HMASCanberra (I33/D33), named after the Australian capital city ofCanberra, was aRoyal Australian Navy (RAN)heavy cruiser of theKent sub-class ofCounty-class cruisers. Constructed in Scotland during the mid-1920s, the ship was commissioned in 1928, and spent the first part of her career primarily operating in Australian waters, with some deployments to theChina Station.

Canberra at Kings Wharf, Wellington, New Zealand, ca. 1930s
History
Australia
Namesake	City of Canberra
Builder	John Brown & Company,Clydebank
Yard number	513
Laid down	9 September 1925
Launched	31 May 1927
Completed	10 July 1928
Commissioned	9 July 1928
Motto	Pro Rege, Lege et Grege Latin: "For the King, the Law, and the People"
Honours and awards	Battle honours: East Indies 1940–41 Pacific 1941–42 Guadalcanal 1942 Savo Island 1942
Fate	Scuttled, after heavy damage offSavo Island on 9 August 1942
General characteristics
Class and type	County-class cruiser Kent sub-class
Displacement	9,850 tons (light) 10,000 tons (standard)
Length	590 ft (180 m) between perpendiculars 630 ft 1 in (192.05 m) overall
Beam	68.25 ft (20.80 m)
Draught	21 ft 4 in (6.50 m) (maximum)
Propulsion	8 Yarrow boilers, 4 shaft Brown-Curtis geared turbines, 80,000 shp
Speed	31.5 knots (58.3 km/h; 36.2 mph) (maximum) 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) (cruising)
Range	2,870 nautical miles (5,320 km; 3,300 mi) at 31.5 knots (58.3 km/h; 36.2 mph) 13,200 nautical miles (24,400 km) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph)
Complement	Pre-war: 690 standard 710 as flagship Wartime: 751 standard 819 at loss
Armament	4 × 2 –8-inch (203 mm) guns (4 twin turrets) 4 × 1 –4-inch (102 mm) anti-aircraft guns 4 × 1 –2-pounder (40 mm) quadruple pom-poms 4 × 1 –3-pounder (47 mm) saluting guns 12–16.303-inch machine guns 2 × 4 –21-inch (533 mm)torpedo tubes 4 ×multiple pom-poms (installed 1942) 5 × 1 –20 mm Oerlikon guns
Armour	1.5 to 3 inches (38 to 76 mm) armourdeck over machinery spaces andmagazines up to 2 inches (51 mm) overturrets up to 3 inches (76 mm) onconning tower Anti-torpedo bulges
Aircraft carried	1 amphibious aircraft (initiallySeagull III, laterWalrus)

At the start of World War II,Canberra was initially used for patrols and convoy escort around Australia. In July 1940, she was reassigned as a convoy escort between Western Australia, Sri Lanka, and South Africa. During this deployment, which ended in mid-1941,Canberra was involved in the hunt for several Germanauxiliary cruisers. The cruiser resumed operations in Australian waters, but when Japan entered the war, she was quickly reassigned to convoy duties aroundNew Guinea, interspersed with operations in Malaysian andJavanese waters.Canberra later joinedTask Force 44, and was involved in theGuadalcanal Campaign and theTulagi landings.

On 9 August 1942,Canberra was struck by the opening Japanese shots of theBattle of Savo Island, and was quickly crippled, and according to the crew, she was torpedoed by friendly fire. Unable to propel herself, listing heavily and burning, the cruiser was evacuated and then sunk inIronbottom Sound by two Americandestroyers. The United States NavyBaltimore-class cruiserUSS Canberra was named in honour of the Australian ship. Later, in 2023, the US Navy named the newIndependence-class littoral combat shipUSS Canberra afterCanberra, which became the first US warship commissioned in a foreign port.^[1]

