1 9 4 2
November Contractors trials
23rd Commissioned for service.
Commenced Acceptance Trials
December On completion of Acceptance trials
and storing deployed for work-up in Sydney
area prior to
operational service
1 9 4 2
January Work up in continuation
February On completion of work-up deployed
for convoy defence.
10th Carried
out failed towing attempt on US Liberty Ship STAR KING which had been torpedoed
by Japanese submarine
I21 in position 150 miles off Sydney
Deployed for defence of military convoys
on passage to and from New Guinea
March Convoy defence in continuation.
Nominated for service in US Navy
Seventh Fleet in Task Force 74 under overall US Navy
command.
Pennant Number for visual signalling
purposes changed to D10 to suit US Navy designation
for destroyers.
Joined US Desdron
5 in 7th US Fleeet with HM Australian Destroyer
ARUNTA
(Note :
“Desdron” is the US Navy equivalent of RN Destroyer Flotilla
and Desdron 5 also
included
seven US Navy destroyers..)
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 ARUNTA.
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 ARUNTA 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 ARUNTA 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.
September Deployed for convoy escort in SW Pacific.
to
October
November
5th Transferred
with HMAS AUSTRALIA, HM Australian Cruiser SHROPSHIRE, HMAS
ARUNTA, 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 ARUNTA.
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 Releaed 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 US Navy destroyers USS AMMEN, MULLANY and minesweeper USS
HAMILTON as escort for landing ships and craft during passage to
disembark troops on Los
Negros, Admiralty
Islands.
Under shore fire from batteries north
of Seadler Harbour which were later silenced by
cruiser
gunfire support
10th Deployed
as escort for fourth convoy taking assault troops to Los Negros.
15th Arrived
at Los Negros
April Deployed with TF74
22nd Provided
cover for US landings on Holllandia (Operation RECKLESS)
and Aitape
to with Task 74 which also included HMAS AUSTRALIA, HMAS SHROPSHIRE,
29th HMAS ARUNTA and USS AMMEN and USS MULLANY.
(Operation PERSECUTION)
29th 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 ARUNTA 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 ARUNTA 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 ARUNTA
14th Carried
out bombardments on troops west of Aitape with HMAS AUSTRALIA, HMAS
to SHROPSHIRE, HMAS ARUNTA 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 ARUNTA 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 and five US Navy destroyers and HMAS
ARUNTA.
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 HMAS ARUNTA and US Navy
destroyer
December Leyte deployment in continuation.
15th Provided
cover for landings at Mindoro with HMAS SHROPSHIRE, USS BOISE,
USS PHOENIX, HMAS ARUNTA
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 ARUNTA to join ships of Unit
2.
Deployed with ships
of Desdron 56 with HMAS ARUNTA.
(Note: Desdron
56 included five US Navy Destroyers..)
5th Under
attacks by KAMIKAZE aircraft in Lingayen
Gulf during which HMAS
ARUNTA sustained damage by near miss .
6th Provided
Naval Gunfire Support during assault and under sustained air attacks
to Stood by US Navy Destroyer USS BROOKS which had been damaged
in
8th KAMIKAZE
attack.
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
with HMAS
SHROPSHIRE, US Navy cruisers USS MINNEAPOLIS,
USS PORTLAND, HMAS ARUNTA and four US Navy destroyers.
See
above reference.
Deployed in support
of operations including attacks at entrance to Manila Bay.
March Deployed for support of military operations in Borneo
with Cruiser Covering Force
designated Task
Group 78.1 which also included HM Australian Cruiser HOBART
26th Present at landings on Cebu Island during which no gunfire support was
required.
See above reference.
April Deployment with Task Group 78/1 in continuation
Passage to Tarakan
to provide support during planned landings
May
1st Provided
support during landings on Tarakan Island with HMAS HOBART.
On release took passage from Tarakan with HMAS HOBART for New Guinea to
join Wewak Support Force.
9th Arrived
at Wewak and joined HM Cruiser NEWFOUNDLAND and HMAS
ARUNTA for support of
landings by Australian troops.
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)
On release from DELUGE took passage to
Sydney and taken in hand for
refit
June Under refit
to
July
August On completion of dockyard work carried out post refit
trials
Prepared for service
with Commonwealth warships deployed off Japan.
Took passage to Leyte to join HMAS SHROPSHIRE and HMAS HOBART
Sailed from Leyte with ships of TG70.9 and HM Minesweepers IPSWICH,
BALLARAT and CESSNOCK to attend surrender
ceremony Japan
31st Joined Commonwealth warships in Sagami Bay
September
2nd Present
at Tokyo Bay for formal surrender ceremony.
