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H.M.A.S. ArmidalePrint Page 
The plaque commemorates those who served and those who were killed on H.M.A.S. Armidale which was sunk by the Japanese during World War Two.
H.M.A.S. Armidale was commissioned in Sydney on 11 June 1942. In November the ship was ordered, along with H.M.A.S. Kuru and H.M.A.S. Castlemaine, to resupply and evacuate troops and civilians from Betano Bay, Timor.
On December 1, 1942 the ship was attacked by bombers and torpedoes and sank. The remaining survivors clung to the raft and awaited rescue. After harrowing journeys the men in the motor boat and whaler were picked up, but the men left on the raft disappeared without trace. The loss of life on the Armidale was the highest for any corvette in the Second World War. Only 49 of the 149 men on board survived the ordeal.
Location
| Address: | Esplanade, Bicentennial Park, adjacent to Cenotaph, Darwin, 0800 |
|---|---|
| State: | NT |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -12.466696 Long: 130.840137 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Plaque |
|---|---|
| Monument Theme: | Conflict |
| Sub-Theme: | WW2 |
| Actual Event Start Date: | 11-June-1942 |
| Actual Event End Date: | 01-December-1942 |
Dedication
| Actual Monument Dedication Date: | Thursday 11th June, 1998 |
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HMAS Armidale
J 240
Bathurst Class Corvette
11 June 1942 - 1 December 1942.
At approximately 1515, 1 December 1942 Darwin based HMAS Armidale was attacked by Japanese fighter aircraft approximately 100 nautical miles north west of Darwin Lat 126º 30` East Long 10º South.
During the ensuing battle, she was hit by two torpedoes and sunk within 3 minutes. Before disengaging the fighters strafed the survivors still in the water.
This plaque laid by the Naval Association of Australia Darwin Section Inc. in dedication to all the personnel onboard - 83 Ships Company, 3 A.I.F., 2 Dutch Army Officers and 61 Indonesian troopsd for their courage and sacrifice.
"The ship that had to die"
Sadly missed but never forgotten
10 killed in action, 2 died, 46 survivors,
Missing presumed dead - 28 Australian, 2 Dutch, 58 Indonesian,
11 June 1998