Canberra was one of sevenKent-class cruisers—a subclass of theCounty-class cruiser—designed byEustace Tennyson-d'Eyncourt.^[2] The ship was 590 feet (180 m) longbetween perpendiculars and 630 feet 1 inch (192.05 m)overall, with a beam of 68.25 feet (20.80 m), and a maximum draught of 21 feet 4 inches (6.50 m).^[3] She displaced 9,850 tons at light load, and 10,000 tons at standard load.^[3] TheKent class were built to meet the restrictions of theWashington Naval Treaty; with a reduction in armament and protection.^[4]Canberra was powered by eight Yarrow boilers which fed steam to four Brown-Curtis geared turbines; these in turn provided 80,000 shaft horsepower (60,000 kW) to the ship's four propeller shafts.^[5] The cruiser could reach speeds of 31.5 knots (58.3 km/h; 36.2 mph), which could be maintained for 2,870 nautical miles (5,320 km), although 13,200 nautical miles (24,400 km) could be travelled at the more economical 12-knot (22 km/h; 14 mph) standard cruising speed.^[5] Before World War II, the ship's company was normally 690 (49 officers, 641 sailors); this increased to 710 when acting as aflagship.^[5] During wartime service, the normal company expanded to 751 (61 officers, 690 sailors), and at the time of her loss, 819 people were aboard.^[5]

Canberra's main armament consisted of eight8-inch Mark VIII guns in four twinturrets.^[5] Secondary armament consisted of four4-inch quick-firing high-angle guns and four2-pounder "pom-pom" guns.^[5][6] A mixture of.303-inch machine guns were carried for close defence work: initially this consisted of fourVickers machine guns and twelveLewis machine guns, although four Lewis guns were later removed.^[5] During a refit in 1942, two multiple pom-poms and five20 mm Oerlikons were added to enhance the anti-aircraft armament.^[6] Four3-pounder quick-firing Hotchkiss guns were used assaluting guns.^[5] Two sets of quadruple 21-inchtorpedo tubes were fitted.^[5]Depth charges were carried: these were deployed by rails.^[5]

The cruiser was designed to carry a singleamphibious aircraft: initially aSupermarine Seagull III aircraft, but this was replaced in 1936 by theSupermarine Walrus.^[6] However, theaircraft catapult was not installed until April 1936, during a refit in Sydney.^[6] Before this, the Seagull amphibian was lowered into the water by the ship's recovery crane and took off from there.^[6] Armour aboardCanberra was limited to an armour deck over the machinery spaces and magazines, ranging from 1.5 to 3 inches (38 to 76 mm) in thickness.^[6] Armour plate was also fitted to the turrets (up to 2 inches (51 mm) thick) and the conning tower (3 inches (76 mm) thick).^[6]Anti-torpedo bulges were also fitted.^[6]

In 1924, the Australian government ordered twoKent-class cruisers to replace the ageing light cruisersSydney andMelbourne.^[4] These ships were to be namedAustralia andCanberra, with both to be built byJohn Brown & Company, at their shipyard atClydebank, Scotland: the only two County-class ships built in Scotland.^[2][4]Canberra was laid down on 9 September 1925, and given the yard number 513.^[5][7]Canberra was launched on 31 May 1927 byPrincess Mary; the first ship of the RAN launched by a member of the Royal Family.^[5][8] Work on the ship was completed on 10 July 1928, the day after the cruiser was commissioned into the RAN.^[5] Most of the initial ship's company came fromSydney.^[9]Canberra cost approximatelyA£2 million to construct.^[5]

Canberra left Portsmouth on 4 December 1928, after several months of workup trials, and arrived at Sydney on 16 February 1929.^[9] The cruiser operated primarily in Australian waters during the next ten years, spending periods of time as the RAN flagship.^[5] On 20 September 1929, during a round-Australia cruise, the ship grounded on a sand shoal outsideRoebuck Bay, Western Australia.^[10] The damage did not prevent the ship from operating, and it was not until early 1930 that the affected hull plates were replaced.^[11] In September 1931,Canberra visited New Caledonia and Fiji.^[5] The cruiser operated on the Royal Navy'sChina Station in 1932 and 1937.^[5] In 1934 the ship was assigned to escortHMS Sussex, which was transporting theDuke of Gloucester during a visit to Australia.^[5] In August 1936 she broughtAdmiral Sir Murray Anderson to Sydney, Australia to be invested asGovernor of New South Wales.

