AUSTRALIA IN THE WAR OF 1939-194 5 SERIES TW O NAVY VOLUME I ROYAL AUSTRALIAN NAVY, 1939-1942 AUSTRALIA IN THE WAR OF 1939-194 5 SERIES I (ARMY) I. To Benghazi. By Gavin Long.* II. Greece, Crete and Syria. By Gavin Long.* III. Tobruk and El Alamein. By Barton Maughan . IV. The Japanese Thrust . By Lionel Wigmore.* V. South-West Pacific Area—First Year . By Dudley McCarthy . VI. The New Guinea Offensives . By David Dexter. VII. The Final Campaigns. By Gavin Long. SERIES 2 (NAVY) I. Royal Australian Navy, 1939-42. By G. Hermon Gill.* II. Royal Australian Navy, 1942-45 . By G . Hermon Gill. SERIES 3 (AIR ) I. Royal Australian Air Force, 1939-42 . By Douglas Gillison. II. Air War Against Japan 1943-45 . By George Odgers .* III. Air War Against Germany and Italy, 1939-43 . By John Herington.* IV. Air Power Over Europe, 1944-45 . By John Herington . SERIES 4 (CIVIL ) I. The Government and the People, 1939-41 . By Paul Hasluck.* II. The Government and the People, 1942-45. By Paul Hasluck . III. War Economy, 1939-42. By S. J. Butlin .* IV. War Economy, 1942-45. By S. J. Butlin . V. The Role of Science and Industry . By D . P . Mellor. SERIES 5 (MEDICAL ) I. Clinical Problems of War. By Allan S . Walker.* II. Middle East and Far East. By Allan S. Walker.* III. The Island Campaigns. By Allan S. Walker .* IV. Medical Services of R .A.N. and R.A.A.F. By Allan S . Walker . * Published. The writers of these volumes have been given full access to official documents , but they and the general editor are alone responsible for the statements and opinion s which the volumes contain. ROYAL AUSTRALIA N NAV Y 1939-194 2 by G. HERMON GILL CANBERRA AUSTRALIAN WAR MEMORIAL First published in 1957 WHOLLY SET UP, PRINTED AND BOUND IN AUSTRALIA B Y THE GRIFFIN PRESS, ADELAIDE. REGISTERED AT THE G.P .O . ADELAIDE FOR TRANSMISSION THROUGH THE POST AS A BOOK. CONTENTS Page Preface . xi Chronology xvii Chapter 1 BETWEEN THE WARS 1 2 THE EVE OF WAR 45 3 AUSTRALIA STATION TO JUNE 1940 . 65 4 R.A.N. SHIPS OVERSEAS TO JUNE 1940 . 130 5 R.A.N. SHIPS OVERSEAS JUNE-DECEMBER 1940 142 6 AUSTRALIA STATION AND THE FAR EAST, JUNE - DECEMBER 1940 . 247 • 7 WESTERN DESERT CAMPAIGN 28 5 ▪ 8 GREECE . 299 9 CRETE • 33 6 10 THE MIDDLE EAST 363 • 11 MEDITERRANEAN TO END OF 1941 390 • 12 AUSTRALIA STATION 1941 410 ▪ 13 WAR IN THE FAR EAST 4 • 46 14 SOUTH-WEST PACIFIC AREA . 484 15 ABDA AND ANZAC 513 • 3 16 DEFEAT IN ABDA • 57 17 PRELUDE TO VICTORY 625 • APPENDIXES : 1 List of Ships in the R.A.N. in 1920 . 650 2 Flag Officers commanding Australian Squadron fro m 1919 to 1945 . 65 1 ▪ 3 Abbreviations 653 INDEX . 655 V ILLUSTRATION S Page The First H .M.A.S's Australia, Sydney and Melbourne 46 The Second H .M.A.S. Australia 46 H.M.A.S. Hobart . 47 H.M.A.S. Adelaide . 47 Admiral Sir Ragnar Colvin, R.N. 78 Rear-Admiral J. G. Crace, R.N. 78 Crew of a 4-inch Gun at H.M.A.S. Rushcutter 78 H.M.S. Ramillies in Fremantle Harbour 79 Convoy "US.3" in Fremantle Harbour 79 Italian Motor Vessel Romolo 142 Survivors from Romolo being taken on board Manoora 142 Italian Submarine Uebi Scebeli 142 H.M.A.S. Sydney in Alexandria Harbour . 143 Italian Cruiser Bartolomeo Colleoni 143 Captain J. A. Collins, R .A.N. 174 Members of Sydney's Crew looking through Shell-hole 174 Lieut-Commander R. Rhoades, R .A.N., with Captain H. M. L. Waller, R.A.N. 175 Captain H. L. Howden, R.A.N. 175 Temporary Pier and Tug Queen at Berbera 206 H.M.A.S. Stuart with Mediterranean Fleet 206 Italian Destroyer Artigliere 207 German Raider Pinguin . 207 Floating Enemy Mine off Australian Coast . 238 Federal Steam Navigation Company's Steamer Cambridge . 238 Survivors from Cambridge picked up by H.M.A.S. Orara . 239 Survivors from Port Brisbane on Board H.M.A.S. Canberra . 239 Minesweeper H.M.A.S. Goorangai . 270 British Phosphate Commission's Steamer Trienza 270 German Raider Komet . 271 German Raiders at Emirau Island . 271 Survivors from Nauru Island in Steamship Nellore 302 Damage by German Raiders' Gunfire at Nauru 302 German Air Attack on H.M.S. Illustrious and H.M.A.S. Perth 303 H.M.A.S. Perth on Patrol off Crete 303 Mediterranean Battle Fleet at Sea . 318 H.M.A.S. Perth, H.M.S. Ajax and H.M.S. Orion 318 H.M.A.S. Voyager, off Suda Bay . 318 The Cruisers at Matapan, 28th March 1941 . 