Naval Historical Society of Australia

Preserving Australia's Naval History

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HMAS Yarra, 1936-1942 The Story of a Gallant Sloop

HMAS Yarra 1936-42 – The Story of a Gallant Sloop

$10.00 – $75.00

Between 1936 and 1942, HMAS Yarra and her crew served Australia in peace and war, in Australian waters, the Red Sea, the Mediterranean, the Persian Gulf and finally South East Asia. Yarra was lost on 4 March, 1942 in a valiant fight against overwhelming odds, in defence of the ships she was escorting. All but 13 of her complement of 151 perished in this action.  Arthur Parry, who served in Yarra during all of her overseas service up until mid-February 1942, made a promise to his crewmates to tell their story, and this book is the culmination of that promise.

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Description

Told by someone who was there, the book gives readers a “crews-eye view” of life on HMAS Yarra throughout her service, including:

  • Seeing off Italian destroyers in the Red Sea
  • Contesting the shores of the Shatt al-Arab in Iraq
  • Leading the attack on the Iranian naval base of Khorramshahr
  • The perils of looking for souvenirs at Port Sudan
  • Fighting off waves of dive bombers on the Tobruk run
  • Saving nearly 2,000 soldiers from the Empress of Asia, bombed just outside Singapore

The story of the ship and her sailors is an important part of Australia’s naval history, and the Unit Citation for Gallantry awarded to her in 2014 makes her at the time of writing unique amongst RAN ships.  Forty years on from when it was last published, Arthur Parry’s book continues to give people a unique insight into the service of the ship and its gallant crew.  This edition includes new colour profiles and information on her camouflage and equipment, a section on the awarding of the Unit Citation for Gallantry, maps of the areas where Yarra served and biographical information about the author.

Note:  The printed version of this book is produced by the Society ‘in house’ on 100gsm premium paper. The binding has a clear plastic front cover.

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