About This Unit
HMAS Parramatta (II)
HMAS Parramatta (II) was built at Cocktoo Island Dockyard in Sydney having been laid down in 1938. She was Commissioned at Sydney on 8 April 1940 under the command of Lieutenant Commander Jefferson H Walker MVO, RAN a 39 year old officer who had entered the Royal Australian Naval College in 1915 at the age of 13½ years. She was his first command.
Following a brief period exercising with the 20th Minesweeping Flotilla, Parramatta sailed from Fremantle on 29 June 1940 enroute to the Red Sea where she reported for duty to the Senior Officer, Red Sea Force, at the end of July. Except for a visit to Bombay in December 1940 Parramatta spent the next nine months in one of the world’s most torrid zones escorting, patrolling and minesweeping. It was monotonous work in the worst possible conditions relieved only by occasional futile Italian air attacks against the convoys under escort.
Fig 1. HMAS Parramatta (II) - a Grimsby Class sloop built at Cockatoo Island Dockyard Sydney
At dawn on 18 November 1941 the British Eighth Army under General Auckinleck launched its long planned offensive in Libya. The value of the toehold held in Tobruk and maintained entirely by the Navy was immediately demonstrated. It was an invaluable feeder port for reinforcements and supplies for the Army advance. A few hours after the British Army began to move HMAS Yarra (II) and Parramatta left Alexandria escorting a slow convoy to Tobruk. It arrived without loss in spite of enemy attacks from the air and undersea.
About midnight on 26 November the three ships were about 25 miles north of Bardia off the Libyan coast. It was pitch dark and raining with a heavy surging sea running. Hanne was confused as to her route into Tobruk and Walker closed to hail by megaphone. Half an hour later the two ships lay close alongside one another steaming slowly at about three knots. Avon Vale was lost in the encircling blackness, a blanket which had not prevented the Commanding Officer of U559 sighting the convoy nearly two hours earlier as lit by a flash of lightning it stood silhouetted to the north east of his prowling submarine.
Biding his time the German quietly stalked his prey, manoeuvring for a favourable position. At 12 minutes past midnight at a range of 2200 yards, he fired a spread of three torpedoes at a ‘merchant ship behind which a small vessel was visible.’ All three torpedoes missed. Disappointed and puzzled by his failure the German submarine closed in. ‘I cannot wait', he wrote, ‘because the convoy is just off the Tobruk approach route.’ Then, at 12:45am on 27 November ‘I fired a single torpedo at a range of 1500 metres using the same estimations. The target is a destroyer with one funnel. Hit! Two explosions one after the other. The destroyer breaks up and sinks. Shortly afterwards another heavy explosion. Probably her depth charges. I make off towards the south east.’ U559’s torpedo hit Parramatta amidships. There were two almost simultaneous explosions, the second probably in the magazine. She was torn apart, all lighting failed and Walker standing on the bridge had only time to issue the order ‘abandon ship’ before she rolled rapidly to starboard and sank.
Only those on deck had a chance to escape. About 30 including two officers clung to an Oropesa float among a mass of debris. They could hear shouts close by in the darkness. Suddenly as if she were reluctant to take the final plunge, Parramatta’s stern broke the surface. Some distance off a vague black shape was visible. Two seamen decided to take a chance and swim towards it. After three quarters of a mile and near exhaustion they were picked up by Avon Vale at 3:05am. The destroyer had by then already plucked nineteen survivors from the wreckage strewn sea. No others were found and although she searched a wide area the destroyer could find no trace of the Oropesa float nor any of its human cargo. Three more, however, reached the Libyan coast unaided, to be rescued by advancing British troops, making in all twenty four survivors. One hundred and thirty eight lost their lives, including all officers.
To read the full account click here (www.navy.gov.au)