HMAS Canberra (1927)

Career
The newly commissioned HMAS Canberra sailing under the construction site of the Sydney Harbour Bridge in 1930
Ordered:	1924
Built By:	John Brown Shipbuilding & Engineering Company Ltd. (Clydebank, Scotland)
Laid down:	9 September 1925
Launched:	31 May 1927
Commissioned:	9 July 1928
Decommissioned:	9 August 1942
Fate:	Lost, wrecked by torpedoes and gunfire Savo Island, she was finally abandoned and was scuttled (torpedoed) by Ellet 9 August 1942. 193 crewmembers lost their lives.
Pennant:	D33
General Characteristics
Type:	Heavy Cruiser
Displacement:	9,850 tons standard; 13,450 tons full load.
Length:	630 ft (192 m)
Beam:	68 ft 3 in (20.8 m)
Draught:	16 ft 3 in (4.9 m)
Propulsion:	8 Admiralty 3-drum boilers, 4 shaft Brown-Curtis geared turbines, , 80,000 shp.
Speed:	31.5 knots
Range:	4,989 km (3,100 miles) at 31.5 knots, 21 404 km (13,300 miles) at 12 knots ; 3,400 tons fuel oil
Complement:	679 (710 as Flagship)
Armament:	Original configuration: 8 x 8 in (203 mm) single guns, 4 x 4 in (102 mm) single AA guns, 2 x Quadruple mount 2 pdr (40 mm) pom-poms 4 x 3 pdr guns, 2 quadruple 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes.
Armour:	Original configuration: 1 to 4 in magazine box protection, 1.375 in deck, 1 in side-plating,turrets and bulkheads, 4.5 in belt, 4 internal boiler room sides (added 1936-1940).
Aircraft:	Original configuration: 1 with 1 catapult, later operated Supermarine Walrus
Motto:	For the King, the Law, and the People

See HMAS Canberra for other ships of this name.

HMAS Canberra [1] was a Royal Australian Navy heavy cruiser of the Kent sub-class of County class cruisers.

1 Construction and commissioning
2 Pre World War II
3 World War II
4 British replacement
5 American tribute
6 Rediscovery
7 Memorials
8 Sources
9 Categories

Construction and commissioning

She was laid down by John Brown and Company of Clydebank in Scotland on 9 September 1925, launched on 31 May 1927 by Her Royal Highness Princess Mary and commissioned on 9 July 1928 under the command of Captain George L. Massey RN. After five months in British waters, the Canberra first arrived in Australia at Fremantle, Western Australia on 25 January 1929.

Pre World War II

The new cruiser remained in her home waters until September 1931 when she made her first voyage outside of Australia to visit New Caledonia and Fiji. Canberra visited China in 1932 and 1937, and New Zealand three times. In 1934 she served as escort to Sussex during His Royal Highness Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester's visit to Australia.

World War II

During the first nine months of World War II, Canberra performed escort duty in her home waters and the Tasman Sea. In 1940 she was involved in the unsuccessful search for the German raiders Atlantis and Pinguin.

In early 1941 Canberra was involved in the fruitless hunt for the German pocket battleship Admiral Scheer. In March, Canberra and HMNZS Leander intercepted the German supply ship Coburg and the ex Norwegian tanker Ketty Brovig, which had been taken the previous month by the raider Atlantis. Canberra spent the rest of 1941 as a convoy escort in various parts of the Indian Ocean.

After serving as convoy escort in January 1942, Canberra underwent a three month refit in Sydney. As part of Task Force 44, in June she participated in offensive sweeps of the Coral Sea. In August Canberra operated with the naval force supporting the Allied invasions of Guadalcanal and Tulagi.

American destroyers rescuing crew from HMAS Canberra after the Battle of Savo Island.

Just before 0145 on 9 August 1942 Canberra received the opening shots of the Battle of Savo Island from a powerful Japanese cruiser force. Within the first two minutes of the battle she was struck by two torpedoes and over 20 salvoes of 8 inch (203 mm) shellfire. With power lost and the ship listing, the wounded and survivors were transferred to Patterson and Blue. Rear Admiral R.K. Turner ordered that if Canberra could not steam by 0630 hours, she would be abandoned and scuttled. At 0800 hours she was sunk by Ellet and Selfridge, who fired over 260 five inch (127 mm) shells and several torpedoes into her hulk. She was one of the first ships sunk in what would eventually be named "Ironbottom Sound."

The crew of Canberra suffered 193 casualties during the Battle of Savo Island, including her captain, Frank E. Getting. Nine officers and 65 ratings were missing believed killed. One officer (the captain) and nine ratings died of wounds. Ten officers, 96 ratings, and three civilian canteen staff were wounded.

British replacement

Following the loss of the Canberra, the British Government approved the transfer of HMS Shropshire to Australia as a replacement and the ship commissioned into the Royal Australian Navy as HMAS Shropshire on 20 April 1943 at Chatham.

American tribute

American President Franklin Delano Roosevelt wished to commemorate the loss of HMAS Canberra and made a special request that an under construction American heavy cruiser be renamed as a tribute. A Baltimore class cruiser previously designated as Pittsburgh was renamed, and the USS Canberra was launched on 19 April 1943. The ship was launched by Lady Alice C. Dixon, wife of Sir Owen Dixon, Australia's ambassador to the United States. Since there was a policy not to duplicate names across the Allied fleets, this meant that none of the ships in the Australian navy could be renamed HMAS Canberra.

Rediscovery

The wreck of HMAS Canberra was rediscovered and examined in July and August 1992, almost exactly fifty years after her scuttling. She lies upright on the ocean floor, approximately 2500 ft (760 m) deep, with visible signs of shell hits and fire damage amidships. Just as they were during her brief and fatal engagement with the Japanese during the Battle of Savo Island, Canberra's "B", "X" and "Y" turrets were trained to port while "A" turret was trained on the port bow.

When the ship was rediscovered in 1992, the forward superstructure had collapsed over to starboard side. Additionally the "B" turret's roof was completely missing.

Memorials

HMAS Canberra (1927) memorial in Canberra.

HMAS Canberra is remembered in various places. In its name city, Canberra, the national capital city of Australia, is a memorial beside Lake Burley Griffin adjacent to the National Carillon. It incorporates a naval anchor and a section of chain cable and has two plaques detailing the purpose of the memorial and the details of the ship.

The memorial was unveiled on 9 August 1981 by Admiral Sir Anthony Synnott K.B.E. AO, RAN, Chief of Defence Force Staff (21 April 1979 to 20 April 1982), at which the commemorative address was given by Admiral Sir Victor Smith, AO, K.B.E., C.B., DSC, RAN,Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee (23 November 1970 to 23 November 1975).

The memorial was erected by the ACT Branch of the Naval Historical Society with donations from ex-HMAS Canberra and Canberra-Shropshire Association members.