HMAS Canberra (D33) - Loss

Loss

During the afternoon of 8 August, a Japanese task force commanded by Vice Admiral Gunichi Mikawa and consisting of five cruisers and a destroyer began to approach the south of Savo Island, with the intention to attack the naval force supporting the landing at Guadalcanal, then those at Tulagi. Anticipating a naval attack following several assaults by land-based Japanese aircraft, the Allied commander of the naval forces, British Rear Admiral Victor Crutchley, split his forces around Savo Island: Crutchley aboard HMAS Australia led Canberra, USS Chicago, and the destroyers USS Patterson and USS Bagley on patrol of the southern waters. At 20:45, Crutchley was recalled to meet urgently with US Admiral Richmond K. Turner, overall commander of the amphibious landings. Although Chicago was the senior ship after Australia departed, Canberra, which had been following Australia, found herself at point. Around 01:00 on 9 August, the engines of scoutplanes from Mikawa's ships were heard, but as no warning came from the other groups, it was assumed they were friendly.

At 01:45, Patterson detected Mikawa's ships and alerted the Allied force. The Japanese scout planes dropped flares to silhouette Canberra and Chicago. The Australian cruiser was able to avoid the Japanese torpedoes fired at the start of the engagement, but was on the receiving end of the Japanese cruisers' gunfire. The first two salvos killed or wounded several senior officers, disabled both engine rooms, damaged the bridge and 4-inch gun platform and forced the flooding of her 8-inch magazines. Within two minutes, the cruiser had been hit 24 times; she was immobilised, without power, and listing to starboard, with multiple internal fires and at least a fifth of her personnel dead or wounded. At least one torpedo strike was reported during the Japanese attack, although none of the 19 torpedoes fired at Canberra by the Japanese cruisers were recorded as hitting their target. Several personnel from Canberra believe that USS Bagley inadvertently torpedoed the cruiser. From the 819-strong ship's company, 84 were killed (74 during the battle, 10 dying later from wounds), and another 109 were wounded.

At 03:30, Patterson came alongside and relayed orders from Rear Admiral Turner: if Canberra could not achieve mobility by 06:30, she would be abandoned and sunk. The destroyer began to recover the Australian survivors, but at 04:30, Patterson detected an approaching ship. The destroyer moved to investigate, at which point the unknown ship opened fire, and Patterson retaliated. It was quickly realised that the attacker was USS Chicago, which had mistaken Canberra for a damaged Japanese vessel, and both ships ceased fire. Patterson returned to continue the evacuation, and was aided by sister ship USS Blue.

Canberra's engines could not be repaired, and was to be scuttled. She was torpedoed by the destroyer USS Ellet at 08:00, after 263 5-inch shells and four other torpedoes fired by USS Selfridge failed to do the job, and sank at 9°12′29″S 159°54′46″E / 9.20806°S 159.91278°E / -9.20806; 159.91278Coordinates: 9°12′29″S 159°54′46″E / 9.20806°S 159.91278°E / -9.20806; 159.91278. She was one of the first ships to be sunk in what was eventually named "Ironbottom Sound". Three US cruisers were also destroyed during the battle, and a US destroyer was damaged.