History of The Royal Australian Navy - World War II

World War II

See also: Military history of Australia during World War II

Australia declared war on Nazi Germany one hour after the United Kingdom's declaration of war on 3 September 1939. At the onset of war the Royal Australian Navy was relatively modest, even if it was arguably the most combat-ready of the three services. Major units included:

• two heavy cruisers; Australia and Canberra, both carried 8-inch (203 mm) guns and had entered service in the 1920s
• three modern light cruisers; Hobart, Perth, and Sydney, which mounted 6-inch (152 mm) guns
• the older cruiser Adelaide
• four sloops, Parramatta, Swan, Warrego, and Yarra; although only Swan and Yarra were in commission
• five V class destroyers
• a variety of support and ancillary craft

Following the call up of reserves in 1939 the permanent forces grew from 5,440 to 10,259.

During the war the men and vessels of the RAN served in every theatre of operations, from the tropical Pacific to the frigid Russian convoys and grew exponentially. The following table illustrates the growth of the RAN between the outbreak of war on 3 September 1939 and 30 June 1945:

Ship type	Sept. 1939	June 1945
Heavy cruisers	2	2
Light cruisers	4	2
Destroyers	5	11
Frigates	0	6
Sloops	2	2
Corvettes	0	53
Landing ship infantry	0	3
Anti-submarine auxiliaries	0	3
Auxiliary Minesweepers	0	6
Minelayers	0	1
Fleet Oilers	0	1
Store ships	0	12
Repair ships	0	3
Boom defence vessels	0	4
Boom gate vessels	0	6
Tugs	0(?)	6
Cable repair ships	0	2
Survey ships	0(?)	9
Motor Launches	0	33
Harbour defence launches	0	28
Air sea rescue vessels	0	20
Naval auxiliary patrol vessels	0	75
Services reconnaissance	0	8
Miscellaneous vessels	0(?)	41
Total	13(?)	337