On This Day

1943 > WW2

March 11, 1943

Superintending Sister Annie Ina Laidlaw was appointed RANNS Matron

March 1, 1943

Stoker Cecil Stokes of HMAS PERTH, dies from Malaria on the Thai Burma Railway. He was the first PERTH survivor to succumb to disease and ill treatment during the construction of the infamous Burma railway.

February 25, 1943

General Patch, Commanding General at Guadalcanal, signalled the Australian Coastwatchers: “Your magnificent and courageous work has contributed in great measure to success of operations on Guadalcanal”. ADML Turner, Commanding US Amphibious Forces signalled: “Large share credit our successes against enemy due splendid men in Coastwatcher service”.

February 22, 1943

Convoy Pamphlet, consisting of the super liners QUEEN MARY, AQUITANIA, ILE DE FRANCE and NIEUW AMSTERDAM, and the armed merchant cruiser QUEEN OF BERMUDA, sailed from Fremantle to the Middle East to embark the Australian 9th Division, which was returning to Australia. The convoy was escorted at times by Australian, British, Dutch, and US warships.

February 20, 1943

HMAS GASCOYNE, (frigate), was launched at Mort’s Dock, Sydney, and HMAS ATARAT, (minesweeper), was launched at Evans Deakin, QLD. ARARAT was the only Australian minesweeper to bear a ‘K’ pennant number.

 

February 12, 1943

CMDR G. G. O. Gatacre, DSC, RAN, was awarded a Bar to the DSC for conspicuous gallantry while serving in HMAS AUSTRALIA during the Battle of the Solomon Islands.

LEUT G. Howe, RANR(S), piloted a captured Japanese sampan at night through the enemy-held Russell Islands on a reconnaissance mission by US troops. He was awarded the USA Legion of Merit for contributing to the strategic planning of the Allied campaign in the region.

February 10, 1943

HMAS WARRAMUNGA, (Tribal class destroyer), picked up survivors from the merchant-ship STARR KING, torpedoed and sunk by the Japanese submarine I-21 east of Sydney.

February 8, 1943

HMA Ships TOWNSVILLE and MILDURA, (corvettes), were escorting a convoy when the Japanese submarine I-21, (CAPT Matsumura), torpedoed the Australian merchant ship IRON KNIGHT, off Montague Island, NSW. Some survivors were picked up by the French ship LE TRIOMPHANT, (destroyer).

February 5, 1943

Reverend L. N. Kentish, Methodist missionary, was executed by Japanese troops on Dobo Island in the Arafura Sea. The Japanese rescued Kentish from the sea after HMAS PATRICIA CAM was sunk. He was suspected of organising Coastwatcher operations in the Arafura Sea.

February 2, 1943

HMAS MANOORA returned to service after conversion from an armed merchant cruiser to a landing ship, infantry.

HMAS WHYALLA, (minesweeper), bombarded Japanese fortifications at McLaren Harbour, New Guinea.

February 1, 1943

HMS WELSHMAN, (minelayer), was sunk off Crete. LCDR L. Gellatly, DSC, RAN was serving in the ship when she was lost, but he survived the sinking. He had been awarded the DSC for service in WELSHMAN in 1942 and was later MID for his fortitude and devotion to duty when the vessel was sunk.

The Bathurst class minesweeper, (corvette), HMAS SHEPPARTON, (CMDR C. G. Little, RN), was commissioned at Melbourne. Lady Goudie, (Wife of the Commissioner of Public Works, Victoria), performed the launching ceremony. SHEPPARTON was laid down in Williamstown Dockyard, Melbourne, on 14 November 1941, and launched on 15 August 1942.

The anti-submarine training ship/target ship HMAS BURRA BRA, was commissioned. BURRA BRA was laid down in Mort’s Dock, Sydney, in 1908, as a passenger ferry. She was requisitioned for the RAN on 13 March 1942, and converted for naval service by Poole & Steel Ltd, Sydney.

January 29, 1943

HMAS KURU, (patrol vessel), rescued 16 survivors of HMAS PATRICIA CAM from Marchinbar Island in the Arafura Sea.

January 28, 1943

The examination vessel HMAS JOHN OXLEY was commissioned. JOHN OXLEY was laid down in Bow, McLachlan & Co, Paisley, Scotland, in 1927, and requisitioned from her owners, the Queensland Government Harbours and Marine Department on 28 January 1943.

HMAS STUART, (destroyer), was damaged in a collision with the US Liberty ship HENRY DEARBORN at Townsville.

January 26, 1943

HMAS Abraham Crijnssen while escorting a Sydney bound convoy through Bass Strait, Crijnssen in company with the corvette HMAS Bundaberg made a firm ASDIC contact displaying all the characteristics of a submarine approximately 700 yards on her port beam. Action stations were sounded and orders quickly passed to the engine room to increase to full speed. Two depth charges were hastily dropped over the stern and set to explode at the shallow setting of 50 feet. The resultant explosion sent columns of water soaring into the air and shook Crijnssen violently. Lieutenant Chapman wrote of the incident: “The Crijnssen had not picked up sufficient speed from her patrol speed and two depth charges set at 50 feet severely shook up the after section, smashing every bit of crockery, tearing off light switches and fittings and fracturing several minor pipe lines. Queen Wilhelmina crashed to the deck, King George was hanging crazily on one screw but Miss Hayworth was completely secure.”

