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Home » Themes » Conflict » World War Two
H.M.A.S. Canberra Print Page 
The anchor memorial commemorates H.M.A.S. Canberra and those who served in her.
In 1942 during World War Two, the Australian heavy cruiser HMAS Canberra was lost in action in the Solomon Islands at the Battle of Savo Island, some eighteen hundred kilometres off the North Queensland coast. Eighty four crewmen lost their lives.
Crippled in a short but ferocious engagement with a force of Japanese cruisers in the early hours of the morning, the Royal Australian Navy ship was abandoned and sunk at 8 a.m. by allied vessels before they withdrew from the area.
An imposing memorial to the first HMAS Canberra, which was sunk in battle during World War II, was unveiled yesterday by the Chief of Defence Force Staff, Admiral Sir Anthony Synnot. The memorial is a five-tonne anchor and chain, of the type normally carried by a naval cruiser, which was a gift from the Royal Australian Navy. It has been mounted on a concrete podium on the shore of Lake Burley Griffin near the Carillon. Yesterday was the 39th anniversary of the sinking of the Canberra, which went down on August 9, 1942, after being attacked by Japanese ships in the battle of Savo Island. Eighty four of her 816 crew members lost their lives. The memorial was erected by the ACT Chapter of the Naval Historical Society of Australia, with assistance from the Canberra Shropshire Association of Australia. About 400 people, including 100 members of the Canberra-Shropshire Association, attended the dedication ceremony.
The Canberra Times,10th August 1981.
Location
| Address: | Wendouree Drive, Kings Park, Parkes, 2600 |
|---|---|
| State: | ACT |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -35.297867 Long: 149.143533 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Monument |
|---|---|
| Monument Theme: | Conflict |
| Sub-Theme: | WW2 |
| Actual Event Start Date: | 09-August-1942 |
| Actual Event End Date: | 09-August-1942 |
Dedication
| Actual Monument Dedication Date: | Sunday 9th August, 1981 |
|---|
(Plaque 1 )
COMMEMORATING H.M.A.S. CANBERRA
AND THOSE WHO SAILED IN HER
H.M.A.S. Canberra Was A Kent Class Cruiser Built By
John Brown & CO. LTD. Clydebank Scotland.
Launched By H.R.H. Princess Mary On 31 May, 1927.
Displacement: 9,850 Tons Standard, 16,630 Tons Full Load
Length: 630ft. Beam 68ft. 4in. Draught 22ft. 4in.
Armament: Eight 8in., Four 4in. AA, Four 2 Pounder Pom-Poms,
Four 3 Pounders, Eight 21in. Torpedo Tubes.
Aircraft: One "Walrus" Amphibian
Sunk At The Battle Of Savo Island On 9 August 1942,
With The Loss Of 84 Lives.
(Plaque 2 )
UNVEILED BY
ADMIRAL SIR ANTHONY SYNNOT
KBE, AO, RAN
CHIEF OF DEFENCE FORCE STAFF
ON 9 AUGUST 1981
COMMEMORATIVE ADDRESS BY
ADMIRAL SIR VICTOR SMITH
AC, KBE, CB, DSC, RAN, (RET).
THIS MEMORIAL WAS ERECTED BY THE A.C.T.
CHAPTER OF THE NAVAL HISTORICAL SOCIETY
OF AUSTRALIA, WHO RECEIVED SUPPORT FROM
INDIVIDUALS AND ORGANISATIONS, INCLUDING
MANY EX-CANBERRA CREW MEMBERS AND
THE EX-HMAS CANBERRA-SHROPSHIRE
ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA.
Plaque donated by the Canberra Rotary Club
