HMAS Perth (D29)

HMAS Perth (D29)

HMAS Perth was a modified Leander-class light cruiser operated by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) during World War II. She was constructed for the Royal Navy, and commissioned as HMS Amphion in 1936. After several years on the North America and West Indies Station, the cruiser was transferred to the RAN in 1939 and recommissioned as HMAS Perth.

At the start of World War II, the cruiser was used to patrol Australian waters, before being sent to the Mediterranean at the end of 1940. There, Perth was involved in the battles for Greece, Crete, and Syria before returning to Australia in late 1941.

In February 1942, Perth survived the Allied defeat at the Battle of the Java Sea, before being torpedoed and sunk at the Battle of Sunda Strait. Of the 681 men aboard, 353 were killed. All but four of the 328 survivors were captured as prisoners of war. Of those captured, 106 died in captivity and the surviving 218 were repatriated after the war.