| Place | Mediterranean |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | 006844 |
| Collection type | Photograph |
| Object type | Negative |
| Maker |
Silk, George |
| Place made | Adriatic Sea, Adriatic Sea |
| Date made | c March 1941 |
| Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
A group of bearded members of HMAS Perth. Left centre is Leading Seaman George Frederick "Moggy" ...
Description
A group of bearded members of HMAS Perth. Left centre is Leading Seaman George Frederick "Moggy" Catmull of Abbotsford, Vic; the second to the right of him is 18905 James Duncan Cooper and bottom right hand is Pat Hannon. On the night of 28 February 1942 the Australian cruiser HMAS Perth, together with the USS Houston, encountered a large Japanese force near Batavia (now Jakarta). By chance, the two cruisers had met the Japanese invasion force assigned to western Java. A fierce five hour fight ensued until, out-numbered and out-gunned, HMAS Perth was sunk at about 12.25 am on 1 March after being struck by five torpedoes and a number of shells. The Houston, still fighting but ablaze, was also hit by torpedoes and sank shortly afterwards. Catmull was one of hundreds of men lost when the Perth was sunk. Of the Perth's company of 686, only 218 (including one civilian and two RAAF personnel) were ever to return to Australia; the remainder were killed during, or soon after the action, or died as prisoners of war. Captain H M L 'Hec' Waller DSO and Bar was lost with his ship.