Natives from Marchinbar Island rescued survivors from HMAS PATRICIA CAM. Coastwatcher Jensen radioed Darwin and arranged their evacuation.

January 23, 1943

The examination vessel HMAS MATTHEW FLINDERS was commissioned. MATTHEW FLINDERS was laid down in Fleming & Ferguson Ltd, Paisley, Scotland, in 1914. She was requisitioned by the RAN from the Queensland Government on 23 January 1943.

 

January 22, 1943

The Japanese submarine I-21 torpedoed the merchant ship PETER H BURNETT 420 miles east of Sydney. The destroyer USS ZANE, and corvettes HMAS DELORAINE and HMAS GYMPIE, were sent to tow her back to Sydney. They failed, and eventually the task was handed to the corvette HMAS MILDURA, (LCDR C. J. P. Guille, OBE, RANR), which carried a heavier, (but non-regulation), towing cable. MILDURA succeeded in bringing the stricken vessel safely to Sydney Harbour. Within weeks all corvettes were instructed to carry the heavier style towing cable.

The stores vessel, HMAS PATRICIA CAM, (LEUT A. C. Meldrum, RANR), was attacked and sunk by a Japanese sea plane off the Wessel Islands in northern Australia. The plane attacked from out of the sun with engines cut and dropped a single bomb which struck amidships, and blew the bottom out of the ship. PATRICIA CAM sank within one minute. The Japanese aircraft then attacked the survivors in the water with another bomb, and machine gun fire, before landing among the survivors, picking up the Reverend L. N. Kentish, who was taking passage in PATRICIA CAM to his mission at Echo Island. The aircraft then departed. The survivors from PATRACIA CAM managed to get ashore and were rescued seven days later by HMAS KURU. 5 ratings and 3 natives onboard were killed in the attack, or died from wounds and exposure. The Reverend Kentish was taken to Dobo, (Aru Islands Group), where he was questioned and later executed by the Japanese.

January 18, 1943

First training course for WRAN officers began at Flinders Naval Depot. The Australian tanker MOBILUBE was torpedoed by the Japanese submarine I-21, 60 miles from Sydney.

January 17, 1943

Japanese submarine I-21 sank the merchant ship KALINGO, 110 miles east of Sydney.

January 16, 1943

Brisbane-based US submarines GREENLING and GROWLER, sank the Japanese transports KINPOSAN MARU and CHIFUKU MARU off Rabaul.

January 15, 1943

Stoker G. H. McCredie and Steward R. Smith, of HMAS PERTH, died of wounds following the bombing of the POW ships MIKITIEI MARU and MOJI MARU by Allied planes in the Bay of Bengal.

January 10, 1943

The destroyer, HMAS ARUNTA, (CMDR J. C. Morrow, RAN), arrived at Darwin with 24 officers and 258 other ranks of Lancer Force, and 31 Portuguese evacuated from Betano Bay, Timor. An earlier attempt to evacuate the force resulted in the loss of HMAS VOYAGER.

January 5, 1943

The following awards were made to HMAS VENDETTA, (destroyer), “for courage, endurance and devotion to duty” while under Japanese air attack in dock at Singapore, and during the tow of the then immobilised vessel from Singapore to Melbourne:-DSC LEUT W. G. Whitting RANR(S)DSC Gunner (T) J. C. Lace DSM CPO A. J. ThorneDSM DSM AB W. Roberetson

January 3, 1943

The Bathurst class minesweeper, (corvette), HMAS BUNBURY, (LEUT J. S. Bell RANR(S)), was commissioned. Mrs F. A. Cooper, (Wife of the Treasurer of Queensland), performed the launching ceremony. BUNBURY was laid down on 1 November 1941, in Evans Deakin Yard, QLD, and launched on 16 May 1942.

January 2, 1943

HMAS WHYALLA, (corvette), and survey vessels STELLA and POLARIS, were attacked by 18 Japanese aircraft while surveying in the Milne Bay area.

January 1, 1943

HMAS MINDARI, (gunnery instruction centre), was commissioned at Woolloomooloo, Sydney.

CMDR N. K. Calder, RAN, was appointed to OBE for dedicated service while commanding HMAS BUNGAREE in mine-laying operations in the Pacific.

Coastwatcher LEUT W. J. Read, RANVR, arranged the evacuation of 29 civilians from Teop Harbour, Bougainville. The party was taken off by the USS NAUTILUS (submarine).

The shore establishment, HMAS BASILISK, was commissioned at Port Moresby, New Guinea.

The store-carrier, HMAS MATAFELE, (LCDR C. F. Symonds, RN), was commissioned. MATAFELE was laid down in Hong Kong in 1938 and served with Burns Philp & Co Ltd. She was requisitioned by the RAN on 1 January 1943, and commissioned at sea.