On This Day
1940 > WW2
On This Day - 1940
- September 19, 1940
HMAS AUSTRALIA, (cruiser), sighted three Vichy French cruisers, 250 miles south of Dakar, and shadowed them north.
The cruiser HMAS ADELAIDE, (CAPT H. A. Showers), escorted the Norwegian tanker NORDEN, which was carrying the new governor of New Caledonia, Henri Sautot, into Noumea. ADELAIDE sailed in with the French sloop, DUMONT d’URVILLE alongside the wharf, with her guns trained fore-and-aft.
- September 7, 1940
HMAS ADELAIDE, (cruiser), arrived at Vila to install De Gaullist M. Sautot as French Commissioner of the New Hebrides. Vila was in the hands of Vichy sympathisers, and ADELAIDE stood off the port until 16 September, before sailing for Noumea. On her arrival at the latter port the French sloop DUMONT D’URVILLE was observed at the wharf. A signal from a shore station warned ADELAIDE:- ‘You must not enter harbour’. Conflict was avoided when De Gaullist supporters seized control. DUMONT D’URVILLE sailed for Saigon on 25 September, and M Sautot was installed as Commissioner.
- September 6, 1940
HMAS Australia departed the Clyde for Freetown to replace HMS Fiji in Operation Menace. On 8 September, U.56 unsuccessfully attacked Australia, which arrived at Freetown on the 14th.
- September 5, 1940
HMAS HOBART, escorting convoy BS.3 at 15‑25N, 41‑46E, was unsuccessfully attacked eight times by Italian bombers.
The auxiliary minesweeper HMAS SAMUEL BENBOW, was commissioned. SAMUEL BENBOW was laid down in the UK in 1918. She was requisitioned for the RAN, from her owners, Cam ; Sons Pty Ltd, Sydney, on 4 August 1940- September 4, 1940
The cruiser, HMAS SYDNEY, (CAPT J. A. Collins, RAN), and HM Ships DAINTY and ILEX, (destroyers), bombarded Italian airfields at Scarpanto. Three Italian E-boats attacked the squadron, but accurate fire from ILEX sank two, and the other withdrew.
- September 3, 1940
While proceeding to Brisbane from Sydney, en route to New Caledonia, HMAS Adelaide (I) was in collision with SS Coptic of the Shaw Savill and Albion Line. Although both ships avoided major damage, this collision resulted in a court case in 1947 when the owners of Coptic sued the Commonwealth for £35,000 damages
- September 2, 1940
The German raider ORION laid dummy mines off Albany, WA.
The auxiliary anti-submarine vessel HMAS WILCANNIA, (LCDR G. Tancred, RAN), was commissioned. WILCANNIA, (as WYRALLAH), was laid down in Burmeister & Wain, Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1934. She was requisitioned for the RAN, from her owners, the North Coast Steam Navigation Co Ltd, in 1940.
- August 26, 1940
HMAS AUSTRALIA, (cruiser), launched her Seagull amphibian aircraft on a solo bombing attack of Tromso, Norway. Heavy cloud and poor visibility caused the aircraft to turn back.
- August 24, 1940
HMAS WATERHEN, (destroyer), and HM Ships DIAMOND, ILEX, and JUNO, of the 10th Destroyer Flotilla, bombarded the Italian seaplane base at Bomba, Libya.
- August 23, 1940
In Operation DR, HMS NORFOLK (Captain A J L Phillips) and HMAS AUSTRALIA (Captain R R Stewart RN) departed Scapa Flow at 1939 to operate in the area of Bear Island to capture German fishing vessels. No contact was made and they arrived back at 0728 on 29/8/40.
HMAS WATERHEN, (destroyer), covered HMS LADYBIRD, (monitor), when she entered the enemy held port of Bardia, and fired point-blank on buildings and harbour defences. Both vessels withdrew safely after the attack.