HMAS Canberra (I33/D33), named after the Australian capital city of Canberra, was a Royal Australian Navy

Royal Australian Navy

The Royal Australian Navy is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force. Following the Federation of Australia in 1901, the ships and resources of the separate colonial navies were integrated into a national force: the Commonwealth Naval Forces...

 (RAN) heavy cruiser of the Kent subclass of County class cruiser

County class cruiser

The County class was a class of heavy cruisers built for the British Royal Navy in the years between the First and Second World Wars. They were the first post-war cruiser construction for the Royal Navy and were designed within the limits of the Washington Naval Conference of 1922...

s. 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 the China Station

China Station

The China Station was a historical formation of the British Royal Navy. It was formally the units and establishments responsible to the Commander-in-Chief, China....

.

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 German auxiliary cruisers. The cruiser resumed operations in Australian waters, but when Japan entered the war, she was quickly reassigned to convoy duties around New Guinea, interspersed with operations in Malaysian and Javanese waters. Canberra later joined Task Force 44

Task Force 44

Task Force 44 was an Allied naval task force during the Pacific Campaign of World War II. The task force consisted of warships from the Royal Australian Navy and United States Navy and was generally assigned as a striking force to defend northeast Australia and the surrounding area from any...

, and was involved in the Guadalcanal Campaign

Guadalcanal campaign

The Guadalcanal Campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal and codenamed Operation Watchtower by Allied forces, was a military campaign fought between August 7, 1942 and February 9, 1943 on and around the island of Guadalcanal in the Pacific theatre of World War II...

 and the Tulagi landings.

On 9 August 1942, Canberra was struck by the opening Japanese shots of the Battle of Savo Island

Battle of Savo Island

The Battle of Savo Island, also known as the First Battle of Savo Island and, in Japanese sources, as the , was a naval battle of the Pacific Campaign of World War II, between the Imperial Japanese Navy and Allied naval forces...

, and was quickly damaged. Unable to propel herself, the cruiser was evacuated and sunk in Ironbottom Sound

Ironbottom Sound

"Ironbottom Sound" is the name given by Allied sailors to Savo Sound, the stretch of water at the southern end of The Slot between Guadalcanal, Savo Island, and Florida Island of the Solomon Islands, because of the dozens of ships and planes that sank there during the Battle of Guadalcanal in...

 by two American destroyers. The United States Navy Baltimore class

Baltimore class cruiser

The Baltimore class cruiser was a type of heavy cruiser in the United States Navy from the last years of the Second World War. Fast and heavily armed, ships like the Baltimore cruisers were mainly used by the Navy in World War II to protect the fast aircraft carriers in carrier battle groups...

 cruiser was named in honour of the Australian ship, and is the only US warship named for either a foreign warship or a foreign capital city.

Design

Canberra was one of seven Kent class cruisers—a subclass of the County class cruiser

County class cruiser

The County class was a class of heavy cruisers built for the British Royal Navy in the years between the First and Second World Wars. They were the first post-war cruiser construction for the Royal Navy and were designed within the limits of the Washington Naval Conference of 1922...

—designed by Eustace Tennyson-D'Eyncourt. The ship was 590 feet (179.8 m) long between perpendiculars and 630 in 1 in (192.05 m) overall, with a beam of 68.25 feet (20.8 m), and a maximum draught of 21 in 4 in (6.5 m). She displaced 9,850 tons at light load, and 10,000 tons at standard load. The Kent class were built to meet the restrictions of the Washington Naval Treaty

Washington Naval Treaty

The Washington Naval Treaty, also known as the Five-Power Treaty, was an attempt to cap and limit, and "prevent 'further' costly escalation" of the naval arms race that had begun after World War I between various International powers, each of which had significant naval fleets. The treaty was...

; with a reduction in armament and protection.

Canberra was powered by eight Yarrow boilers which fed steam to four Brown-Curtis geared turbines; these in turn provided 80000 shp to the ship's four propeller shafts. The cruiser could reach speeds of 31.5 knots (61.7 km/h), which could be maintained for 2870 nautical miles (5,315.2 km), although 13200 nautical miles (24,446.4 km) could be travelled at the more economical 12 knots (23.5 km/h) standard cruising speed.

