HMAS Perth - Australians Fighting Until the Very End

In our British cruiser double feature, this week, we have a rather more famous ship. HMAS Perth, an Australian ship that fought to the end. Just like Fiji, in fact, she fought until running out of ammunition.
Surface ammunition, instead of anti-aircraft, this time.
Perth had a longer career, and she would fight in the Mediterranean and Pacific. Against Italian ships, German aircraft, and Japanese ships and aircraft. Perth was a fighting ship that did the Royal Australian Navy proud.
Until, in the end, she went down against overwhelming odds alongside USS Houston.
Further Reading:
www.amazon.com...
www.amazon.com...
www.amazon.com...
www.amazon.com...
www.amazon.com...
www.naval-hist...
www.worldnaval...
naval-encyclop...

[@GM-fh5jp]

My Uncle Andy went down on Perth that terrible night. Fished out of the water by the Japanese he was eventually sent to Thailand as a POW to help build the infamous railway of death. After the war he was awarded the highest honor given to a non citizen by the Dutch Government for his selfless and humane care of Dutch POWs in the concentration camps along the railway. He was a splendid, quiet man, modest and gentle to all that knew him. He died in his 80s in South Australia.

[@gregorylumpkin2128]

HMAS Perth (Captain Waller) and USS Houston (Captain Rooks) fought in both Java Sea battles only to be caught by a Japanese landing force near Sunda Straight. They went down fighting, overwhelmed by gunfire and long lance torpedoes. Several hundred survivors were captured and spent the rest of the war in ungodly prison camps. Frank McGovern (aged 103), the last survivor of HMAS Perth died in Randwick Hospital in 2023. Robert L. Hanley, thought to be the last remaining survivor of USS Houston, passed away in 2024 (aged 102). Rest in peace. Because of men and women like this we are here today living in peace.

[@LantherMerlock]

Nearly all the wrecks in the battle of Java Sea have been illegally salvaged. This is a sad fate as they are considered war graves. I did enjoy this video on HMAS Perth

[@wolfgangbergstrom6224]

It's simians who are perpetuity culturally a 3rd world society that view those not apart of it the right to pillage.

[@danieltynan5301]

Asia.....

[@Raptoronline1]

Finally someone did a vid on Perth! Yay! There is so little ever really mentioned about her around, she's so underappreciated.

[@robertf3479]

One thing I've noticed about these ships, Fiji and Perth in particular is that the shipyard neglected to equip them to quit, something in common with their crews. Respectful salute to them.

[@metaknight115]

ABDA fleet has my respect. They went down facing unimaginable odds and gave it their best, Perth did manage to damage a few destroyers before going down.

[@stephenpeterson6676]

God I love the little fins and paint job on the funnels that make a little bit of an optical illusion as to which way the funnels are angled even though they’re completely vertical. Such an awesome little feature and I’ve only ever seen it on Perth. Great video as always thank you!

[@adriaandeleeuw8339]

My childhood neighbor Chief Petty Officer William (Bill) Clarke went to Britain to pick HMAS Perth and serve on her until her sinking. Surviving Japanese POW Camps. After the war he became a lighthouse keeper in Eastern Victoria.

[@andreww9252]

Perth's cat is another very interesting story, named Red Lead because it walked through red paint leaving paw prints everywhere, the more modern HMAS Perth had red cat paws painted on its deck as a sign of respect. Refer to a book titled "Red Lead" by Roland Perry, a great read.

[@andrewstackpool4911]

Intelligence had assured Waller (as OTC) that there were no Japanese units in the Sunda Strait area. Incidentally, the story of Perth and Houston's flight from the Java Sea to Sunda is in itself a fascinating story including the cowardice of a Dutch destroyer and the refusal of the Dutch at Surabaya to top up the ships' supplies of six-inch shells.

[@andrewstackpool4911]

It should be noted that the C-In-C Mediterranean fleet, Admiral Sir Andrew Cunningham, had a very high regard for all the RAN units assigned to the Fleet and they were all engaged in major actions against Italian and German units as well as convoy escort and support operations including the troop evacuations from Greece and Crete

[@verysilentmouse]

Yay named after my home town

[@andrewstackpool4911]

Nothing notable while Amphion was on the African Station, but it is a simple fact that extensive operational deployments even in peacetime do wonders in developing the ship's company as individuals, Division members and ship's company. They will eventually be posted elsewhere, bringing this vital operational training and experience with them.

[@davidbarnsley8486]

Perth my home town 😢😢

[@chopper7352]

HMAS PERTH & USS HOUSTON both put up a valiant last stand against overwhelming odds in those early months of WW2. It's disgraceful what the Wreck/Scrap hunters have done to HMAS Perth.

[@andrewstackpool4911]

The single 4-inch guns aboard Sydney was a major factor in her loss. With no turret, the crew were unable to man them as Kormoran's secondary and tertiary armaments swept the upper decks. The torpedo may have struck before they were brought to action but had twin turreted 4-inch been fitted, they could also have been trained on Kormoran, increasing Sydney's striking power

[@Holland41]

Reports, admittedly from the Germans, suggest that Sydney's single mounted 4-inch guns weren't manned. Photographs of the wreck that show the 4-inch armament are inconclusive, but even unshielded single 4-inch mountings could have been effective at point blank range had they been at action stations, and the twin 4-inch mountings fitted to Perth and Hobart offered little extra protection against concentrated fire. I doubt that they were a "major" factor in her loss, and the Germans didn't mention targeting these guns initially, but I feel that if they had been manned and used when Kormoran opened fire the Germans would have mentioned it. The real reason for Sydney's loss was the criminal incompetence of Sydney's Captain Burnett. Everything else pales into insignificance by comparison, and with a CO like Burnett it isn't hard to believe that her 4-inch mountings were unmanned and that Sydney's first broadside flashed over (or through) Kormoran's superstructure, despite being at such close range. Had Sydney stayed at a safe range, had her entire armament been correctly focussed on the German ship, and had she used the secret callsign designed to safeguard allied ships, Kormoran's destruction would have been almost immediate.

[@kimwhite7191]

Hec Waller should have been awarded the VC but no Australian Government has seen fit to do so, an absolute disgrace.

[@BLUEGHOSTED]

Sky i beg of thee, do the HMS Piorun 🙏

[@dovetonsturdee7033]

There was no HMS Piorun

[@BLUEGHOSTED]

@dovetonsturdee7033 During ww2 the piorun was used by the British navy with a polish crew, it was a N-Class, and also went by the HMS Nerissa before being handed over to the polish. Then being called the ORP Piorun, so your technically correct