS BOWFIN, (submarine), sank four Japanese cargo schooners with gunfire, near Macassar Strait.

November 6, 1943

Coastwatchers CAPT C. W. Seton, RAN, and LEUT A. N. A. Waddell, RAN, of M-Special Unit, met US Marines on the beach at Choiseul, Solomon Islands, and guided them in an assault on Japanese positions.

November 2, 1943

LEUT J.Plunkett-Cole, RAN, assumed command of HMAS NEPAL, (destroyer). Plunkett-Cole was the only RAN officer to command all four N class destroyers in the Australian Squadron.

October 25, 1943

The Fremantle-based USS GUARDFISH, (submarine), landed a party of Coastwatchers on Bougainville.

October 22, 1943

HMAS KURU, (auxiliary patrol vessel), which played an important role in supplying the Australian Commandos operating in occupied Timor, was paid off. The vessel later sank at her moorings in Darwin Harbour, and was abandoned.

October 21, 1943

Coastwatcher SBLT Rev W. G. G. Wiedemann, RANVR, enlisted direct into the service from his Victorian parish, to provide on-the-spot information for the planned Allied landing at Cape Gloucester. Wiedemann wrote: ‘I was in the Parish of Kilmore, VIC, and they wanted anyone who had been on Cape Gloucester. They could not find anyone, so the Sixth Army got in touch with me, and we did a terrain study in Melbourne. Then, the next thing they wanted was for me to join up with the Marines as a civilian. Just as they were getting that through, they decided it would be better if I went up with the Marines as a combatant, and it was necessary for me to have a commission to move among the big fellows, generals, etc., so they thought of the Navy. They got busy and got things moving, so that I was able to commission, and was attached to HMAS LONSDALE for convenience sake. That was going on when we sailed on 26 September, 1943. I was brought into the RAN on 21 October, 1943’.

October 20, 1943

The Fremantle-based US Ships KINGFISH and CABRILLA, (submarines), were deployed on missions in Philippine waters. KINGFISH landed British Coastwatchers and their equipment in Borneo, laid a minefield off the Celebes, and sank the Japanese transport SANA MARU in the South China Sea. CABRILLA evacuated resistance agents from Negros Island.

October 19, 1943

The commando ship KRAIT arrived back at Exmouth Gulf, WA, after the raid on Singapore, (Operation Jaywick).