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H . M . A . S
. A R U N T A ( I 3 0 )
“TRIBAL” Class Destroyer
ordered from Cockatoo Docks and
Engineering Co at Sydney, Australia for service with the Royal Australian
Navy on 24th January 1939. The ship was laid down on 15th November 1939 and launched
on 3rd November 1940. Her build was completed on 30th April 1942. Build design
followed that of the TRIBAL Class Fleet Destroyers ordered from UK shipyards in
1936. She was the first RAN ship to bear the name
B a t t l e H o n o u r s
GUADALCANAL
1942-43 - PACIFIC 1942-45 - NEW
GUINEA 1942-44 - LEYTE GULF 1944 - LINGAYEN GULF 1945
H e r a l d i c D a t a
None is recorded in the Admiralty Official List
as this ship belonged to the RAN
D e t a i l s o f Wa r S e r v i c e
1 9 4 2
April Contractors trials
30th Commissioned for RAN service
Build completion and
commenced Acceptance Trials
May On completion of trials and
storing worked-up for operational
service based on Sydney.
to
June
July Nominated for convoy escort
duties in defence of military convoys/
Prepared for war
service.
Passage to Port Moresby
August Deployed for escort of troopships
to New Guinea.
Carried troops to Milne Bay
from Port Moresby with HM Australian Sloop SWAN.
29th During escort of troopship MARITA
from Milne Bay to Cairns came under attack by Japanese
submarine which torpedoed
the troopship.
(Note : Japanese troops
had been landed near Milne Bay ,Papua on
Detected submarine and
carried out depth charge attacks which sank submarine RO33.
(Note : MARITA was damaged but survived this attack,)
September Deployed in support of defence of New
Guinea including convoy defence,
October New Guinea deployment in
continuation
23rd Deployed with HM Australian Destroyer
STUART and carried 640 troops for landing on
Goodenough
Island which had been evacuated by Japanese troops.
November New Guinea deployment in continuation.
December Carried out routine maintenance at
Port Moresby.
Resumed operational duties in New Guinea,
1 9 4 3
January Deployed in SW Pacific
9th Carried out rescue of 282 troops and
31 civilians from Timor Island which had been
occupied by Japanese
troops.
Passage to Darwin
to land passengers.
February Joined combined US and Australian
Task Force 74 on formation with HM Australian Cruisers
AUSTRALIA, HOBART and HM Australian Destroyer WARRAMUNGA.
Took passage with
ships of TF74 to Coral Sea.
Pennant Number for
visual Signalling purposes changed to D05 to conform with US Navy
designation for
destroyers.
March Detached from TF74 with same
RAN ships and joined US Desdron 5 in 7th US Fleet
with HMAS
WARRAMUNGA.
(Note : “Desdron”
is the US Navy equivalent of RN Destroyer Flotilla and also included
seven
US Navy destroyers..)
Under refit at
Sydney
Deployed for
escort of convoys between Queensland and New Guinea.
April Convoy defence duties in continuation.
May Re-joined TF74 and
deployed with HMAS AUSTRALIA and HMAS
WARRAMUNGA
and provided cover for landings by US 158th
Infantry Regiment on Woodlark and Kiriwina
Islands
June Resumed convoy defence
duties in SW Pacific.
23rd Deployed with HMAS
AUSTRALIA, HMAS HOBART, HMAS
WARRAMUNGA and US
Destroyer LAMSON of
TF74 to provide cover for US landings on New Georgia in Solomons.
(Operation
CARTWHEEL)
July
4th Released from covering force and
resumed convoy defence duties.
August Convoy defence in
continuation
21st Deployed with HMAS
WARRAMUNGA for escort of damaged cruiser HMAS HOBART
during passage
from Espiritu Santo to Sydney for repair.
(Note ; HMAS
HOBART had been damaged by torpedo from Japanese submarine I11
26th Detached from HMAS
HOBART on arrival at Sydney.
Took passage to Milne Bay for support of
operations in New Guinea against Japanese invasion.
29th During deployment as part of
escort for convoy to Port Moresby came under under submarine
attack
Sank Japanese
submarine RO33 after mercantile had been torpedoed.