Before World War II, the ship's company was normally 690 (49 officers, 641 sailors); this increased to 710 when acting as a flagship

Flagship

A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...

. During wartime service, the normal company expanded to 751 (61 officers, 690 sailors), and at the time of her loss, 819 people were aboard.

Armament

Canberras main armament consisted of eight 8-inch Mark VIII guns

BL 8 inch Mk VIII naval gun

The 50 calibre BL 8 inch gun Mark VIII was the main battery gun used on the Royal Navy's County-class heavy cruisers, in compliance with the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922. This treaty allowed ships of not more than 10,000 tons standard displacement and with guns no larger than 8 inches to be...

 in four twin turrets. Secondary armament consisted of four 4-inch quick-firing high-angle guns

QF 4 inch Mk V naval gun

The QF 4 inch Mk V gun was a Royal Navy gun of World War I which was adapted on HA mountings to the heavy anti-aircraft role both at sea and on land, and was also used as a coast defence gun.-Naval service:...

 and four 2-pounder "pom-pom"

QF 2 pounder naval gun

The 2-pounder gun, officially designated the QF 2-pounder and universally known as the pom-pom, was a 1.575 inch British autocannon, used famously as an anti-aircraft gun by the Royal Navy. The name came from the sound that the original models make when firing...

 guns. A mixture of .303-inch machine guns

.303 British

.303 British, or 7.7x56mmR, is a .311 inch calibre rifle and machine gun cartridge first developed in Britain as a blackpowder round put into service in December 1888 for the Lee-Metford rifle, later adapted to use smokeless powders...

 were carried for close defence work: initially this consisted of four Vickers machine gun

Vickers machine gun

Not to be confused with the Vickers light machine gunThe Vickers machine gun or Vickers gun is a name primarily used to refer to the water-cooled .303 inch machine gun produced by Vickers Limited, originally for the British Army...

s and twelve Lewis machine guns

Lewis Gun

The Lewis Gun is a World War I–era light machine gun of American design that was perfected and widely used by the British Empire. It was first used in combat in World War I, and continued in service with a number of armed forces through to the end of the Korean War...

, although four Lewis guns were later removed. During a refit in 1942, two multiple pom-poms and five 20 mm Oerlikons were added to enhance the anti-aircraft armament. Four 3-pounder quick-firing Hotchkiss guns

QF 3 pounder Hotchkiss

The QF 3 pounder Hotchkiss was a light 47-mm naval gun introduced in 1886 to defend against new small fast vessels such as torpedo boats, and later submarines...

 were used as saluting guns. Two sets of quadruple 21-inch torpedo tubes were fitted. Depth charge

Depth charge

A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare weapon intended to destroy or cripple a target submarine by the shock of exploding near it. Most use explosives and a fuze set to go off at a preselected depth in the ocean. Depth charges can be dropped by either surface ships, patrol aircraft, or from...

s were carried: these were deployed by rails.

The cruiser was designed to carry a single amphibious aircraft

Amphibious aircraft

An amphibious aircraft or amphibian is an aircraft that can take off and land on either land or water. Fixed-wing amphibious aircraft are seaplanes that are equipped with retractable wheels, at the expense of extra weight and complexity, plus diminished range and fuel economy compared to planes...

: initially a Supermarine Seagull III aircraft, but this was replaced in 1936 by the Supermarine Walrus

Supermarine Walrus

The Supermarine Walrus was a British single-engine amphibious biplane reconnaissance aircraft designed by R. J. Mitchell and operated by the Fleet Air Arm . It also served with the Royal Air Force , Royal Australian Air Force , Royal Canadian Air Force , Royal New Zealand Navy and Royal New...

. However, the aircraft catapult

Aircraft catapult

An aircraft catapult is a device used to launch aircraft from ships—in particular aircraft carriers—as a form of assisted take off. It consists of a track built into the flight deck, below which is a large piston or shuttle that is attached through the track to the nose gear of the aircraft, or in...

 was not installed until April 1936, during a refit in Sydney. Before this, the Seagull amphibian was lowered into the water by the ship's recovery crane, and took off from there.

