On This Day
1942 > WW2
On This Day - 1942
- January 30, 1942
HMAS GYMPIE, (minesweeper), was launched at Evans Deakin Yard, Brisbane.
- January 28, 1942
HMA Ships NIZAM, NAPIER, and NESTOR, (destroyers), escorted HMS INDOMITABLE, (aircraft carrier), which was carrying 48 pilots and their Hurricane fighter aircraft, bound for Malaya. The aircraft were flown off the INDOMITABLE south of Java.
A Japanese destroyer landed two parties on Tabar Island to capture Coastwatcher SBLT C.L. Page, RANVR. Page eluded the search parties.
- January 27, 1942
HMAS VAMPIRE and HMS THANET, (destroyers) launched a night attack on a superior Japanese force landing troops at Endau, Malaya. The destroyers penetrated the enemy line and engaged vessels on both quarters at point-blank range. HMS THANET was lost in the engagement, VAMPIRE escaped reaching Singapore naval base some hours later.
The Fremantle-based USS HAKE, (submarine), sank the Japanese tanker YAMAMIZU MARU in the Java Sea off Borneo.
HMA Ships HOBART, PERTH, VAMPIRE, YARRA, and WARREGO, joined ABDA Command in Java.
- January 26, 1942
The Bathurst class minesweeper, (corvette), HMAS CESSNOCK, (A/LCDR Marchington, RNR),was commissioned at Sydney. Lady Gordon, (Wife of a Director of Cockatoo Dockyard), performed the commissioning ceremony. CESSNOCK was laid down in Cockatoo Dockyard, Sydney, and launched on 17 October 1941. HMAS Sirocco (Q21) , a channel patrol boat operated by the Naval Auxiliary Patrol of the RAN was destroyed by fire at Hobart.
- January 25, 1942
HMA Ships CANBERRA, (cruiser), and VAMPIRE, (destroyer), arrived in Singapore, having escorted the liner AQUITANIA, which was carrying troops from Australia.
HMAS NIZAM, (destroyer), on an early morning anti-submarine sweep off Trincomalee, Ceylon, in poor visibility, was challenged by a Dutch cruiser. “Have been watching you for the last ten minutes”, the Dutch vessel signalled. NIZAM replied: “Thanks. We have had our guns trained on you for the last half hour.”
- January 23, 1942
HMAS ARMIDALE was launched at Mort’s Dock, Sydney.
ADML Royle informed the Australian War Cabinet that an invasion of Australia by the Japanese was a distinct possibility.
- January 22, 1942
HMAS Katoomba was involved in a collision with the US tanker Pecos just outside Darwin Harbour. Holed on the port side and taking water, she was in danger of sinking. She was subsequently secured alongside her sister ship HMAS Lithgow and towed into Darwin Harbour where she was immediately taken into the floating dry dock (AD1001) during the afternoon of 23 January. She was still in teh floating dock being repaired during the japanese raid on Darwin on 19 Feb 1942.
- January 21, 1942
Off Darwin, NT, HMA Ships DELORAINE, KATOOMBA, and LITHGOW, (corvettes), with the USS EDSALL, (destroyer), took part in depth-charge attacks which destroyed the Japanese submarine I124, the first warship of the Japanese navy to fall victim to the RAN in WWII.
The Bathurst class minesweeper, (corvette), HMAS ROCKHAMPTON, was commissioned.
- January 17, 1942
HMAS ECHUCA was launched at Williamstown Naval Dockyard, VIC. The lugger, HMAS ST. FRANCIS, (LEUT (Brother) Andrew Smith, RANVR), sighted a Japanese submarine on the surface off Melville Island. In 1914 the ST. FRANCIS, a 15 metre mission lugger was blown 400 miles out into the Indian Ocean on her maiden voyage and was found by HMAS SYDNEY. HMS QUEENBOROUGH later HMAS QUEENBOROUGH, was launched at Swan and Hunter’s Yard, England. CAPT J. A. Collins, CB, was appointed Commodore Commanding China Force.
- January 16, 1942
The Bathurst class minesweeper, (corvette), HMAS GEELONG, (LCDR C. G. Hill, RANR(S)), was commissioned. GEELONG was laid down at Williamstown Dockyard, VIC, on 16 October 1940. Lady Dugan, (Wife of the Governor of Victoria), performed the launching ceremony on 22 April 1941. GEELONG was sunk in action on 18 October 1944.
HMAS MARYBOROUGH, (minesweeper), picked up 37 survivors from a Dutch merchant ship sunk by a mine in the Rhio Straits, Malaya.