royal navy at war - pacific & east indies fleets

After taking part in the evacuation of Singapore the Australian ships formed part of the force allocated for the naval defence of the Netherlands East Indies. Other ships carried out patrol and evacuation duties. An accompanying British destroyer, HMS Thanet, was sunk. A few days prior to this, on 27 January, Vampire carried out a spirited but unsuccessful attack on a superior Japanese landing force at Endau. On one occasion Yarra lifted over 1300 survivors from the troopship Empress of Asia after it had been dive bombed and sunk. She would later be sunk herself off Ceylon in April 1942.Īfter this disaster the Australian ships were heavily involved in escorting the troopships bringing reinforcements to Singapore, often in the face of severe Japanese air attacks. HMAS Vampire was present for the sinking of HM ships Prince of Wales and Repulse on 10 December 1941.

She rescued 225 survivors after both the capital ships had been sunk by Japanese naval aircraft. Vampire formed part of the escort of HM Ships Prince of Wales and Repulse on their ill fated sortie to attack Japanese landing forces at Kuantan on Malaysia's east coast. Other vessels, including the cruiser HMAS Hobart, the destroyer HMAS Vampire and the sloop HMAS Yarra, were ordered back to Australian waters to help meet this new threat.

Prior to the outbreak of hostilities six corvettes of the RAN had already been based at Singapore.

A war that was to last four years and see Australian ships and personnel operate across the vast expanse of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. As a consequence of these actions the Royal Australian Navy found itself facing a new enemy and fighting a new war. This assault was co-ordinated with the Japanese strike against the United States Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor (7 December, local time). In the morning of 8 December 1941 Japanese troops commenced landing in Northern Malaya.

Royal navy at war - pacific & east indies fleets