Armour aboard Canberra was limited to an armour deck over the machinery spaces and magazines, ranging from 1.5 to 3 in (3.8 to 7.6 ) in thickness. Armour plate was also fitted to the turrets (up to 2 inches (5.1 cm) thick) and the conning tower (3 inches (7.6 cm) thick). Anti-torpedo bulge

Anti-torpedo bulge

The anti-torpedo bulge is a form of passive defence against naval torpedoes that featured in warship construction in the period between the First and Second World Wars.-Theory and form:...

s were also fitted.

Construction

In 1924, the Australian government ordered two Kent class cruisers to replace the ageing light cruisers and . These ships were to be named and Canberra, with both to be built by John Brown & Company

John Brown & Company

John Brown and Company of Clydebank was a pre-eminent Scottish marine engineering and shipbuilding firm, responsible for building many notable and world-famous ships, such as the , the , the , the , the , and the...

, at their shipyard at Clydebank

Clydebank

Clydebank is a town in West Dunbartonshire, in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. Situated on the north bank of the River Clyde, Clydebank borders Dumbarton, the town with which it was combined to form West Dunbartonshire, as well as the town of Milngavie in East Dunbartonshire, and the Yoker and...

, Scotland: the only two County class ships built in Scotland.

Canberra was laid down on 9 September 1925, and given the yard number 513. Canberra was launched on 31 May 1927 by Princess Mary

Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood

The Princess Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood was a member of the British Royal Family; she was the third child and only daughter of King George V and Queen Mary. She was the sixth holder of the title of Princess Royal...

; the first ship of the RAN launched by a member of the Royal Family. Work on the ship was completed on 10 July 1928, the day after the cruiser was commissioned into the RAN. Most of the initial ship's company came from Sydney. Canberra cost approximately A£

Australian pound

The pound was the currency of Australia from 1910 until 13 February 1966, when it was replaced by the Australian dollar. It was subdivided into 20 shillings, each of 12 pence.- Earlier Australian currencies :...

2 million to construct.

Pre-World War II

Canberra left Portsmouth on 4 December 1928, after several months of workup trials, and arrived at Sydney on 16 February 1929. The cruiser operated primarily in Australian waters during the next ten years, spending periods of time as the RAN flagship

Flagship

A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...

. On 20 September 1929, during a round-Australia cruise, the ship grounded on a sand shoal outside Roebuck Bay, Western Australia. The damage did not prevent the ship from operating, and it was not until early 1930 that the affected hull plates were replaced. In September 1931, Canberra visited New Caledonia and Fiji. The cruiser operated on the Royal Navy's China Station

China Station

The China Station was a historical formation of the British Royal Navy. It was formally the units and establishments responsible to the Commander-in-Chief, China....

 in 1932 and 1937. In 1934, the warship was assigned to escort , which was transporting the Duke of Gloucester

Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester

The Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester was a soldier and member of the British Royal Family, the third son of George V of the United Kingdom and Queen Mary....

 during a visit to Australia.

World War II

For the first nine months of World War II, Canberra was assigned to patrol and escort duties around Australia. In January 1940, the cruiser escorted the first convoy carrying Australian and New Zealand soldiers, Anzac Convoy US 1, to the Middle East. During May, Canberra joined sister ship Australia to escort Anzac Convoy US 3 across the Indian Ocean; the convoy was diverted via the Cape of Good Hope

Cape of Good Hope

The Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa.There is a misconception that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa, because it was once believed to be the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In fact, the...

 following fears that Italy was about to join the war. On 26 June, Canberra left Australia with the troopship Strathmore for Cape Town, where the cruiser was assigned to the Indian Ocean as a convoy escort between Fremantle, Colombo, and Cape Town. During November, Canberra attempted to locate the German merchant raider Atlantis

German auxiliary cruiser Atlantis

The German auxiliary cruiser Atlantis , known to the Kriegsmarine as Schiff 16 and to the Royal Navy as Raider-C, was a converted German Hilfskreuzer of the Kriegsmarine, which, during World War II, travelled more than in 602 days, and sank or captured 22 ships totaling...

