Built as a cruiser, one of the County class by John Brown & Co., Clydebank U.K. for the Australian Navy. Two of this class were built for the Royal Australian Navy.
09 Sept. 1925 keel laid down.
31 May 1927 Launched under the name CANBERRA. HRH Princess Mary performed the launching ceremony. She was named after the town Canberra in Australia.
Displacement 9.870 tons standard. Dim. 192.9 x 20.8 x 6.3m. (draught).
Brown-Curtis steam turbines, 80.000 hp., four screws, speed 32.5 knots.
Armament 8 – 8 inch, 8 – 4 inch, 4 – 3pdrs. 4 – 2pdrs. 12 MG. 8 – 53.3 cm torpedo tubes.
Three airplanes, crew circa 700/800 men during war.
10 July 1928 commissioned.
After she was commissioned she spent around 5 months in British waters, before she headed for Australia.
During the years 1930-1938 used for training and routine cruises from Sydney in the waters of Australia. She made also visits to New Caledonia, Fiji and New Zealand and a visit to the China Station.
April 1931 she became the flagship of the Australian Squadron.
She was used during the visit of HRH the Duke of Gloucester in 1934 to Australia as a escort. The Duke traveled on board HMS SUSSEX.
Her major refit late in the 1930s was cancelled owing to fears of a war.
When the Second World War broke out the CANBERRA began patrols off the North South Wales coast.
Then she was used for patrols in the Indian Ocean and around Australia. She was also used for troop transport convoy escort duty to the U.K. and the Middle East, later to New Guinea and Singapore.
During a convoy voyage to the UK in May 1940 and between Fremantle and Colombo the convoy received orders to proceed via the Cape of Good Hope, due to fears that Italy would declare war.
After arrival in the UK the CANBERRA was offered by the Australian Government for duty with the Royal Navy.
The CANBERRA was stationed at South Africa.
During a hunt for the German raiders PINGUIN and ATLANTIS and the battleship ADMIRAL SCHEER in the Indian Ocean between January and May 1941, she intercepted south of the Seychelles the German supply vessel COBURG on 4 March 1941 and the tanker KITTY BROVIG, both vessels were scuttled by there own crew. Many captured crews on board the COBURG were rescued by the CANBERRA.
After Japan entered the war on 7 December 1941 the CANBERRA was recalled to Australia waters.
During January 1942 she escorted the troopship AQUITANIA near Singapore before the troops were transferred to smaller vessels and ferried to small islands to reinforce the island defenses.
The CANBERRA returned to Australia via the Dutch East Indies for a refuel, after arrival she was assigned to the ANZAC Force.
From May 1942 she underwent a refit at Sydney, she received radar equipment. After completing the refit she made a short trial voyage on the Australian coast before she returned to Sydney.
01 June 1942 she sailed from Sydney.
During 7 August 1942 she was part of a naval force covering the landings of the United States 1st Marine Division at Guadalcanal.
09 August at about 00.45 a.m the CANBERRA was hit by 24 high caliber shells fired from Japanese warships, and in a matter of two minutes, the engine rooms were put out of action, and there was not any power for the gun turrets and all the lighting in the vessel had been destroyed. (Battle of Savo Island, a Google search will give you many websites on the battle.)
The bridge had taken a direct hit and Captain Gitting was mortally wounded, many crewmembers were wounded or killed during the attack and the CANBERRA got a list of 6 degree to starboard. Most probably she was also hit by a torpedo on the starboard side, the gunfire came from the port side.
Command on board was taken over by Commander Walsh, and firefighting began. Bucket brigades were formed and all upper deck ammunition dumped overboard. The main magazines flooded, and the torpedoes were released from the tubes, starboard slid out very easily but port side needed power due to the list of the vessel.
The heavy rain pouring down helped to quench the fires on the upper deck. The wounded were brought up from below and laid on the foredeck, covered with blankets and hammocks to protect them from the rain.
USS PATTERSON came alongside and hoses and portable pumps were soon in action on the fires. The list of the CANBERRA had increased to 15 degree. The wounded were taken over by the USS PATTERSON including captain Gitting, then unconscious.
The CANBERRA got orders when the ships was not ready by 06.30 a.m. to steam she had to be abandoned. The PATTERSON reported that she had seen an enemy and had to part, cutting her lines and the gangway dropped in the water. The sighted ship was USS CHICAGO and after some exchanging of gunfire identification was established.
After daylight the destroyer was back alongside with USS BLUE and the rest of the wounded man and survivors taken off, 27 officers and 321 ratings to the BLUE and 29 officers and 329 ratings to the PATTERSON. 84 men were killed including Captain F.E. Getting, 109 men were wounded.
Then the task of sinking began first USS SELFRIDGE attempted to sink her, but she was difficult to sink, she was constructed with hundreds of watertight compartments fitted with watertight doors closed and dogged up. The SELFRIDGE fired 263 five-inch shells and four torpedoes, but still the CANBERRA did not sink. A other destroyer USS ELLET needed to give the final push and a torpedo fired from that ship administered the final blow. At approximately 07.00 am she went under.
Sources: Janes Fighting Ships of World War II.
http://www.navy.gov.au/fleet/ffg02canberra/fighting.htm
The Dog Watch 1972 volume 29 page 31. Dictionary of Disasters at Sea during the age of Steam.
Solomon Islands 1992 80c sg 741 scott 728d. 2005 $2.50.