September Deployed for convoy escort in
SW Pacific.
to
October
November
5th Transferred with HMAS AUSTRALIA, HM Australian Cruiser SHROPSHIRE and HMAS
ARUNTA and joined US Destroyers RALPH TALBOT and HELM to
reinforce TF74 for
planned
operations in New Hebrides.
Passage from Milne Bay, New Guinea.
29th Provided Naval Gunfire Support during
landings at Gasmata on south coast of New Hebrides
with same ships.
December
. 13th Provided cover for US landings at Arawe, New Britain with HMAS
AUSTRALIA,
HMAS SHROPSHIRE and HMAS WARRAMUNGA.
26th Provided Naval Gunfire Support
during US landings at Cape Gloucester with same ships.
1 9 4 4
January
2nd Provided cover for US landings
near Saidor, New Guinea with same ships and joined
US cruisers USS NASHVILLE, USS PHOENIX and
six US Navy destroyers of TF74.
(Operation
DEXTERITY)
3rd Released
from TF74 and took passage to Sydney for refit and leave.
Taken in hand for refit.
February Under refit.
March On completion of post
refit trials resumed operational duties with Task Group 76.1
2nd Deployed with eight US Destroyers
for escort for assault convoy taking 3rd wave of US
troops for
landings at Los Negros, Admiralty Islands
5th Arrived at Los Negros.
April Deployed with TF74
22nd Provided cover for US landings on
Hollandia (Operation RECKLESS) and Aitape
to with Task 74 which also
included HMAS
AUSTRALIA, HMAS SHROPSHIRE,
29th HMAS WARRAMUNGA and USS AMMEN and USS MULLANY.
(Operation PERSECUTION)
Provided Naval Gunfire support
during assault with US cruisers USS PHOENIX,
USS NASHVILLE and USS BOISE screened
by 6 US navy destroyers.
(Note :
General MacArthur was embarked in USS NASHVILLE.)
May TF74 deployment
in continuation
5th Sailed from Hollandia as part of Task Group 77.2 to provide cover for
US landings
on
south coast of Biak (Operation HORLICKS)
(Note
: Task Group also included HMAS AUSTRALIA, HMAS
SHROPSHIRE
HMAS WARRAMUNGA and two US Navy destroyers
Bombarded positions at Sarwa and Sarmi
25th Provided cover and Naval
Gunfire Support during landings
to
29th
June Deployed off
Biak for support of assault
Deployed with HMAS AUSTRALIA, HMAS SHROPSHIRE, USS BOISE and USS
PHOENIX, HMAS WARRAMUNGA
and 11 US Navy destroyers to intercept Japanese
naval force sighted by air reconnaissance.
Unable to engage enemy ships
which retired.
July Support of
military operations at Biak in continuation
2nd Carried out bombardment of
airstrip at Kamari on Biak
with HMAS SHROPSHIRE and
HMAS WARRAMUNGA.
14th Carried out bombardments on
troops west of Aitape with HMAS
AUSTRALIA, HMAS
to SHROPSHIRE, HMAS WARRAMUNGA and two US
destroyers to deter an advance.
26th
On
release took passage to Sydney for leave and maintenance.
August Deployed at
Sydney
September Resumed operational
service and joined HMAS AUSTRALIA, HMAS SHROPSHIRE,
HMAS WARRAMUNGA and two US Navy destroyers as Task Group 77.2 to
provide
cover and Naval Gunfire Support during planned landings at Morotai
10th Sailed from Aitape with ships of TF77.
15th Deployed during assault at Morotai
October Nominated for
service in Task Group 77.3 to provide cover during planned attacks
on
Leyte, Cebu and North
Mindanao.
Joined US Navy cruisers USS PHOENIX, BOISE, HMAS
AUSTRALIA, HMAS
SHROPSHIRE ,FIVE us Navy destroyers and HMAS WARRAMUNGA.
17th Entered Leyte
Gulf as part of Desdron 24
20th Under air attacks and
destroyed one aircraft.
24th Took part in Battle of Leyte Gulf.
(For details see WAR WITH JAPAN
(HMSO)
November Took part in
operations in Leyte Gulf.
1st Under air attacks
including suicide bombers. See above reference.
