HOBART HMAS 1936.
Posted: Sun Mar 29, 2009 2:27 pm
The stamp issued by the Solomon Islands for the 50th Anniversary of Guadalcanal landings depict as given an Australian Navy Cruiser, at that time during World War II.
Australia had three two funnel cruisers the HOBART, PERTH and SYDNEY only the HOBART took part in battles around the Solomon Islands, and most probably she is depict; the other two have not been in the Solomon waters at that time, and were sunk already before that date.
All three ships were modified Leander light cruisers and built for the Royal Navy.
15 August 1933 keel laid down at the Devonport Dockyard in Devonport.
09 October 1934 launched as HMS APOLLO. Christened by Lady Florence, wife of Admiral Sir W, H.D. Boyle.
Displacement 7.105 tons standard, 9.000 tons full load, dim. 562.3 x 56.8 x 15.8ft.
Powered by four Parsons geared turbines, 72.000 shp, 4 screws, speed 32.5 knots.
Armament when built 8 – 6 inch, 4 – 4 inch AA, 4 – 3pdrs., 8 – 21 inch torpedo tubes.
Carried one Seagull V air plane.
Crew 685.
07 January 1936 commissioned.
17 January 1936 completed.
After completing sailed for the America and West Indies Station, made a voyage upstream of 1.000 miles on the Amazon River during her stay on the West Indies Station.
11 May 1938 returned home at Devonport, conveying the body of the late Mr. J. Ramsay Macdonald, the British ex-Premier after he died at sea, when making a sea voyage for his health.
After a refit she was transferred to the Australian Navy.
Her 4 – 4inch guns were removed and replaced by 4 - 4inch twin mounting guns. Also her fixed catapult was removed.
28 September 1938 commissioned, renamed on 14 October 1938 HMAS HOBART (163) under command of Captain R.R.Stewart.
End 1938 arrived at Australia, and she visited HOBART from 17 till 28 February 1939.
14 October 1939 sailed for the East India Station and was used for convoy escort between India and Aden.
When Italy entered World War II on 10 June 1940 she was at Aden, two days later her anti aircraft guns opened fire on Italian aircraft when they made a raid on Aden.
01 August 1940 she arrived at Berbera, British Somaliland, and on 15 August took part in the evacuation of Berbera.
19 August 1940 at 07.45 she sailed from Berbera, outside she finished off the work of the demolition parties by bombarding the targets still in tact, then she headed for Aden.
First used in the Red Sea waters thereafter she headed for home waters after a refit in Colombo, arriving 28 December in Hobart.
Then used for escort duty in Australian waters till the end on June 1940.
Early August 1941 joined the Mediterranean Fleet, in route from Australia used as escort for troop transport vessels, and the convoy came under heavy attack by dive bombers off Suez on 13 July. When the troop transport GEORGIC was hit and set ablaze her crew assisted in the rescue of the people on board the GEORGIC.
After her arrival in the Mediterranean used as support for the Western Desert campaign and the reinforcement of Cyprus, making raids against Syria.
When Japan entered the war she was transferred to the Far East waters, arriving in the Malayan waters in January 1942.
03 February 1942 came under attack of Japanese dive bombers; she rescued the crew and passengers of the British vessel NORAH MOLLER in position West Nangka Point, Banka Strait the same day.
When operating as a unit of the combined, Dutch, British, American and Australian striking force, the force came under attack 13 times, but the HOBART survived.
25 February 1942 during refuelling from a tanker in Tandjong Priok the two ships were attacked by 27 Japanese dive bombers in which she got some damage from bomb splinters and her crew got some casualties.
Due to this and not have sufficient fuel, she took not part in the Battle of the Coral Sea on 27 February 1942.
07 May 1942 by covering the US aircraft carriers was she the target of 8 Japanese torpedo planes and 19 dive bombers, due to evasive action she escaped heavy damage and shooting down 3 enemy planes.
When the American troops landed on Guadalcanal and Tulagi in the Solomon Islands she was one of the warships which covered the landings, during this operation she came regular under attack of Japanese warplanes.
After this operation she sailed to Sydney for repair and refit from 8 till 21 October 1942,
After the refit she joined the Australian Task Force (TF74) on Coral Sea patrols.
20 July 1943 she was hit by a torpedo fired by I-11 under command of Tagami in position 15 07S 163 34E in which she received considerable structural damage and some casualties, she managed to proceed to Esperitu Santo and from there was escorted to Sydney for repair, which took till 1945.
24 April 1945 was present at the landings at Tarankan, Borneo. 11 May covered the landings at Wewak by Australian forces.
Thereafter patrol and bombardment vessel in the waters off Dutch East Indi, and supported the landings at Balikpapan in July.
31 August 1945 arrived at Tokyo Bay and was present by the surrender of Japanese forces there.
After the war in service by the Australian Navy.
20 December 1947 paid off in Sydney and placed in reserve.
Between 1953 and 1957 underwent a refit and modernisation for use as a training vessel at the State Dockyard in Newcastle, Australia.
But during the conversion the work was cancelled, and again in reserve.
22 February 1962 sold for breaking up to the Japanese company Mitsui & Co. (Aust.) Pty. Ltd. for £186.886.
03 March under tow she left Sydney and arrived by the Miyachi Shipyard, Saki, Osaka on 02 April 1962 for scrapping.
Solomon Islands 1992 30c sg 735, scott 727c
Source: Royal Australian Navy web-site. Australian & New Zealand Warships 1914-1945 by Ross Gillett.
