- Author
- Zammitt, Alan
- Subjects
- Biographies and personal histories
- Tags
- RAN Ships
- HMAS Australia II
- Publication
- September 1981 edition of the Naval Historical Review (all rights reserved)
On May 24th Australia sailed for England with a very large ship’s company, some of whom were to stand by during her refit, but the majority, including Victor Zammit and the writer, were intended to commission the light fleet carrier HMS Ocean, to be commanded by Captain J.M. Armstrong, DSO, RAN. Ocean’s Air Department and Carrier Air Group were to be Royal Navy. This ship was to have been the RAN’s first aircraft carrier, and was a near sister to the actual first, HMAS Sydney (II), but strangely this plan for the RAN to commission Ocean on 1st July 1945 is not mentioned in any of the RAN history books, although the proposal to commission a carrier is given about two lines in the official history.
During the voyage Captain Armstrong had Australia’s crew very highly trained and worked up to the peak of efficiency.
While in the Pacific we steamed at 18 knots on a zig-zag course. WT (radio) silence was only broken in harbour. The ship’s company would exercise Dawn Action Stations, where we would remain closed up for about 45 minutes. During one dawn action stations all 8 inch and 4 inch guns were fired. Even with the loss of ‘X’ turret Australia still mounted six 8 inch guns, each of which could fire four 256 lb projectiles per minute. These were quite heavy shells when compared with the 6 inch cruisers which only fired a 112 pound shell.
As a daily routine we would also go to evening quarters or exercise action stations. During a couple of afternoons AA gun practice was carried out, the target being either balloons or rocket delivered targets.
During the dog watches we would darken ship and go to Dusk Action Stations.
Entering or leaving harbour we would also go to action stations as, like dawn and dusk, it was a danger period. At night, smoking was not allowed on the upper deck or mess decks, anyone wanting a smoke had to go to the heads.
When we were about halfway across the Pacific, during one middle watch our radar picked up a surface contact. Captain Armstrong increased speed and changed the zig-zag pattern. The ship’s company closed up at action stations, remaining closed up until 0800. On another occasion we altered course to investigate a ship, which turned out to be USS Lamont.
Australia made a one day call at Bora Bora; the United States Forces had made this island into a refuelling base and had constructed an airstrip. In 1917 Encounter had searched these same islands in search of Von Luckner.
At Bora Bora some of us were able to buy US Navy blue shirts and blue jean trousers. In 1945 the RAN working clothes were either blue boiler suits or No. 3s, but the US Navy shirts and jeans were much more suitable than the RAN overalls. In 1948 the RAN issued No. 8s, blue shirts and trousers. Jeans did not become popular civilian wear until well after the war.
After leaving Bora Bora, we drew near the equator. Below decks, with the scuttles always closed at sea and the hatches closed at night, humidity and stale air made it impossible to sleep properly. It was no wonder some sailors ended up with TB. Many of the ship’s company slept on the upper deck, but frequently in the early hours of the morning we would get a tropical rain squall. We would make a dash for the closed hatches with only manholes open, covered with heavy darkened ship canvas screens. With a large queue to get below one usually got wet anyhow.
When it was too wet to sleep on the upper deck, it was hard to find somewhere to sleep below. All the hammock slings were taken up by the regular lower deck sleepers and often the only space left was under tables or on top of lockers. Australia was lucky in having a lot of living space compared with other warships. Crews on smaller ships suffered far greater hardships than we did.
This article is for the benefit of many members of the Naval Historical Society who were born too late to have served at sea during the 1939-45 war. For those who have served, I know my experiences are pretty tame compared with yours.