Royal Australian Navy. Pacific

Category: RAN WW2

RAN in the PACIFIC WAR

In the morning of 8 December 1941 Japanese troops commenced landing in Northern Malaya. This assault was co-ordinated with the Japanese strike against the United States Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbour (7 December, local time). As a consequence of these actions the Royal Australian Navy found itself facing a new enemy and fighting a new war. A war that was to last four years and see Australian ships and personnel operate across the vast expanse of the Pacific and Indian Oceans.
Prior to the outbreak of hostilities six corvettes of the RAN had already been based at Singapore. Other vessels, including the cruiser HMAS HOBART, the destroyer HMAS VAMPIRE and the sloop HMAS YARRA, were ordered back to Australian waters to help meet this new threat. VAMPIRE formed part of the escort of HM Ships PRINCE OF WALES and REPULSE on their ill fated sortie to attack Japanese landing forces at Kuantan on Malaysia's east coast. She rescued 225 survivors after both the capital ships had been sunk by Japanese naval aircraft.
After this disaster the Australian ships were heavily involved in escorting the troopships bringing reinforcements to Singapore, often in the face of severe Japanese air attacks. On one occasion YARRA lifted over 1300 survivors from the troopship EMPRESS OF ASIA after it had been dive bombed and sunk. A few days prior to this, on 27 January, VAMPIRE carried out a spirited but unsuccessful attack on a superior Japanese landing force at Endau. An accompanying British destroyer, HMS THANET, was sunk. Other ships carried out patrol and evacuation duties. After taking part in the evacuation of Singapore the Australian ships formed part of the force allocated for the naval defence of the Netherlands East Indies.
To remove a threat from their flank while attacking eastern Java the Japanese Navy launched a heavy air raid on Darwin, which was being used by the Allies as a staging point for reinforcements. The bombers hit the town, airfield and harbour facilities, sinking five merchant ships and the destroyer USS PEARY. Many other vessels, including the hospital ship MANUNDA, were damaged. This was the first of many such raids.
In Javanese waters, on 27 February a combined Australian, British, American and Dutch striking force composed of five cruisers, including HMAS PERTH, as well as a number of destroyers, engaged Japanese forces covering the approach of a landing force. In this action, the Battle of the Java Sea, the Allies lost two Dutch cruisers and three destroyers with damage to a British cruiser. Subsequently the Allied naval forces were ordered to withdraw from the Dutch East Indies. However, whilst attempting to reach Australia through Sunda Straits, PERTH, accompanied by the cruiser USS HOUSTON, ran into a Japanese force landing troops in Bantam Bay. In the ensuing action both cruisers were sunk with heavy loss of life. Many of the survivors were to subsequently die as prisoners of war.
The Australian built corvettes were able to withdraw successfully to Australia while the destroyer VAMPIRE had reached Ceylon. Also fortunate was the destroyer HMAS VENDETTA which had been immobilised and under repair in dry dock at Singapore at the time of the attack. She eventually reached Australia after an epic towing operation through enemy controlled waters. Less fortunate, the sloop YARRA which, whilst escorting a convoy south of Java, was surprised by a Japanese heavy cruiser squadron. Despite putting up a gallant fight she was overwhelmed and sunk on 4 March. Five days later VAMPIRE was also sunk by Japanese carrier aircraft off Ceylon.
With the occupation of Malaya and the Dutch East Indies the strategic centre of gravity moved east. The Japanese, having occupied Rabaul and points on the northern New Guinea coast decided to occupy the Solomon Islands and Port Moresby. This would enable them to deny the Allies bases from which to attack Rabaul and also to threaten the trans-Pacific lines of communication. The Combined Operations Intelligence Centre, located in Melbourne, linking information from locally based signals intelligence units, Coastwatchers and aerial reconnaissance, issued an assessment on 25 April that a Japanese assault on Port Moresby was imminent.
On 1 May the cruisers HMA Ships AUSTRALIA and HOBART and USS CHICAGO escorted by three American destroyers sailed from Hervey Bay to rendezvous with an American force built around the aircraft carriers YORKTOWN and LEXINGTON. The Australian force, designated Task Force 44, reinforced with a fourth US destroyer and detached on 7 May to block the movement of any Japanese ships through the Jomard Passage. The force was bombed that day by Japanese aircraft incurring only superficial damage. Although no other enemy were sighted the presence of the Allied ships was influential in the Japanese decision to withdraw the Moresby Invasion force. Meanwhile US carrier aircraft had sunk the Japanese light carrier SHOHO the same day.
In the action between the American and Japanese fleet carriers, SHOKAKU and ZUIKAKU on the 8th, the LEXINGTON was sunk and the YORKTOWN badly damaged. Neither of the Japanese carriers were sunk though the SHOKAKU was badly damaged. Although the Japanese had inflicted greater losses in ships on the Allies they had not achieved their strategic objectives. Further, the SHOKAKU and ZUIKAKU had suffered such heavy losses in aircraft and personnel that they were not available for the Midway Operation in early June.
The combined effects of the battle of the Coral Sea, Midway and latter the Solomons Campaign turned the tide of the Pacific War. Although no Australian vessels were present at the Battle of Midway, Australian naval signals intelligence played an important part in helping to monitor Japanese movements and intentions and passing this information onto the Americans at Pearl Harbour.
Just prior to the Midway Operation the Japanese again brought the war to Australia' shores with an attack on Sydney Harbour by midget submarines. The accommodation ship HMAS KUTTABUL was sunk alongside Garden Island but all three Japanese submarines were lost. This was not the first incursion by Japanese submarines into Australian waters. In January four mine laying boats had operated in northern Australian waters, laying mines off Darwin and in Torres Strait. One, the I-124, had been sunk by the corvette HMAS DELORAINE, assisted by other RAN and US vessels. In February and March the submarine I-25 had launched its reconnaissance seaplane on flights over Sydney, Melbourne and Hobart before moving on to New Zealand and Fiji. Simultaneously, submarine operations off the west coast resulted in the sinking of two merchant vessels and attacks on three others.
The midget attack presaged a submarine campaign against shipping on Australia's eastern coast which lasted from early June until August. Fourteen ships were attacked of which six were sunk. Convoys were introduced on the Australian east coast on 6 June. The Japanese submarines also shelled Sydney and Newcastle with little resultant damage. Further operations carried out in the first half of 1943 resulted in the loss of a another eleven ships including the hospital ship CENTAUR.
While the first submarine campaign was being waged, plans were in hand to eject the Japanese from the Solomon Islands. On 7 August an Allied force landed on Guadalcanal. Naval support was provided by an Australian/American force of cruisers and destroyers, including HMAS AUSTRALIA, CANBERRA and HOBART. Shortly after midnight on 9 August a Japanese cruiser squadron attacked the allied force sinking CANBERRA and three American cruisers. Although operations in the Solomons were to continue, further RAN involvement was limited, although valuable support was provided by Coastwatchers.
Later in August the Japanese landed at Milne Bay. Units of the RAN had convoyed troopships to the area and latter supported the defence of the area from the sea. On 29 September the new destroyer HMAS ARUNTA sank the Japanese submarine RO33 off Port Moresby, thereby removing a major threat to the logistic support for Australian troops. With the successful conclusion of the Milne Bay battle the RAN provided naval support for forces operating in northern New Guinea and commenced development of the string of bases that would be opened up along that coast to support the Allied advance. Operations included conducting hydrographic surveys, shore bombardments, transporting troops and providing logistic support.
December 1942 saw the commencement of Operation LILLIPUT, which over a six month period saw the transportation of 60,000 tons of supplies and 3,802 troops from Milne Bay to Oro Bay, escorted by Australian corvettes. In March 1943 the Japanese suffered a major defeat when a reinforcement convoy heading for Lae was destroyed by Allied air attack in the Battle of the Bismarck Sea. Intelligence on this convoy was provided by the joint RAN/USN code breaking organisation in Melbourne.
This same period saw a lesser but significant level of RAN activity in the area north and west of Darwin. While supporting commando operations in Timor the destroyer HMAS VOYAGER was lost in September 1942 as was the corvette HMAS ARMIDALE in December. With the withdrawal of the commandos the RAN continued to support covert operations in the area by the Services Reconnaissance Department (SRD) which were maintained until the end of the War. In September 1943 SRD operatives in small boats carried out Operation JAYWICK, successfully attacking Japanese shipping in Singapore Harbour. They had been transported there in a small captured fishing vessel, the KRAIT. In late 1944 another covert attack on Singapore Harbour was mounted by the SRD but was to end in disaster. Throughout the war the RAN units based on Darwin were also to provide support for settlements, missions, airfields and other military installations in the area. On 22 January 1943, while undertaking one of these voyages, the stores carrier HMAS PATRICIA CAM was bombed and sunk.