. She returned unsuccessful to Fremantle on 20 November, but sailed than night with a skeleton crew after the merchant ship SS Maimoa signalled that she was under attack by a German merchant raider (the auxiliary cruiser Pinguin

German auxiliary cruiser Pinguin

The Pinguin was a German auxiliary cruiser which served as a commerce raider in World War II. The Pinguin was known to the Kriegsmarine as Schiff 33, and designated HSK 5. The most successful commerce raider of the war, she was known to the British Royal Navy as Raider F...

). Although unable to find Maimoa or her attacker, Canberra encountered three lifeboats on 22 November, which carried 27 sailors who had escaped from SS Port Brisbane, another victim of Pinguin. The cruiser returned to Fremantle on 27 November without encountering the German raider. Shortly after, Canberra headed for the East Indies Station

East Indies Station

The East Indies Station was a formation of the British Royal Navy from 1865 to 1941.From 1831 to 1865 the East Indies and the China Station were a single command known as the East Indies and China Station...

.

In February 1941, Canberra was involved in efforts to locate the German pocket battleship Admiral Scheer. In early March, Canberra encountered two merchant ships; a tanker supplying a possible merchant raider, which split up and fled when ordered to stop. 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. Both ships (the raider supply ship Coburg and the captured Norwegian tanker Ketty Brøvig) had commenced scuttling

Scuttling

Scuttling is the act of deliberately sinking a ship by allowing water to flow into the hull.This can be achieved in several ways—valves or hatches can be opened to the sea, or holes may be ripped into the hull with brute force or with explosives...

 after the first attack from their pursuit, but the Australians continued attacking: the Walrus used all her bombs, while Canberra fired 215 shells, many of them misses. A post-action analysis found that if Canberra 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.
Canberra was assigned back to Australia in July; operating around the western and southern coasts. 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. In January 1942, Canberra and escorted the troopship Aquitania

RMS Aquitania

RMS Aquitania was a Cunard Line ocean liner designed by Leonard Peskett and built by John Brown & Company in Clydebank, Scotland. She was launched on 21 April 1913 and sailed on her maiden voyage to New York on 30 May 1914...

, carrying reinforcements to Singapore. During her return voyage via the Dutch East Indies, the cruiser was assigned to the ANZAC Squadron

ANZAC Squadron

The ANZAC Squadron, also called the Allied Naval Squadron, was an Allied naval warship task force which was tasked with defending northeast Australia and surrounding area in early 1942 during the Pacific Campaign of World War II...

. A refit occurred in Sydney from February to May 1942, during which Canberra became the first Australian warship to be fitted with radar (a Type 241 surface search set, and an A290 air-warning set). The cruiser was present in Sydney Harbour during the Japanese midget submarine attack

Attack on Sydney Harbour

In late May and early June 1942, during World War II, submarines belonging to the Imperial Japanese Navy made a series of attacks on the cities of Sydney and Newcastle in New South Wales, Australia...

 on 31 May-1 June. Although not damaged, at 04:40, Canberra recorded that the Japanese may have fired torpedoes at her. 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. The observer aboard Canberra may have seen bubbles from the compressed air released to fire the torpedoes.

The cruiser headed north the day after the submarine attack to join the ANZAC Squadron, which had been redesignated Task Force 44

Task Force 44

Task Force 44 was an Allied naval task force during the Pacific Campaign of World War II. The task force consisted of warships from the Royal Australian Navy and United States Navy and was generally assigned as a striking force to defend northeast Australia and the surrounding area from any...

. On 17 June, Canberra participated in offensive patrols through the Coral Sea

Coral Sea

The Coral Sea is a marginal sea off the northeast coast of Australia. It is bounded in the west by the east coast of Queensland, thereby including the Great Barrier Reef, in the east by Vanuatu and by New Caledonia, and in the north approximately by the southern extremity of the Solomon Islands...