319 Captain Sir Philip Bowyer-Smyth, R .N., with Officers on Bridge of Perth . 319 Captain H. B. Farncomb, R.A.N. 319 Captain H . A. Showers, R.A.N. 319 Vi Pag e H.M.A.S. Nizam entering Alexandria Harbour 319 Norwegian Tanker Ketty Brovig 366 German Motor Vessel Coburg . 366 H.M.A.S. Yarra in Persian Gulf 367 H.M.A.S. Waterhen 367 Georgic and Glenearn aground in Suez Bay . 398 Crew of H.M.A.S. Hobart bathing in Bitter Lake . 398 Boat's Crew from H .M.A.S. Perth, in Alexandria Harbour 398 Admiral Sir Andrew Cunningham inspecting H .M.A.S. Hobart's Communica- tions Division . 398 Manning Anti-aircraft Gun, H.M.A.S. Perth 399 Water Polo, from an Australian Destroyer . 399 H.M.A.S. Kanimbla alongside Italian Oiler Bronte . 399 H.M.S. Barham blowing up, 25th November 1941 . 399 German Mine on Deck of H .M.A.S. Uki . 430 Launching of H.M.A.S. Arunta 430 Scene in Galley of H.M.A.S. Sydney 43 1 Scene in Engine Room of a Cruiser . 43 1 Launching a "Walrus" from Catapult . 446 Naval Auxiliary Patrol . 446 Members of the Australian Naval Board 1941 . 446 New Entries marching at H.M.A.S. Rushcutter . 446 H.M.A.S. Sydney leading Convoy "US .12a" . 447 H.M.A.S. Bungaree—Minelayer—in Sydney Harbour 447 Captain J. Burnett, R .A.N. 447 Survivors from Kormoran . 447 German Raider Kormoran 462 Dutch Merchant Ship Straat Malakka • 462 Japanese Battleship Yamato . 46 3 Wounded from U.S.S. Marblehead at Tjilatjap . 463 Motor Schooner Lakatoi . 494 Norah Moller on fire in Banka Strait . 494 Admiral Thomas C. Hart, United States Navy . 495 Vice-Admiral Conrad Helfrich, Royal Netherlands Navy . 495 Japanese Bombing in Gaspar Strait . 495 Boom Working Vessel, Darwin 558 H.M.A.S. Vendetta in tow of H .M.A.S. Ping Wo . 558 H.M.A.S. Perth . 559 Darwin 19th February 1942 . Transport Zealandia on Fire . 559 Darwin 19th February 1942 . Railway Jetty during Raid . 590 Darwin. Oil Tanks on Fire . 590 H.M.A.S. Nizam alongside H .M.A.S. Manoora 59 1 Netherlands East Indies Cruiser Java . 591 vii MAP S Page Western Pacific after Allotment of Mandates, 191 9 3 • Oceans of the World and Trade Routes, 193 9 46 • Limits of the Australia Station, 1939 52 • German Merchant Ships in Netherlands East Indies 106 • Manoora's Search for Romolo 12 • 0 Area of Activities of H.M .A.S. Perth, September 1939-February 1940 13 1 Eastern Mediterranean and Red Sea • 148 Strategic Situation in Mediterranean, June 1940 16 1 • Battle of Calabria—the Decisive Phase . • 17 8 Cape Spada Action—Track Chart of H .M .A.S. Sydney 18 9 Area of Activities of H.M.A.S. Hobart, August 1940 20 2 • Area of Activities of H .M .A.S. Australia in Dakar Operation . 21 6 The Aegean Sea • 23 2 Operations in Eastern Mediterranean, November 1940 . • 23 8 Activities of German Raider Orion, June-September 1940 • 26 1 Area of Activities of H .M .A.S. Adelaide, September 1940 26 5 German Surface Raiders in Indian Ocean, 1939-1940 • 27 2 Nauru, Raider Attacks . 27 8 Egypt-Cyrenaican Coastline 29 1 The "Lustre" Convoys to Greece, March-April 1941 304 • The Battle of Matapan, 28th-29th March 1941 . 31 1 • Night Action at Matapan—H .M .A.S. Stuart's Track Chart . 31 4 Withdrawal from Greece . 328 The Battle of Crete . 347 Withdrawal from Crete , 35 8 Activities of German Raiders in Indian Ocean, January-May 1941 369 The Red Sea—Defeat of Italy, January-March 1941 . 37 2 Area of Operations of H .M .A.S. Parramatta at Fall of Massawa 37 3 • Area of Operations of H.M.A.S. Yarra at Iraq 37 7 Area of Naval Operations in Syrian Campaign 37 9 Area of Operations of H .M .A.S's Kanimbla and Yarra . 38 6 The Tobruk Ferry . 39 1 Northern Screen Coastwatcher Stations, December 1941 42 3 The A .I.F. Convoys 43 5 The Sydney-Kormoran Action • 45 5 The Japanese Attacks, 8th December 1941 • 485 Australia—Reinforcement of North and Islands 51 2 ABDA and Anzac Areas . 520 Reinforcement of ABDA . 526 Japanese Attacks on Rabaul . • 543 Japanese Progress in the Western Pacific . 557 Page Exodus from ABDA . 576 Japanese Raid on Darwin 591 Four Phases of the Java Sea Battle .604-5 Battle of Bantam Bay 620 Situation, Java Area, 28th February-1st March 1942 623 Retreat to Australia—Approximate Positions of H.M.A. Ships, 4th March 1942 63 0 Indian Ocean, Movements, early March 1942 63 5 The Far Eastern Scene, beginning of March 1942 .