For the first nine months of World War II,Canberra was assigned to patrol and escort duties around Australia.^[5] In January 1940, the cruiser escorted the first convoy carrying Australian and New Zealand soldiers,Anzac Convoy US 1, to the Middle East.^[11] During May,Canberra joined sister shipAustralia to escortAnzac Convoy US 3 across the Indian Ocean; the convoy was diverted via theCape of Good Hope following fears that Italy was about to join the war.^[11][12] On 26 June,Canberra left Australia with the troopshipStrathmore for Cape Town, where the cruiser was assigned to the Indian Ocean as a convoy escort between Fremantle, Colombo, and Cape Town.^[5][12][13] During November,Canberra attempted to locate the German merchant raiderAtlantis.^[13] She returned unsuccessful to Fremantle on 20 November, but sailed that night with a skeleton crew after the merchant ship SSMaimoa signalled that she was under attack by a German merchant raider (the auxiliary cruiserPinguin).^[13] Although unable to findMaimoa or her attacker,Canberra encountered three lifeboats on 22 November, which carried 27 sailors who had escaped from SSPort Brisbane, another victim ofPinguin.^[5][13] The cruiser returned to Fremantle on 27 November without encountering the German raider.^[13] Shortly after,^{[clarification needed]}Canberra headed for theEast Indies Station.^[13]

In February 1941,Canberra was involved in efforts to locate the German pocket battleshipAdmiral Scheer.^[14] In early March,Canberra encountered two merchant ships; a tanker supplying a possible merchant raider, which split up and fled when ordered to stop.^[15]Canberra pursued the suspected raider, and fired on her from maximum range to avoid a retaliatory attack, while her Walrus amphibian attempted to stop the tanker by dropping several bombs.^[16] Both ships (the raider supply shipCoburg and the captured Norwegian tankerKetty Brøvig) had commencedscuttling after the first attack from their pursuit, but the Australians continued attacking: the Walrus used all her bombs, whileCanberra fired 215 shells, many of them misses.^[16] A post-action analysis found that ifCanberra had closed before firing, the same quantity of damage could have been achieved for less ammunition, and one or both ships might have been captured.^[17][18]

Canberra was assigned back to Australia in July; operating around the western and southern coasts.^[14] The cruiser was in Sydney in December 1941, when Japan entered the war:Canberra was quickly reassigned to convoy duties around New Guinea, interspersed by operations in Malaysian and Javanese waters.^[14] On 12 December 1941, the cruiser was ordered from Sydney to meet thePensacola Convoy, hoisting the flag ofRear-Admiral John G. Crace as she stopped in Brisbane on 15 December. In company withHMASPerth she sailed for the vicinity of New Caledonia to meet the light cruiserHMNZS Achilles and the convoy.^[19]

In January 1942,Canberra andHMAS Vampire escorted the troopshipAquitania, leaving Sydney 10 January, carrying reinforcements to Singapore as far asRatai Bay,Sunda Strait where the reinforcements were transshipped into seven smaller vessels for the final run to Singapore.^[20][12] She was then part of the escort for that convoy, "MS.2A" of six DutchKPM vessels and one British vessel, to Singapore arriving 24 January.^[20] During her return voyage via the Dutch East Indies, the cruiser was assigned to theANZAC Squadron.^[12] A refit occurred in Sydney from February to May 1942, during whichCanberra became the first Australian warship to be fitted with radar (a Type 241 surface search set, and an A290 air-warning set).^[12] The cruiser was present in Sydney Harbour during theJapanese midget submarine attack on 31 May-1 June.^[14] Although not damaged, at 04:40,Canberra recorded that the Japanese may have fired torpedoes at her.^[14][21] This may have been one of many false alarms throughout the night; however, one of the midget submarines had attempted to fire its torpedoes at a target, but these did not release because of damage sustained during the infiltration.^[21] The observer aboardCanberra may have seen bubbles from the compressed air released to fire the torpedoes.^[21]

The cruiser headed north the day after the submarine attack to join the ANZAC Squadron, which had been redesignatedTask Force 44.^[12][14] On 17 June,Canberra took part in offensive patrols through theCoral Sea, and from July, she was assigned toOperation Watchtower; the opening stages of theGuadalcanal Campaign.^[13][14] The cruiser escorted the force to belanded at Tulagi from 5 August, and screened the force during the landings on 7 and 8 August; the cruiser encountered no initial resistance.^[12][22]

