Photo of the cruiser Australia (HMAS Australia), taken with the Hobart cruiser (HMAS Hobart) during a rehearsal for the landing on Guadalcanal, which took place in the vicinity of the Pacific island of Koro on July 28-30, 1942.
The Australian heavy cruiser Australia was numbered I84, D84 and C01. This warship belonged to the County-class heavy cruisers. Built in Clydebank (Scotland) at the John Brown and Co shipyards by order of the Australian government.
Australia cruiser, construction began on August 26, 1925, launched on May 17, 1927, accepted into the Royal Australian Navy on May 24, 1928.
Australia cruiser, characteristics for 1942: standard displacement – 9750 tons, total – 13,315 tons. Length – 193 m, width (maximum) – 20 meters. Draft – 6.3 m. Power plant – 8 Parsons boilers, 4 turbines; power – 80 thousand hp The maximum speed is 32 knots. Cruising range – 4500 miles at 31 knots, 10800 miles at 12 knots. The crew is about 1000 people.
Australia cruiser, Armament for 1942: 4×2 8 ″ (203 mm) Mk VII, 4×4-pounder anti-aircraft guns (101.6mm QF 4 pound), 2 twin 40-mm anti-aircraft guns pom-pom, 7 twin 20-mm anti-aircraft guns guns, 6 20-mm anti-aircraft guns, anti-aircraft machine guns, 2 quad torpedo tubes with a caliber of 533 mm.
During World War II the Australia cruiser served in the Atlantic (1939-1940), Indian (1940-1941) and Pacific Oceans (1941-1945). Participated in the battles in the Coral Sea (1942), Savo Island (1942), Guadalcanal (1942), New Guinea (1942-1944), landing in Leyte Bay (1944) and Lingaen Bay (1945).
On October 21, 1944, in Leyte Gulf the Australia cruiser was attacked by a Japanese kamikaze aircraft, as a result of which 23 sailors were killed and 52 were injured (including the ship’s commander, who later died of his wounds).
On January 5-6, 1945, in Lingaen Bay, the Australia cruiser was attacked several times by kamikaze planes, as a result of which 39 sailors were killed and 56 were injured on the ship. The Australia cruiser itself was damaged, was towed to Sydney and was under repair until May 17, 1945.
The Australian cruiser was withdrawn from the Navy on 31 August 1954.
Source: Australian Department of Defense.
Source of information on Australia cruiser photo: www.ussastoria.org
Location: Koro Island, Pacific Ocean
Photo time: 28 – 30 July 1942