H.M.A.S. CanberraPrint Page

The bronze plaque commemorates H.M.A.S. Canberra, during service with the Royal Australian Navy between 1928 and 1942. The vessell was sunk during the Battle of Savo Island on 9 August 1942, with the loss of 84 individuals.

H.M.A.S. Canberra (I33/D33), named after the Australian capital city of Canberra, was a Royal Australian Navy (RAN) heavy cruiser of the Kent subclass of County 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 the China Station.

At the start of World War Two, H.M.A.S. 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, H.M.A.S. Canberra was involved in the hunt for several German auxiliary cruisers. H.M.A.S. Canberra later joined Task Force 44, and was involved in the Guadalcanal Campaign and the Tulagi landings.

On 9 August 1942, H.M.A.S. Canberra was struck by the opening Japanese shots of the Battle of Savo Island, and was quickly damaged. Unable to propel herself, the cruiser was evacuated and sunk in Ironbottom Sound by two American destroyers.

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