During the afternoon of 8 August, a Japanese task force commanded by Vice AdmiralGunichi Mikawa and consisting of five cruisers and a destroyer began to approach the south of Savo Island, with the intention to attack the naval force supporting thelanding at Guadalcanal, then those at Tulagi.^[23] Anticipating a naval attack following several assaults by land-based Japanese aircraft, the Allied commander of the naval forces,Rear AdmiralVictor Crutchley, split his forces around Savo Island: Crutchley aboard HMASAustralia ledCanberra,USS Chicago, and the destroyersUSS Patterson andUSS Bagley on patrol of the southern waters.^[23] At 20:45, Crutchley was recalled to meet urgently with US AdmiralRichmond K. Turner, overall commander of the amphibious landings.^[23] AlthoughChicago was the senior ship afterAustralia departed,Canberra, which had been followingAustralia, found herselfat point.^[23][24] Around 01:00 on 9 August, the engines of scout planes from Mikawa's ships were heard, but as no warning came from the other groups, it was assumed they were friendly.^[23]

At 01:45,Patterson detected Mikawa's ships and alerted the Allied force.^[25] The Japanese scout planes dropped flares to silhouetteCanberra andChicago.^[24] The Australian cruiser was able to avoid the Japanese torpedoes fired at the start of the engagement but was on the receiving end of the Japanese cruisers' gunfire.^[25] The first two salvos killed or wounded several senior officers, disabled both engine rooms, damaged the bridge and 4-inch gun platform and forced the flooding of her 8-inch (203 mm)magazines.^[13][25] Within two minutes, the cruiser had been hit 24 times; she was immobilised, without power, and listing to starboard, with multiple internal fires and at least a fifth of her personnel dead or wounded.^[26] At least one torpedo strike was reported during the Japanese attack, although none of the 19 torpedoes fired atCanberra by the Japanese cruisers were recorded as hitting their target.^[25] Several personnel fromCanberra believe that USSBagley inadvertently torpedoed the cruiser.^[25][27] From the 819-strong ship's company, 84 were killed (74 during the battle, 10 dying later from wounds), and another 109 were wounded.^[13][28]

At 03:30,Patterson came alongside and relayed orders from Rear Admiral Turner: ifCanberra could not achieve mobility by 06:30, she would be abandoned and sunk.^[28] The destroyer began to recover the Australian survivors, but at 04:30,Patterson detected an approaching ship.^[28] The destroyer moved to investigate, at which point the unknown ship opened fire, andPatterson retaliated.^[28] It was quickly realised that the attacker was USSChicago, which had mistakenCanberra for a damaged Japanese vessel, and both ships ceased fire.^[28]Patterson returned to continue the evacuation, and was aided by sister shipUSS Blue.^[29]

While still afloat, and in no apparent danger of sinking, damage control and repair options were being evaluated. It was determined thatCanberra's engines could not be repaired by the 0630 deadline, and she was to be scuttled, instead of being towed over to Tulagi harbor for emergency repairs.^[29] She was torpedoed by the destroyerUSS Ellet at 08:00, after 263 5-inch (127 mm) shells and four other torpedoes fired byUSS Selfridge failed to do the job, and sank at coordinates09°12′29″S159°54′46″E / 9.20806°S 159.91278°E /-9.20806; 159.91278 (HMASCanberra (D33)).^[29][30] She was one of the first ships to be sunk in what was eventually named "Ironbottom Sound".^[31] Three US cruisers were also destroyed during the battle and a US destroyer damaged.^[27]

CaptainHoward Bode of USSChicago was formally criticised for his actions during the battle, particularly for not taking lead whenAustralia departed, and for not warning the northern cruiser force of the approaching Japanese ships.^[29] In recognition of the valour displayed by the Australian ship and her company, United States PresidentFranklin Delano Roosevelt wished to commemorate the loss of HMASCanberra by naming a US ship in her honour.^[29] The under-constructionBaltimore-class cruiserPittsburgh was selected to be renamedUSS Canberra.^[32] The ship was launched on 19 April 1943 by (Alice,) Lady Dixon, the wife of SirOwen Dixon, Australia's ambassador to the United States, and is the only United States warship to be named after a foreign capital city.^[29] Later, in 2023, the US Navy named a new Independence-class littoral combat ship also after the Canberra, which became the first US warship commissioned in a foreign port.^[1]

