General Douglas MacArthur arrived in Australia and was appointed Supreme Commander of all Allied Forces in the South-West Pacific. HMS KINGSTON OLIVINE, (LEUT T. Lewis, RANVR), took in tow the ...
On This Day
Australian Naval History on 15 March 1942
A boat from HMAS PERTH, (LEUT Thode), surrendered to the Japanese at Tjilatjap, 16 days after the sinking of the cruiser in the Battle of Sunda Strait. The party of ...
Australian Naval History on 14 March 1942
HMAS TAMWORTH, (minesweeper), was launched at Walkers Ltd., QLD. She was paid off in 1946 and transferred to the Royal Netherlands Navy, and renamed TIDORE. ...
Australian Naval History on 11 March 1942
HMS NAIAD, (cruiser), was sunk while escorting a convoy to Malta. The cruiser’s First Lieutenant, LCDR A. S. Storey, RAN, was awarded the DSC for conspicuous bravery in the operation. ...
Australian Naval History on 10 March 1942
The flotilla of 7 corvettes, HMA Ships MARYBOROUGH, GOULBURN, BURNIE, BALLARAT, TOOWOOMBA, WOLLONGONG, and BENDIGO, reached Fremantle, WA, from Tjilatjap. ...
Australian Naval History on 9 March 1942
Thirteen survivors from HMAS YARRA, (sloop), were picked up by the Dutch submarine K11 in the Indian Ocean. Coastwatcher P. Good was executed by the Japanese at Kessa on Buka ...
Australian Naval History on 7 March 1942
Australian Coastwatcher SBLT A.R. Olander, RANVR, was believed executed by the Japanese in New Britain. HMAS IPSWICH, (minesweeper), was launched at Mort’s Dock, Sydney. ...
Australian Naval History on 6 March 1942
HMAS MARYBOROUGH, (minesweeper), signalled the old coal-burning Dutch ship VERSPICK, which had straggled behind the convoy: “Get all those bloody passengers into the stoke hole”. ...
Australian Naval History on 5 March 1942
VADM Nagumo’s fleet bombarded Tjilatjap, sinking 17 ships. The Dutch disputed the report, claiming 16 vessels had been scuttled in the port. Two days before the attack the Australian Minesweeping ...
Australian Naval History on 4 March 1942
HMA Ships, MARYBOROUGH, (CMDR G.L. Cant, RAN, Commander of the Australian corvettes), BURNIE, GOULBURN, BALLARAT, TOOWOOMBA, WOLLONGONG, and BENDIGO, (corvettes), were headed for Australia, from Tjilatjap. The sloop HMAS YARRA, ...
Australian Naval History on 3 March 1942
The Commonwealth Government appointed Mr Justice Lowe as Royal Commissioner to inquire into the circumstances of the Japanese air raid on Darwin on 19 February 1942. The Australian transport KOOLAMA ...
Australian Naval History on 2 March 1942
CAPT J. A. Collins, RAN, and staff of the Australian-British-Dutch-American Command, (ABDA), were evacuated by corvette HMAS BURNIE from Tjilatjap, Java. The former Japanese fishing fleet supply vessel, KOFUKO MARU, ...
Australian Naval History on 1 March 1942
HMAS PERTH, (cruiser), was sunk by enemy action. 23 officers and 333 ratings lost their lives. HMAS HOBART, (cruiser), evacuated 512 refugees from Padang and landed them at Colombo. ...
Australian Naval History on 28 February 1942
Engaged in the Battle of the Sunda Strait, HMAS PERTH, (cruiser), and USS HOUSTON, (cruiser), were attempting to force their way through the Sunda Strait when they encountered a Japanese ...
Australian Naval History on 27 February 1942
LCDR F. N. Cook, RAN, was Senior Naval Officer at the beach-head during the British Commando and parachute raid on German radio location stations at Bruneval, France. Cook was awarded ...
Australian Naval History on 26 February 1942
RADM Karl Doorman, (Dutch Navy), sailed with his fleet of five cruisers, including HMAS PERTH, and nine destroyers, from Sourabaya. At the same time a striking force formed on HMAS ...
Australian Naval History on 25 February 1942
HMAS KUTTABUL, a former Sydney Harbour ferry, was commissioned as an accommodation vessel. HM Submarine P38 was sunk by the Italian torpedo boats, CIRCE and USODIMARE, off Tunisia. The First ...
Australian Naval History on 24 February 1942
HMAS YARRA, (sloop), passed her last mail to HMAS VENDETTA, (destroyer), 200 miles south of Christmas Island. VENDETTA was being towed south from Singapore to Australia for repair. YARRA returned ...
Australian Naval History on 23 February 1942
HMAS WARRNAMBOOL rescued 40 survivors from the bombed merchant vessel FLORENCE D and the crew of a downed Catalina flying boat from Bathurst Island. The veteran cruiser HMAS ADELAIDE, rendezvoused ...
Australian Naval History on 20 February 1942
HMAS PLATYPUS, (depot ship), made the following signal to all RAN units in northern waters:- “Intention is to hold Darwin”. The signal was repeated during all subsequent Japanese air attacks ...
Australian Naval History on 19 February 1942
Japanese bombers attacked Darwin. HMA Ships MAVIE and KELAT, USS PEARY, and merchant ships BRITISH MOTORIST, NEPTUNA, ZEALANDIA, MAUNA LOA, and MEIGS, were sunk. HMA Ships PLATYPUS, SWAN, GUNBAR, WARREGO, ...
Australian Naval History on 18 February 1942
HMAS WALLAROO, (minesweeper), was launched at Poole and Steel, Sydney. ...
Australian Naval History on 17 February 1942
Waves of Japanese aircraft bombed a convoy escorted by HMA Ships SWAN, WARREGO, VOYAGER, ARMIDALE, and CASTLEMAINE, in the Timor Sea. Despite the concerted attack the convoy reached Koepang, (Dutch ...
Australian Naval History on 16 February 1942
The naval tug HMAS FORCEFUL was commissioned. FORCEFUL was laid down in Alex Stephen & Sons, Govan, Scotland, and launched on 20 November 1925, for MacDonald Hamilton & Co. She ...
Australian Naval History on 15 February 1942
The cruiser, HMAS HOBART, (CAPT H. L. Howden, RAN), was attacked by 109 Japanese aircraft in 13 attacks in the Dutch East Indies. HOBART escaped. The Island of Singapore was ...