HMAS Australia ww 2, history

HMAS Australia ww 2 (I84/D84/C01) was a Kent-subclass County-class heavy cruiser of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Launched in 1927 and commissioned in 1928, she served as a core asset across multiple major theaters during World War II.

Key Roles: Escorted Allied convoys, conducted anti-submarine patrols, engaged surface threats, and provided vital naval gunfire support for Pacific amphibious landings.
Combat Service: Deployed extensively across the Mediterranean, Indian Ocean, and Pacific theaters, continuing her service following the loss of her sister ship, HMAS Canberra, at Savo Island in 1942.
Legacy: Decommissioned in 1954 and sold for scrap in 1955, leaving a long-standing legacy of service in RAN history.

Design & Specifications

Type & Origins: County-class heavy cruiser designed by Eustace Tennyson-D’Eyncourt.
Dimensions: 10,000-ton standard displacement; 630′ 4″ overall length; 68′ 3″ beam; 21′ 4″ max draft.
Propulsion & Speed: 8 Yarrow boilers with Curtis and Parsons turbines; 80,000 shp; top speed of 31 knots.
Range: 2,270 nmi at 31 knots; 10,000 nmi at 11 knots.
Crew: Varying complement from 699 (1937–1941) to 815 in wartime.

Armament, Armor & Aircraft

Main Guns: Originally eight 8-inch (200 mm) guns in four twin turrets (‘X’ turret removed in 1945).
Secondary Guns: Four 4-inch guns (upgraded to twin Mark XVI mounts in 1939).
Anti-Aircraft: Evolving suite starting with pom-poms and machine guns, ultimately upgrading to eight 40 mm Bofors by 1945.
Torpedoes: Two quadruple 21-inch tubes (removed in 1942).
Aircraft: Carried a single Supermarine Seagull III (replaced by a Walrus in 1936); catapult added in 1935.

Acquisition & Construction

Builder: John Brown and Company (Clydebank, Scotland).
Timeline: Ordered in 1924, laid down August 1925, launched March 1927, and commissioned April 1928.
Cost: £1.9 million.
Design Tweaks: Funnels were lengthened by 15 feet during construction to stop smoke from obscuring the bridge. Ship badge was based on the Australian Coat of Arms.

Early Operational History

Interwar Era: Traversed the globe via the US and Pacific, reaching Australia in October 1928. Served as one of the few active RAN ships kept in service through the Great Depression.
Foreign Duty: Carried the Duke of Gloucester to the UK in 1934 before joining the Mediterranean Fleet. Served during the 1935 Abyssinian crisis and King George V’s Silver Jubilee review before returning to Sydney in 1936.

VMC

Interwar Deployments (1936–1938)

Local Operations: Spent late 1936 near Sydney, Jervis Bay, and Melbourne, followed by a voyage to New Zealand in April 1937.
Northern Cruise: Undertook a three-month deployment to Queensland, New Guinea, and New Britain starting July 1937.
Reserve Status: Visited Melbourne and Hobart before being placed in reserve on 24 April 1938.

Modernization Refit (1938–1939)

Location: Cockatoo Island Dockyard.
Upgrades: Upgraded 4-inch guns to twin mounts, installed 4.5-inch machinery belt armor, and improved boat and aircraft handling.
Delays & Completion: Construction discrepancies against official plans pushed completion past its March 1939 target; recommissioned 28 August 1939 and exited the dockyard on 28 September.

HMAS Australia ww 2

1939–1941: Early Global Deployments

Atlantic & Europe: Tasked with home patrols before deploying to European waters in 1940. Participated in Operation Menace (Dakar), where she engaged French warships, sustained minor shell damage, and lost her Walrus aircraft.
Escort & Search Operations: Escorted troop convoys across the Atlantic and Indian Oceans; searched for German raiders (Admiral Scheer, Pinguin, Atlantis).
Return Home: Mined the Kerguelen Islands to deter raiders before being designated Flagship of the Australian Squadron in December 1941.

1942: Coral Sea & Guadalcanal

Pacific Flagship: Became flagship of the ANZAC Squadron (later Task Force 44).
Coral Sea (May): Led TF44 during the Battle of the Coral Sea, surviving heavy Japanese air and torpedo bomber attacks without direct hits.
Guadalcanal (Aug): Led Squadron X in the amphibious landings. Detached shortly before the Battle of Savo Island to attend an urgent command conference, avoiding the surface action that sank her sister ship, HMAS Canberra.

1943–1944: New Guinea & Philippine Campaigns

New Guinea & Solomons: Re-designated Task Force 74. Provided gunfire support across major landings, including Arawe, Cape Gloucester, Hollandia, Biak, and Noemfoor.
First Kamikaze Hit (Leyte Gulf): On 21 October 1944, a damaged Japanese plane struck her foremast—widely considered the first kamikaze attack. The crash killed 30 crew members, including Captain Emile Dechaineux, and wounded Commodore John Collins.

1945: Lingayen Gulf & Refit

Kamikaze Battery: Struck by five suicide aircraft in six days (5–9 January) while providing fire support at Lingayen Gulf. Despite heavy casualties and structural damage, she remained operational until ordered to withdraw.
End of War: Sailed to Plymouth, UK, for an extensive refit and repair process that lasted through December 1945, missing the final months of combat.

Post-War

Recommissioned as RAN flagship in 1947, completing a deployment with the British Commonwealth Occupation Force in Japan before entering reserve status.