, and from July, she was assigned to Operation Watchtower; the opening stages of the Guadalcanal Campaign

Guadalcanal campaign

The Guadalcanal Campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal and codenamed Operation Watchtower by Allied forces, was a military campaign fought between August 7, 1942 and February 9, 1943 on and around the island of Guadalcanal in the Pacific theatre of World War II...

. The cruiser escorted the force to be landed at Tulagi from 5 August, and screened the force during the landings on 7 and 8 August; the cruiser encountered no initial resistance.

Loss

During the afternoon of 8 August, a Japanese task force commanded by Vice Admiral Gunichi Mikawa

Gunichi Mikawa

was a Vice-Admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II.Mikawa was the commander of a heavy cruiser force that carried out spectacular I.J.N. victory over the U.S. Navy and the Royal Australian Navy at the Battle of Savo Island in Ironbottom Sound on the night of August 1942. In...

 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 the landing at Guadalcanal, then those at Tulagi. Anticipating a naval attack following several assaults by land-based Japanese aircraft, the Allied commander of the naval forces, British Rear Admiral Victor Crutchley, split his forces around Savo Island: Crutchley aboard HMAS Australia led Canberra, , and the destroyers and on patrol of the southern waters. At 20:45, Crutchley was recalled to meet urgently with US Admiral Richmond K. Turner

Richmond K. Turner

-Footnotes:...

, overall commander of the amphibious landings. Although Chicago was the senior ship after Australia departed, Canberra, which had been following Australia, found herself at point. Around 01:00 on 9 August, the engines of scoutplanes from Mikawa's ships were heard, but as no warning came from the other groups, it was assumed they were friendly.

At 01:45, Patterson detected Mikawa's ships and alerted the Allied force. The Japanese scout planes dropped flares to silhouette Canberra and Chicago. 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. 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 magazines. 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. At least one torpedo strike was reported during the Japanese attack, although none of the 19 torpedoes fired at Canberra by the Japanese cruisers were recorded as hitting their target. Several personnel from Canberra believe that USS Bagley inadvertently torpedoed the cruiser. From the 819-strong ship's company, 84 were killed (74 during the battle, 10 dying later from wounds), and another 109 were wounded.

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

Canberras engines could not be repaired, and was to be scuttled. She was torpedoed by the destroyer at 08:00, after 263 5-inch shells and four other torpedoes fired by failed to do the job, and sank at . She was one of the first ships to be sunk in what would eventually be named "Ironbottom Sound

Ironbottom Sound

"Ironbottom Sound" is the name given by Allied sailors to Savo Sound, the stretch of water at the southern end of The Slot between Guadalcanal, Savo Island, and Florida Island of the Solomon Islands, because of the dozens of ships and planes that sank there during the Battle of Guadalcanal in...

". Three US cruisers were also destroyed during the battle, and a US destroyer was damaged.

Aftermath

Canberras wartime service was recognised with four battle honours: "East Indies 1940–41", "Pacific 1941–42", "Guadalcanal 1942", and "Savo Island 1942".

Captain Howard Bode of USS Chicago was formally criticised for his actions during the battle, particularly for not taking lead when Australia departed, and for not warning the northern cruiser force of the approaching Japanese ships, leading to the loss of the three US cruisers.

In recognition of the valour displayed by the Australian ship and her company, United States President Franklin Delano Roosevelt wished to commemorate the loss of HMAS Canberra by naming a US ship in her honour. The under-construction Baltimore class cruiser

Baltimore class cruiser

The Baltimore class cruiser was a type of heavy cruiser in the United States Navy from the last years of the Second World War. Fast and heavily armed, ships like the Baltimore cruisers were mainly used by the Navy in World War II to protect the fast aircraft carriers in carrier battle groups...

 Pittsburgh was selected to be renamed . The ship was launched on 19 April 1943 by Lady Alice C. Dixon, the wife of Sir Owen Dixon

Owen Dixon

Sir Owen Dixon, OM, GCMG, KC Australian judge and diplomat, was the sixth Chief Justice of Australia. A justice of the High Court for thirty-five years, Dixon was one of the leading jurists in the English-speaking world and is widely regarded as Australia's greatest ever jurist.-Education:Dixon...

