HMAS Perth
Sunk
Royal Navy, then Royal Australian Navy
| Type | Light cruiser |
|---|---|
| Class | Leander |
| War | Second World War |
| Main guns | 8 × 6″ guns in 4 twin mounts |
Service
| to 1939 | Amphion Built for the Royal Navy | |
| from 1939 | Perth Bought by Australia |
Built for the Royal Navy as Amphion and bought by Australia in 1939. Fought at the Java Sea; with Houston, she ran into the Japanese invasion fleet in Sunda Strait and was sunk. 375 of her crew died, among them Captain Hector Waller.
Armament and specifications
Armament
- 4 × twin BL 6 in (152 mm) guns
- 4 × single QF 4 in (102 mm) guns
- 3 × quadruple 0.5 in (12.7 mm) AA machineguns
- 2 × quadruple 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes
Armour
- Waterline belt: 3 in (76 mm)
- Magazine: 2–3.5 in (51–89 mm)
- Deck: 1.125 in (29 mm)
- Gun turrets: 1 in (25 mm)
| Builder | HM Dockyard, Portsmouth |
|---|---|
| Laid down | 26 June 1933 |
| Launched | 27 July 1934 |
| Commissioned | 15 June 1936 |
| Displacement | 7,040 long tons (7,150 t) (standard) |
| Length | 562 ft 4 in (171.4 m) (o/a) 530 ft (161.5 m) (p/p) |
| Speed | 32.5 kn (60.2 km/h; 37.4 mph) |
| Complement | 622 (36 officers, 586 ratings) |
As built, from the ship's Wikipedia article. Figures there may cover later refits too.
Career
Launched as HMS Amphion
27 July 1934
Renamed HMAS Perth
1939 · Bought by Australia
Battle of Cape Matapan
Survived
27–29 March 1941
Battle of Crete
Damaged
20 May – 1 June 1941
Hit by a bomb on the evacuation
Battle of the Java Sea
Survived
27 February 1942
28 February – 1 March 1942
Captain Waller killed