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Home » Themes » Conflict » World War Two
H. M. S. Jervis BayPrint Page 
A stained glass window commemorates the Captain and crew of the armed merchant cruiser H.M.S. Jervis Bay.
The Jervis Bay, built originally as a passenger ship to carry emigrants to Australia, was taken over by the British Admiralty in August 1939. Seven 6-inch guns, dating from the turn of the century, were distributed around her decks. She was repainted grey and allocated a crew of 255 men (mainly reservists). Her role was that of ocean escort for Atlantic convoys.
On 5 November 1940, H.M.S. Jervis Bay was sunk by the German pocket-battleship Admiral Scheer while engaging the superior enemy ship in a heroic, if hopeless, fight to give the 37 merchants in the convoy HX-84 a chance to escape, because the armed merchant cruiser was the sole escort. Her sacrifice allowed many ships of the convoy to scatter and escape in the night.
190 men were lost, while 65 survivors were picked up by the Swedish merchant Stureholm that had turned back during the night to search for survivors.
Location
| Address: | 717 Flinders Street, Mission to Seafarers, Docklands, 3008 |
|---|---|
| State: | VIC |
| Area: | Foreign |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -37.822408 Long: 144.951305 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Window |
|---|---|
| Monument Theme: | Conflict |
| Sub-Theme: | WW2 |
| Actual Event Start Date: | 05-November-1940 |
| Actual Event End Date: | 05-November-1940 |
Dedication
TO THE GLORY OF GOD, and in memory of
the heroism of the Captain and Ship`s Company of the
Armed Merchant Cruiser "JERVIS BAY" and the Men
of the Merchant Navy NOVEMBER 5th, 1940.