, Australia's ambassador to the United States, and is the only United States warship to be named after a foreign capital city.

Around the same time, the British government announced that the heavy cruiser (a sister ship to Canberra, but of the London subclass) would be transferred to the RAN as a gift. Although King George VI

George VI of the United Kingdom

George VI was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death...

 had announced that the ship would be renamed Canberra, the duplication of ship names with the United States Navy was against RAN policy. Although it was thought that Australia had a greater claim to the name, the Australian government decided to retain Shropshires old name after learning that the US offer had come directly from President Roosevelt. Many of the first Australian sailors posted to Shropshire in early 1943 were Canberra survivors.

Rediscovery

Canberras wreck 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 feet (762 m) below sea level, 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, "B" turret's roof was completely missing.

Memorials

HMAS Canberra is remembered in various places. In her name city of Canberra, a memorial is located next to Lake Burley Griffin

Lake Burley Griffin

Lake Burley Griffin is an artificial lake in the centre of Canberra, the capital of Australia. It was completed in 1963 after the Molonglo River—which ran between the city centre and Parliamentary Triangle—was dammed...

, adjacent to the National Carillon

National Carillon

The National Carillon, situated on Aspen Island in central Canberra, Australia is a large carillon managed and maintained by the National Capital Authority on behalf of the Commonwealth of Australia.- History :...

. It incorporates a naval anchor and a section of chain cable (of the same type carried by Canberra), and it has two plaques detailing the purpose of the memorial and the details of the cruiser. The memorial was erected by the Australian Capital Territory

Australian Capital Territory

The Australian Capital Territory, often abbreviated ACT, is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and is the smallest self-governing internal territory...

 Branch of the Naval Historical Society, with donations from the ex-HMAS Canberra and Canberra-Shropshire Association members, and was unveiled on 9 August 1981 by Admiral Sir Anthony Synnot

Anthony Synnot

Admiral Sir Anthony Monckton Synnot KBE, AO was a senior officer in the Royal Australian Navy, who between 1979 and 1982 served as Chief of the Defence Force Staff.-Early life:...

. A commemorative address was given at the unveiling by Admiral Sir Victor Smith

Victor Smith

Admiral Sir Victor Alfred Trumper Smith AC, KBE, CB, DSC, RAN was a senior officer within the Royal Australian Navy, eventually becoming the first Australian to achieve the rank of admiral and serving as Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee; the professional head of the Australian Military.-Early...

, who was aboard Canberra at the time of her loss. Each year on the Saturday nearest 9 August, a service is conducted at the memorial, which is attended by the Australian Chief of Navy

Chief of Navy (Australia)

The Chief of Navy is the most senior appointment in the Royal Australian Navy, responsible to the Chief of the Defence Force and the Secretary of Defence...

, the defence attachés

Military attaché

A military attaché is a military expert who is attached to a diplomatic mission . This post is normally filled by a high-ranking military officer who retains the commission while serving in an embassy...

 from the United States and the United Kingdom, and personnel from the naval base . A catafalque party was originally provided by personnel from the frigate until the ship's decommissioning; after this, the catafalque party was supplied by the Australian Navy Cadets

Australian Navy Cadets

The Australian Navy Cadets is a voluntary youth organisation sponsored by the Royal Australian Navy. Together with the Australian Air Force Cadets and Australian Army Cadets, it forms the Australian Defence Force Cadets. It hosts over 91 units.-History:...

 unit TS Canberra.

The ship's service is also recognised in a stained glass window at the Garden Island Naval Chapel.

External links

• HMAS Canberra (I) – Royal Australian Navy webpage for HMAS Canberra
• Australian Navy Ships – HMAS Canberra – Brief history and photographs published by the United States Naval Historical Center
• Remembering 1942: The loss of HMAS Canberra – Australian War Memorial webpage on the loss of the cruiser