Battle of Savo Island service honours courage and sacrifice

On August 9, 1942, HMAS Canberra I was hit 24 times in less than two minutes, resulting in the loss of 84 lives during the Battle of Savo Island.

CAPTION: Captain Brett Westcott and members of the catafalque party attend the anniversary memorial service for the sinking of HMAS Canberra 1. Story. by Lieutenant Angela Faulkner.

The 82nd anniversary of the loss of Canberra I was commemorated recently by veterans, personnel from the Royal Australian Navy and Royal Australian Air Force and representatives of the Royal Navy.

The Naval Association of Australia (NAA) – which has a core objective of commemoration – has taken up the stewardship of the annual service from the RAN Historical Society, which oversaw the construction of the memorial in 1981.

President of the association’s ACT section, David Manolas, who MC’d the event, said the NAA had been marking the loss annually now for several decades.

“During World War 2, Canberra I served in both the South Atlantic and Indian oceans,” Mr Manolas said.

“It escorted Australian troops to Singapore in 1942 and in May of that year took part in the Battle of the Coral Sea, providing support for United States Marines at Guadalcanal.

“On August 9, 1942, at the Battle of Savo Island in the Pacific, the allied fleet was surprised by a larger Japanese fleet.

“Canberra I was hit 24 times within less than two minutes – 84 crew were lost, with another 109 wounded.

“Among those lost were two Royal Navy sailors, one from the United States Navy and five Royal Australian Air Force personnel assigned to Canberra I.

“The order to abandon ship was given the next day and the crippled Canberra I was sunk by a torpedo from a United States ship so as not to present a navigational hazard.”

Director of Maritime Operations Captain Brett Westcott represented the Chief of Navy at the event and said it was important to honour the courage and service of those who had fallen.

“Memorial events such as this provide the opportunity to pause and remember all of those who have gone before us, particularly those who paid the ultimate price in service to their country,” Captain Westcott said.

“Our links to the past are sustained by the organisations represented here today, including those who served in HMA Ships Canberra II and III.”

As a mark of respect, the United States renamed one of its ships USS Canberra.

It was the first United States ship named after a foreign ship and remains the only one to be named after a foreign city.

The present-day USS Canberra, an Independence-class littoral combat ship, was commissioned at Garden Island Dockyard, Sydney, in July 2023.

The anniversary service was held at the memorial on the banks of Lake Burley Griffin in Canberra.

The memorial includes a five-tonne anchor and chain typical of those carried on board Canberra I.

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