Devonport built warships since 1860 by Burns.
Australia had three two funnel cruisers the HOBART, PERTH and SYDNEY only the HOBART took part in battles around the Solomon Islands, and most probably she is depict; the other two have not been in the Solomon waters at that time, and were sunk already before that date.
All three ships were modified Leander light cruisers and built for the Royal Navy.
15 August 1933 keel laid down at the Devonport Dockyard in Devonport.
09 October 1934 launched as HMS APOLLO. Christened by Lady Florence, wife of Admiral Sir W, H.D. Boyle.
Displacement 7.105 tons standard, 9.000 tons full load, dim. 562.3 x 56.8 x 15.8ft.
Powered by four Parsons geared turbines, 72.000 shp, 4 screws, speed 32.5 knots.
Armament when built 8 – 6 inch, 4 – 4 inch AA, 4 – 3pdrs., 8 – 21 inch torpedo tubes.
Carried one Seagull V air plane.
Crew 685.
07 January 1936 commissioned.
17 January 1936 completed.
After completing sailed for the America and West Indies Station, made a voyage upstream of 1.000 miles on the Amazon River during her stay on the West Indies Station.
11 May 1938 returned home at Devonport, conveying the body of the late Mr. J. Ramsay Macdonald, the British ex-Premier after he died at sea, when making a sea voyage for his health.
After a refit she was transferred to the Australian Navy.
Her 4 – 4inch guns were removed and replaced by 4 - 4inch twin mounting guns. Also her fixed catapult was removed.
28 September 1938 commissioned, renamed on 14 October 1938 HMAS HOBART (163) under command of Captain R.R.Stewart.
End 1938 arrived at Australia, and she visited HOBART from 17 till 28 February 1939.
14 October 1939 sailed for the East India Station and was used for convoy escort between India and Aden.
When Italy entered World War II on 10 June 1940 she was at Aden, two days later her anti aircraft guns opened fire on Italian aircraft when they made a raid on Aden.
01 August 1940 she arrived at Berbera, British Somaliland, and on 15 August took part in the evacuation of Berbera.
19 August 1940 at 07.45 she sailed from Berbera, outside she finished off the work of the demolition parties by bombarding the targets still in tact, then she headed for Aden.
First used in the Red Sea waters thereafter she headed for home waters after a refit in Colombo, arriving 28 December in Hobart.
Then used for escort duty in Australian waters till the end on June 1940.
Early August 1941 joined the Mediterranean Fleet, in route from Australia used as escort for troop transport vessels, and the convoy came under heavy attack by dive bombers off Suez on 13 July. When the troop transport GEORGIC was hit and set ablaze her crew assisted in the rescue of the people on board the GEORGIC.
After her arrival in the Mediterranean used as support for the Western Desert campaign and the reinforcement of Cyprus, making raids against Syria.
When Japan entered the war she was transferred to the Far East waters, arriving in the Malayan waters in January 1942.
03 February 1942 came under attack of Japanese dive bombers; she rescued the crew and passengers of the British vessel NORAH MOLLER in position West Nangka Point, Banka Strait the same day.
When operating as a unit of the combined, Dutch, British, American and Australian striking force, the force came under attack 13 times, but the HOBART survived.
25 February 1942 during refuelling from a tanker in Tandjong Priok the two ships were attacked by 27 Japanese dive bombers in which she got some damage from bomb splinters and her crew got some casualties.
Due to this and not have sufficient fuel, she took not part in the Battle of the Coral Sea on 27 February 1942.
07 May 1942 by covering the US aircraft carriers was she the target of 8 Japanese torpedo planes and 19 dive bombers, due to evasive action she escaped heavy damage and shooting down 3 enemy planes.
When the American troops landed on Guadalcanal and Tulagi in the Solomon Islands she was one of the warships which covered the landings, during this operation she came regular under attack of Japanese warplanes.
After this operation she sailed to Sydney for repair and refit from 8 till 21 October 1942,
After the refit she joined the Australian Task Force (TF74) on Coral Sea patrols.
20 July 1943 she was hit by a torpedo fired by I-11 under command of Tagami in position 15 07S 163 34E in which she received considerable structural damage and some casualties, she managed to proceed to Esperitu Santo and from there was escorted to Sydney for repair, which took till 1945.
24 April 1945 was present at the landings at Tarankan, Borneo. 11 May covered the landings at Wewak by Australian forces.
Thereafter patrol and bombardment vessel in the waters off Dutch East Indi, and supported the landings at Balikpapan in July.
31 August 1945 arrived at Tokyo Bay and was present by the surrender of Japanese forces there.
After the war in service by the Australian Navy.
20 December 1947 paid off in Sydney and placed in reserve.
Between 1953 and 1957 underwent a refit and modernisation for use as a training vessel at the State Dockyard in Newcastle, Australia.
But during the conversion the work was cancelled, and again in reserve.
22 February 1962 sold for breaking up to the Japanese company Mitsui & Co. (Aust.) Pty. Ltd. for £186.886.
03 March under tow she left Sydney and arrived by the Miyachi Shipyard, Saki, Osaka on 02 April 1962 for scrapping.
Solomon Islands 1992 30c sg 735, scott 727c
Source: Royal Australian Navy web-site. Australian & New Zealand Warships 1914-1945 by Ross Gillett.
Devonport built warships since 1860 by Burns.