25th Took part in
unsuccessful engagement against Japanese battleships FUSO and
YAMASHIRO with WARRAMUNGA and US
Navy destroyer
December Leyte deployment in
continuation.
15th Provided cover for landings at Mindoro with HMAS SHROPSHIRE, USS
BOISE,
USS PHOENIX, HMAS WARRAMUNGA
and five US Navy destroyers.
On release took passage to
British Forward Base at Manus, Admiralty Islands.
1 9 4 5
January Nominated for
escort and support of planned US landings at Lingayen
with
Task Group 77.2. See above reference.
Passage from
Manus with HMAS AUSTRALIA HMAS
SHROPSHIRE and
HMAS WARRAMUNGA to join ships of Unit 2.
Deployed
with ships of Desdron 56 with HMAS
WARRAMUNGA.
(Note: Desdron
56 included five US Navy Destroyers..)
5th Under attacks by
KAMIKAZE aircraft in Lingayen Gulf and sustained
damage by
near miss with seven casualties including
two fatal.
Ship remained operational after repair to steering gear.
6th Provided Naval Gunfire
Support during assault and under sustained air attacks
to
8th
9th Released from support duties
and took passage to Leyte with other damaged
warships.
Taken in hand for emergency repair before resuming cover duties at Lingayen.
February Deployed in Lingayen Gulf with Reserve Fire Support Unit CTU 77.2.5. See above
reference.
March 1st Detached from service with 7th US Fleet and
took passage to Manus with HMAS
SHROPSHIRE.
16th Arrived at Sydney from Manus.
Taken in hand for repair and
refit.
April Deployed
at Sydney
May Nominated for support of landings in New
Guinea by US and Australian troops with
Wewak
Support Force of US 7th Fleet.
4th Took passage from
Sydney for operational service with HM Cruisers HOBART,
HM Cruiser NEWFOUNDLAND and HMAS WARRAMUNGA.
9th Joined Support Force
off Wewak and took part in bombardments prior to
assault
10th Bombarded Cape Hoem area with HMS NEWFOUNDLAND.
11th Provided gunfire
support in Dove Bay during landings (Operation DELUGE)
June
Deployed with Cruiser Covering Group (Task Group 74.3) for support of
landings in Brunei. See above reference.
(Note::
Group also included US cruisers USS NASHVILLE, USS PHOENIX,
HMAS HOBART, US Navy destroyers USS CONNOR,
CHARLOTTE
BELL and BURNS.
7th Provided cover for
minesweeping operations Brunei Bay.
10th Provided Naval Gunfire
Support with ships of TG74.3 during unopposed landings.
20th Deployed to provide
cover for landings at Lutong, Seria
and Miri with ships of
to Task Group 74.1
which also included HMAS SHROPSHIRE, HMAS HOBART,
25th and HMAS WARRAMUNGA
(Note: Broad Pendant
of Commodore Farncombe was transferred to ship from
HMAS
SHROPSHIRE during this period.)
27th Arrived with HMAS SHROPSHIRE and HMAS HOBART
off Balikpapan,
Borneo to provide cover during preliminary operations and gunfire
support during
landings by 7th Australian Division.
(Operation OBOE I See above reference.
July
1st Carried out
preliminary bombardment with CTG74.1 and CTG 74.2
to Provided Naval Gunfire
Support for shore military operations as required.
9th
10th Released from OBOE
I
15th Took passage to
Sydney for refit
Paid-off and taken in hand for major refit
August
Under refit which included installation of improved radar equipment and
fit of
lattice foremast.
P o s t W a r
N o t e s
HMAS ARUNTA re-commissioned on
completion of refit and was deployed for Fleet duties for screening and associated duties.. She
took part in joint exercises with RNZN and was
nominated for conversion to an Anti-submarine destroyer
in 1950. She rejoined the Fleet in June 1950 with modified armament including a squid Anti-submarine mortar
outfit. This destroyer was deployed operationally until 1957 when Paid-off and reduced to Reserve status.
Placed on the Disposal List in 1968 the ship was sold the China Steel
Corporation for demolition at Taipai. During passage
in tow to Taiwan by Japanese tug TOKO MARU to Taiwan she developed a serious list and sank 60 miles
from Broken Bay on 13th February 1969. |
