Portrait of Captain Frank Edmund Getting RAN, Commander of HMAS Canberra, who lost his life when ...

Portrait of Captain Frank Edmund Getting RAN, Commander of HMAS Canberra, who lost his life when the 10,000 tons heavy cruiser was sunk in the Battle of Savo Island, Solomons, on 9 August 1942. On 8 August, the Canberra and the US heavy cruiser Chicago, screened by the US destroyers Paterson and Bagley, were engaged in protecting transports unloading men and supplies at Guadalcanal. Surprised by a force of Japanese cruisers and destroyers, the Canberra, in a night action, was repeatedly hit with shells and torpedoes, starting fires which quickly got out of control. It was necessary to abandon the ship which sank later in the morning. This desperate, short-range combat in which the Canberra, opposed to heavy odds, fought back, was broken off in less than fifteen minutes. The Canberra and the Chicago formed the southern group of the protecting forces, and the US cruisers Vincennes, Quincey and the Astoriam screened by the US destroyers Helm and Wilson, the northern group. This latter group was also surprised by the same Japanese force on 9 August, and in the ensuing battle, the three US cruisers were sunk in an action lasting thirty minutes. Although an Allied naval defeat, the immediate consequences of this cruiser battle was the retirement of the enemy force, without any attack on our transport, unloading men and supplies on the beaches of Guadalcanal. (See P09023.001 for better image).