Thread: 19th Feb, remember Darwin

Gday All,

This year marks the 70th anniverary of the bombing of Darwin, so on Feb 19th remember the day WW2 came to australia..

When you look into what Darwin went thru that day, its hard to comprehend the amount of bombing that happened and the amount of lives lost. Its good to see some real interest being shown into this sad day in our country's history.

So on Sunday take a minute to remember those poor souls and remember their sacrifice.

Cheers Ean

I would like to give you the recollections of a Naval Officer in command of an auxiliary vessel at the time of the attack. Yes, there was some panic among the Military and civilians ashore on that day, but the Navy did their duty , without blemish.

DARWIN BLITZ
I was the Captain of HMAS 'Vigilant' and these are my recollections of the happenings, thirty-eight and one half years after the Blitz. Events leading up to the attack; 'Vigilant' under my command was based at Darwin from May, 1941. During this period I carried out survey and patrol duties in the vicinity of Cape Don, Apsley Strait between Bathurst and Melville Islands and at Bynoe Harbour, I also made surveys connected with seaward defence of Darwin.
When the Government vessel 'Karu' became stranded on Mermaid Shoal, north of Bathurst Island and lost her rudder; I took the 'Vigilant' to her assistance and towed her 150 miles back to Darwin. On this occasion I took on board the Administrator of the Northern Territory, the Hon Aubrey Abbott. Mr Abbott wrote a personal letter to the First Naval Member, Admiral Sir Guy Royle, commending my skill and seamaship during the tow.
In January, 1942, we carried depth charges from Darwin to Cape Fourcroy for HMAS 'Deloraine' (Lieutenant Commander Menlove); after they had sunk a 300ft Japanese submarine. Mines laid by this submarine were eventually washed ashore by strong tides and monsoonal weather. I took a rendering-safe party ashore in 'Vigilant' and recovered a complete mine, which was flown from Darwin to Flinders Naval Depot for examination by experts.
About this time I piloted the SS 'President Grant' into Darwin at night; as she arrived unexpectedly having been bombed out of Manila and carried no relevant charts. This passengr ship evacuated women and children from Darwin to Brisbane.
A couple of nights before the big air raid, because all navaids had been withdrawn and lights extinguished; I was sent down the harbour to position 'Vigilant' at the junction of the swept channels to assist the convoy's navigation, departing for Coupang. When all the darkened ships and escorts had passed, I returned to Darwin.
At first light USS 'Houston' in the lead was attached by enemy aircraft, close south west of Cape Fourcroy.
The convoy turned back and the majority of the troops were landed before the Big Raid, which commenced at 1000 on the 19 February, without any alert for the ships in the harbour. At that time I was aboard the 'Platypus';my No1 , Dawson , had all hands closed up on Vigilant and the ship singled up. When I reached the bridge I ordered 'slip' and backed astern.
I put on full speed and steered for more open water, as bombs were exploding everywhere. I had my telegraphist record everything that I shouted down the voice pipe, in the ship's log book and showing compass bearings of ships burning and sinking. I think that 'Vigilant's' log book was subsequently used in an enquiry at the Naval Office, but cannot now be found in the Naval Archives.
Of the rescue work carried out by 'Vigilant', the most significant was to the 3,000 ton US Troop Ship 'Port Mar' (Capt. Michaelson); which with her superstructure badly shot up and the hull, holed in many places and still had her US Troops and military equipment onboard. At my suggestion she was beached on Leper Island and with the 'Deloraine', we got all hands off, including the dead and wounded. Stretcher cases were transferred to the hospital ship 'Manunda'.
By 2000 hours after 12 hours on the bridge, I was exhausted and went to anchor. Early next day I found that the 'Platypus' had been abandoned overnight. I then conferred with Cdr Cousin, who had fought the Japs from his ship 'Katoomba', sitting high and dry on the floating dock. We landed at the boom jetty and consulted Cdr Fowler, who said that everything ashore was chaotic, no organisation, no communication, no nothing. I was soon directed to fix the positions of the wrecked ships sunk; namely:- 'British Motorist', 'Meige', 'Mauna Lou', 'Zealanda' etc. I could not locate the USS 'Peary', which had been literally murdered by the dive bombers and sank stern first in a lake of burning oil; the gunners on the foredeck going down fighting in the tradition of Sir Richard Granville in the 'Revenge'.
The 'Neptune', which had blown in half sending up a mushroom cloud, lay sunk at the wharf. 'Tulagi' had been refloated, 'Barossa' towed to safety and her fires extinguished. After framing the Notice to Mariners giving the position of the wrecks; I was directed to go alongside US 6000 ton freighter 'Admiral Halstead', which incredibly still lay at anchor, having been deserted by all hands, except the Master and Mate. She had on board 14,000 drums of high octane petrol.
Eng.Lt.Smith and our engine room staff did a mighty job raising steam and by night, we would move slow ahead and berthed her at the Boom Jetty and shore personnel discharged her cargo and American trucks took it away. I was then ordered by the N.O.I.C. Capt Thomas to resume patrols, outside the harbour.
I have no acknowledge of what happened ashore before, during or after the raid. The Administrator Abbott was condemned for ineffectual civil leadership and apparently rightly so. It was not fair to only portray him as an ex-politician. He told my cook in the 'Vigilant' that he had been a shearers' cook and enlisted in the A.I.F. in 1914 and after 5 years of active service returned as a Captain. In 1941, when I towed his ship 150 miles to Darwin, as was mentioned earlier, Abbott came aboard 'Vigilant' and worked with the hands securing tow lines, etc.
As regards rumours that Lt.Cdr. N Cobbold at Area Combined H.Q. had discredited the warning received from Father McGrath, at Sacred Heart Mission on Bathurst Island, thus leaving the ships unprepared for the attack - I have no proof of that. I knew Cobbold well; he won the D.S.C. in the R.N. Destroyers during World War I. What I do know for sure, was that the warning message that enemy planes were approaching Darwin, sent by Father McGrath at 0938 was received at Darwin Coast Radio and which I checked myself, later. Had the ships in the harbour been given that 20 minutes warning, they would have been prepared.This is certain, the 'Manunda' should not have been at the Warships Anchorage. 'Manunda' sustained considerable damage and casualties as a result.
RECOLLECTIONS by Lt Cdr T. F. ROBERTS

HMAS Vigilant

1940-1946. 106 gross tons, one 20 mm 0erlikon, 2x 303 lewis guns, 1x 303 vickers mg. 2x depth charges. She would have put the fear of god into the Jap. fleet, heaven forbid we leave ourselves so unprotected again. In my 21 years in the Navy, I may have cursed some of our junior Officers, but by God, I respected the end product. Bob