HMA Ships AUSTRALIA, CANBERRA, and HOBART, joined the Allied Fleet for Operation Watchtower, the invasion of the Solomon Islands. ...
Australian Units
Australian Naval History on 30 June 1942
From the outbreak of WWII, to 30 June 1942, Australian naval dockyards fitted 288 merchant ships with defensive armament, 275 with para-vane mine protection gear, and degaussed 296 vessels. In ...
Australian Naval History on 29 June 1942
The Bathurst class minesweeper, (corvette), HMAS IPSWICH, (LCDR J.S. McBryde, RANR) was commissioned. IPSWICH was laid down in Evans Deakin Yard, Brisbane, on 6 March 1941, and launched on 11 ...
Australian Naval History on 23 June 1942
HMAS BANGALOW, (survey tender), was commissioned. The vessel was also employed as minesweeper, and a troop transport, in forward areas. HMAS KAPUNDA, (minesweeper), was launched at Poole & Steel, Sydney. ...
Australian Naval History on 19 June 1942
HMAS LATROBE, (minesweeper), was launched at Mort’s Dock, Sydney. ...
Australian Naval History on 17 June 1942
The Bathurst class minesweeper, (corvette), HMAS CASTLEMAINE, (LCDR P. J. Sullivan, RANR(S)), was commissioned. CASTLEMAINE was laid down in Williamstown Dockyard, Melbourne, on 17 February 1941, and launched on 7 ...
Australian Naval History on 16 June 1942
Australian Coastwatcher SBLT Cornelius Lyons Page, RANVR, was captured by the Japanese on Tabar Island. Page was later executed. The tug HMAS ELWING was commissioned. ELWING was laid down in ...
Australian Naval History on 15 June 1942
HMAS NESTOR was severely damaged when near-missed by two heavy bombs, 100 miles north of Tobruk. NESTOR was an escort for the Operation Vigorous convoy to Malta. The destroyer was ...
Australian Naval History on 14 June 1942
HMA Ships NAPIER, NIZAM, NESTOR, and NORMAN, (destroyers), were subjected to ceaseless air attacks whilst escorting an eleven-ship eastern Mediterranean convoy, and were forced to turn back to Alexandria, well ...
Australian Naval History on 12 June 1942
The Japanese submarine I-24, torpedoed and sank the Panamanian steamer GUATEMALA, 40 miles north-east of Sydney. The crew of 51 were picked up by HMAS DOOMBA. ...
Australian Naval History on 11 June 1942
The Bathurst class minesweeper, (corvette), HMAS ARMIDALE, (LCDR D. H. Richards, RANR(S)), was commissioned. ARMIDALE was laid down in Mort’s Dock, Balmain, Sydney, on 1 September 1941, and launched on ...
Australian Naval History on 8 June 1942
HMA Ships ARUNTA, KALGOORLIE, ROCKHAMPTON, DOOMBA, MORESBY, BINGERA, YANDRA, KYBRA, and WHYALLA were assigned to convoy escort duties from Sydney as a result of the Japanese raid on Sydney Harbour. ...
Australian Naval History on 6 June 1942
The Japanese submarine I-24 attacked the merchant vessel ECHUNGA, 17 miles south-east of Port Kembla, but was kept at bay by the ship’s gun, until HMAS KALGOORLIE, (corvette),arrived on the ...
Australian Naval History on 3 June 1942
At 2200 hours the Australian coastal steamer AGE, came under attack from gunfire from a Japanese submarine, near Norah Head, NSW. The ship reached Newcastle without being hit. At midnight ...
Australian Naval History on 1 June 1942
During the attack on Sydney Harbour by Japanese midget submarines, a torpedo fired by one of the submarines at USS CHICAGO, (cruiser), missed the target and struck the sea wall ...
Australian Naval History on 31 May 1942
Three Japanese midget submarines were released from their mother submarines off the east coast of Australia and commenced an attack on Sydney Harbour. The alarm was raised when one of ...
Australian Naval History on 29 May 1942
The destroyer HMAS NEPAL, (CMDR F.B. Morris, RAN), was commissioned at Woolston, England. A Japanese Navy seaplane from the submarine I-21, flew over Sydney and Newcastle, at night, to conduct ...
Australian Naval History on 27 May 1942
The lugger HMAS GRIFFIOEN, was commissioned. GRIFFIOEN was acquired on loan from the Royal Netherlands Navy. The auxiliary patrol vessel HMAS KURU, (LEUT J Joel, RANVR), made contact with the ...
Australian Naval History on 22 May 1942
The repair ship HMAS PING WO, (LCDR D. M. Clarke, RANR), was commissioned. PING WO was a former Yangtse River ferry The ship had escaped from Singapore in February 1942, ...
Australian Naval History on 21 May 1942
HMAS NIZAM, (destroyer), was quarantined at Kilindini with an epidemic of influenza aboard. ...
Australian Naval History on 16 May 1942
HMAS HORSHAM, (minesweeper), was launched at Williamstown Dockyard, VIC, and HMAS BUNBURY, (minesweeper), was launched at Evans Deakin, Brisbane They were a part of the programme of 60 vessels of ...
Australian Naval History on 13 May 1942
HMAS TOWNSVILLE, (minesweeper), was launched at Evans Deakin, Brisbane. ...
Australian Naval History on 12 May 1942
The Bathurst class minesweeper, (corvette), HMAS CAIRNS, (LCDR R. E. MacMillan, RANR(S)), was commissioned. CAIRNS was laid down at Walker’s Yard, Maryborough, QLD, on 31 March 1941, and launched on ...
Australian Naval History on 8 May 1942
HMA Ships AUSTRALIA and HOBART continued to patrol the western part of the Coral Sea, to prevent Japanese transports moving towards Port Moresby. US air attacks in the eastern Coral ...
Australian Naval History on 7 May 1942
HMA Ships AUSTRALIA and HOBART, (Task Force 44, under RADM John Crace, RN), were attacked by 19 Japanese land based aircraft during the Battle of the Coral Sea. While some ...