 

Cobber,

Somewhere in that report is HMAS 'Maryborough', in which my uncle served from her Commissioning in 1941 to about 1943.

The RAN did not have a good war, and the score-card is heavily against her. Not 100% sure of the exact figures but the RAN lost about 19 ships and accounted for an Italian cruiser, a German raider, and I think 2 or 3 subs.

Some of course were wrong place and wrong time events such as Sunda Strait and Savo Island etc.

I assume that you have crawled all over HMAS 'Castlemaine' at Williamstown? Most impressive.



John.

 

Hello John. I was not aware of the numbers being so lopsided. I would like to point out however that even though they may not have gotten many opertunities to sink ships, the RAN still did a very good job. When the Allies began operations in the solomons, many Australian ships took part. The USN's problem's in number of ships was lessened by the presence of the Australian vessels. Some took part in devestating defeats like Savo Island, but they never performed any worse han the US ships in the same battle.

 

G'Day Mike,


"I would like to point out however that even though they may not have gotten many opertunities to sink ships, the RAN still did a very good job. When the Allies began operations in the solomons, many Australian ships took part. The USN's problem's in number of ships was lessened by the presence of the Australian vessels. Some took part in devestating defeats like Savo Island, but they never performed any worse han the US ships in the same battle."


My observation was not meant to be a criticism of the RAN's overall performance in WW2. More as you have pointed out, a lack of opportunity and pure bad luck in the time and place factor.

Also the RAN was so small that aircraft carriers, battleships, and subs were not available to counter the enemies strong points.

The MAJOR (professional) failure was that of the captain of HMAS 'Sydney' who despite being advised that there were NO friendly ship in the area, and the real possibility of a german raider's presence, stopped his 6" cruiser 1000 yards, side on, to a highly suspicious ship ('Kormoran').

The opening barrage of 5.9" and torpedoes doomed his ship and the 645 men on her.


John.

 

Yes thanks for the interest, the above was just a brief out line of many events, but by no certainly where these events the only events the RAN participated in at both the Pacific and the Med, Atlantic and so on. As they were where ever ships with large guns were needed or convoys need to be protected mines to ne hunted and etc. They took some hard hits but kept going and when compared to other nations the RAN had less losses, though as said it was a small Navy compared to most others. They had their hands in many battles and their coast watchers saved the Solomons naval group 'much grief' by giving anything up to 45 minutes or more notice of a "land" based air attack on Guadalcanal. Allowing the USN Fleet Air Arm time to be readied for action and up in the sun waiting for the Japanese flayers.

 

Often during the battles/invasions/and other combat through out
the Sth & Sth West Pacific, the Admiral in charge would frequently use HMAS Australia as the Flag ship.