Around the same time, the British government announced that the heavy cruiserHMS Shropshire (a sister ship toCanberra, but of theLondon subclass) would be transferred to the RAN as a gift.^[33] Although KingGeorge VI had announced that the ship would be renamedCanberra, the duplication of ship names with the United States Navy was against RAN policy.^[33] Although it was thought that Australia had a greater claim to the name, the Australian government decided to retainShropshire's old name after learning that the US offer had come directly from President Roosevelt.^[34] Many of the first Australian sailors posted toShropshire in early 1943 wereCanberra survivors.^[35]

Canberra's wartime service was recognised with fourbattle honours: "East Indies 1940–41", "Pacific 1941–42", "Guadalcanal 1942", and "Savo Island 1942".^[36][37]

Canberra's wreck was rediscovered and examined byRobert Ballard and his crew in July and August 1992, almost exactly fifty years after her scuttling.^[38] She lies upright on the ocean floor, approximately 2,500 feet (760 m) below sea level, and while her hull was basically intact, she shows visible signs of shell hits and fire damage amidships.^[31] Just as they had been 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 the starboard side; the roof of "B" turret was missing.^{[citation needed]}

HMASCanberra is remembered in various places. In her name city of Canberra, a memorial is located next toLake Burley Griffin,^[39] adjacent to theNational Carillon. It incorporates a naval anchor and a section of chain cable (of the same type carried byCanberra),^[39] and it has two plaques detailing the purpose of the memorial and the details of the cruiser. The memorial was erected by theAustralian Capital Territory Branch of the Naval Historical Society, with donations from the ex-HMASCanberra andCanberra-Shropshire Association members, and was unveiled on 9 August 1981 by AdmiralSir Anthony Synnot.^[39] A commemorative address was given at the unveiling by AdmiralSir Victor Smith, who was aboardCanberra at the time of her loss.^[39] Each year on the Saturday closest 9 August, a service is conducted at the memorial, which is attended by the AustralianChief of Navy, thedefence attachés from the United States and the United Kingdom, and personnel from the naval baseHMAS Harman.^{[citation needed]} Acatafalque party was originally provided by personnel from the frigateHMAS Canberra until the ship's 2005 decommissioning; after this, the catafalque party was supplied by theAustralian Navy Cadets unit TSCanberra.^{[citation needed]}

Another memorial is located at the Police Memorial Park inRove, Honiara,Solomon Islands.^[40] The memorial is shaped like the bow of a ship, and points toward Savo Island.^[40] A previous memorial to the ship, which had been located in the grounds of theVilu Military Museum, was destroyed in 2000 during"the Tensions".^[40] A memorial plaque is also dedicated to HMASCanberra and her Tasmanian RAN personnel at theTasmanian Seafarers' Memorial atTriabunna on the east coast of Tasmania.^[41]

The ship's service is also recognised in a stained glass window at theGarden Island Naval Chapel.^[42]

• Bastock, John (1975).Australia's Ships of War. Cremorne, NSW: Angus and Robertson.ISBN 0-207-12927-4.OCLC 2525523.
• Cassells, Vic (2000).The Capital Ships: their battles and their badges. East Roseville, NSW: Simon & Schuster.ISBN 0-7318-0941-6.OCLC 48761594.
• Clark, Robin (March 2001). "The Fighting Canberras".Canberra Historical Journal:9–16.
• Frame, Tom (1993).HMAS Sydney: Loss and Controversy. Rydalmere, NSW: Hodder & Stoughton.ISBN 0-340-58468-8.OCLC 32234178.
• Friedman, Norman (2010).British Cruisers: Two World Wars and After. Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing.ISBN 978-1-59114-078-8.
• Gill, George Hermon (1957).Royal Australian Navy, 1939–1942.Australia in the War of 1939–1945, Series 2, Volume I. Canberra: Australian War Memorial.OCLC 848228.
• Grose, Peter (2007).A Very Rude Awakening. Crows Nest, NSW: Allen & Unwin.ISBN 978-1-74175-219-9.
• Mellefont, Jeffrey (June 2008). "Two ships called Canberra".Signals (83). Australian National Maritime Museum:2–7.
• Raven, Alan & Roberts, John (1980).British Cruisers of World War Two. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press.ISBN 0-87021-922-7.

• HMAS Canberra (I) – Royal Australian Navy webpage for HMASCanberra
• Australian Navy Ships – HMAS CanberraArchived 8 August 2014 at theWayback Machine – Brief history and photographs published by the United States Naval Historical Center
• [1] – Australian War Memorial webpage on the loss of the cruiser