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Not sure if im in the right spot or not but am looking for someone that was on the HMAS Canberra.

Doing family research and my fathers brother was on it when she went down and was looking for someone who might have known him.

Thanks for your time,
Lisa

Hello Lisa,

I was in HMAS Canberra as a Sub Lieutenant at the time of her sinking, and was actually the Officer of the Watch on her bridge when the Battle of Savo Island commenced. I would be pleased to try and help, let me have the details of your uncle.

Regards,
Mackenzie Gregory.

Hello

Thankyou for answering my email. My Uncles name was Jack Ireland (William). He was a stoker on the HMAS Canberra. Any info on him would be appreciated.

Thanks again

Lisa

Lisa,

Your Uncle unfortunately was killed in the action at Savo Island, and I have attached a list of all the 84 Sailors who died that night , and you will see he is listed there. As he was a Stoker, his action station may well have been in one ofthe Boiler rooms, and no one survived from there.

Although we were not hit by the Torpedoes the Japanese fired at us, all the damage on the port ( left ) side of the shipwas from their gunfire. Post war research seems to point to the fact that we picked up a torpedo on our starboard ( right )side that came from our escort the US destroyer USS Bagley, causing the ship to list to starboard.This torpedo most likely was the cause of all the loss of engineering staff.

All those who survived were taken off the ship by the US destroyers Patterson and Blue, and the next morning theCanberra was still burning fiercely but had not sunk, it took several US torpedoes and about 256 by 5 inch shells from USdestroyers to sink our old ship. She was sunk, as the seagoing force at Guadalcanal were withdrawing as the USaircraft carriers has gone and there was no longer any air support leaving all the ships at the mercy of Japanese air attacks.

Being a Seaman Officer at the time I had little contact with Stokers, so did not personally know your Uncle.

Over the years I have met and been in contact with a lady in Sydney whose Father was also in the Engineering Departmenthe was Douglas Hazelton, and also died that night, as she was a small girl at the time, she really did not know her Dad,she told me that her Mother never accepted that he was killed, and would dress her up in her best clothes to meet the shipson their return to Sydney, always expecting her husband to come home again., it was very sad that she c ould never acceptthat he had been killed and was not coming home.

Lisa, I am sorry I can not be more specific about your Uncle.

With kindest regards,

Mac.

Thankyou again for that...I sent it on to my father...

Would you know if my uncle went down with the ship.

Thanks,

Lisa

Lisa,

As your Uncle was a stoker, I would be fairly sure that he would not have got off the ship in one of the USdestroyers, and then later died of wounds.I believe he would have still been on board and have gone down with the ship, having died earlier.

I am sorry I was not able to give you good news about him.

Regards,
Mac.

Mac.

That's fine...we can always remember my Nan saying something about him going down with the ship...just trying to confirms what she said..

thanks very much for your help.

lisa

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