Cruiser: The Life and Loss of HMAS Perth and Her Crew

by Mike Carlton

Of all the Australians who fought in World War II, none saw more action nor endured so much of its hardship and horror as the crew of the cruiser HMAS Perth. Most were young, many still teenagers, from cities and towns, villages, and farms across the nation. In three tumultuous years they did battle with the forces of Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, the Vichy French, and, finally, the Imperial Japanese Navy. They were nearly lost in a hurricane in the Atlantic. In the Mediterranean in 1941 they were bombed by the Luftwaffe and the Italian Air Force for months on end until, ultimately, during the disastrous evacuation of the Australian army from Crete, their ship took a direct hit and 13 men were killed. After the fall of Singapore in 1942, HMAS Perth was hurled into the forlorn campaign to stem the Japanese advance towards Australia. Off the coast of Java in March that year she met an overwhelming enemy naval force. Firing until her ammunition literally ran out, she was sunk with the loss of 353 of her crew, including her much-loved captain and the Royal Australian Navy's finest fighting sailor, "Hardover" Hec Waller. Another 328 men were taken into Japanese captivity, most to become slave laborers in the infinite hell of the Burma-Thai railway. Many died there, victims of unspeakable atrocity. Only 218 men, less than a third of her crew, survived to return home at war's end.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, War, Australia, World War II, Military Fiction, Naval History

706 pages, Hardcover

First published July 29, 2010

About the author

Mike Carlton is one of Australia's best-known broadcasters and journalists. In a 40-year career, he has been a radio and television news and current affairs reporter, foreign correspondent, radio host and newspaper columnist.

He was an ABC war correspondent in Vietnam in 1967 and 1970, and for three years was the ABC's Bureau Chief in Jakarta. He also reported for the ABC from London, New York and major Asian capitals. In television, he was one of the original reporters on the ABC's groundbreaking This Day Tonight in the 1970s. Mike turned to talk radio in 1980, first at Sydney's 2GB, and then for four years in London at Newstalk 97.3FM, where he won a coveted Sony Radio Academy award in 1993 for Britain's best talk breakfast program.

In television, he reported and hosted Indonesia: A Reporter Returns, a three-part documentary for SBS in 2008. He has recently retired from the Radio 2UE breakfast program in Sydney and has returned to writing a column for the Saturday edition of the Sydney Morning Herald.

Mike has had a life-long passion for naval history.

Reviews

[Jennifer (JC-S) · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘To the Memory of the Gallant Ship HMAS Perth’

The crew of HMAS Perth saw more action during World War II, and endured more of the horror and hardship of war than any other group of Australian servicemen. Most were young, many were still teenagers. HMAS Perth was nearly lost in a hurricane in the Atlantic, and was bombed in the Mediterranean by the Luftwaffe and the Italian Air Force in 1941. During the evacuation of the Australian Amy from Crete, the ship took a direct hit and thirteen men were killed. After Singapore fell in 1942, HMAS Perth was part of a forlorn campaign to try to stem the Japanese advance towards Australia. Off the coast of Java in March 1942, she met an overwhelming enemy naval force. She fired until her ammunition ran out, and then she was sunk.

`There were 681 men on board Perth that night. Just over half of them - 353 - were lost with the ship or in the struggle to stay afloat afterwards.'

The 328 who survived were taken captive by the Japanese and most became slave labourers along the infamous Burma-Thai railway. Only 218 men survived to return home at the end of the war.
Behind these statistics are a number of stories: of the men who sailed on the HMAS Perth; of the HMAS Perth's short career; and of the politics of war. We first meet members of the crew as they leave Australia in May 1939, en route for Britain where they will pick up the HMAS Perth (commissioned into the Royal Australian Navy in June 1939).

It was clear that war with Germany was imminent, but HMAS Perth was able to represent Australia at the New York World's Fair before undertaking escort and patrol duties in the West Indies. HMAS Perth did not reach Australia until March 1940 and remained in Australian waters until November escorting convoys and undertaking patrol duty.

Then, in 1941, HMAS Perth was deployed to the Mediterranean and the midst of war. For six months, HMAS Perth faced the combined might of the Italian and German armed forces and took part in the naval battle at Cape Matapan as well as the campaigns in Greece and Crete and the attack on the French Vichy forces in Syria. A direct hit by a bomb, dropped by an unseen aircraft, killed thirteen men (four sailors and nine of the troops being evacuated from Crete).

HMAS Perth returned to Australia, briefly, before being deployed to defend the Dutch East Indies in February 1942. After barely escaping destruction at the Battle of Java Sea, HMAS Perth received orders to sail south through the Sunda Strait. Just before midnight on the 28th of February 1942, HMAS Perth and the American cruiser USS Houston steamed directly into a much larger Japanese fleet. First the Perth and then the Houston succumbed to the overwhelming enemy firepower.

`There is a dreadful feeling when you feel a ship die beneath your feet.'

The story of the HMAS Perth is a complex one: the politics of war sometimes leads to questionable decisions which serve to underscore the bravery of the armed forces required to carry them out. And, almost 70 years after 1 March 1942, there are few survivors left to provide their first-hand accounts.

`The loss of Perth was one of our great naval defeats. The death of her sister Sydney took a higher toll, of 645 men killed, but the story of Perth is unique and hallowed because she fought to the last in a battle she could never have won and because so many of her crew survived the brutality of Japanese imprisonment to tell that story.'

I heard Mike Carlton speaking about this book on Australian radio recently, and was keen to read it. It is a moving account of tragic and heroic events. The voices of the men who served on the HMAS Perth and the history of events are well presented in Mike Carlton's book, and there are extensive notes on sources for those who want to know more.

I was moved by this book, and recommend it highly.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

[Cropredy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A long time ago when I was a kid, I had a comic book that featured the Battle of Sunda Strait. It made quite an impression on me (furthered by the prohibition on comic books in our household). While the comic book probably focused on the USS Houston, the HMAS Perth was also featured. The doomed escape run after the disastrous Battle of the Java Sea was riveting to my pre-teen mind.

Recently, one of my Goodreads "friends" Aussie Rick called my attention to this book. It had very good reviews and, having grown up reading mostly American-centric WW II histories, an account from the Australian perspective would be welcomed.

This book was actually quite good. The author, a journalist, is a very good writer and makes what can be dry unit history into a very interesting story. There are essentially four parts to the book:

1 - The pre-war Australian navy, commissioning of the Perth into the RAN, and staffing of the ship from mostly raw recruits
2 - Service in the European theatre including many air attacks during the Battles for Greece and Crete
3 - Service in the Pacific and ultimate sinking in Sunda Strait and the sruvival stories of the shipwrecked
4 - Stories of captivity including on the "Railway of Death" and finally repatriation of the survivors.

The middle two sections were the best because the narrative was tightest - the crew members are all aboard the ship and the ship fought battles. It is a rare book that covers in detail events in the Mediterranean as well as the Pacific. The first and fourth sections are more diffuse as they describe the assembly of crew (section 1) and the dispersal of the crew (section 4) so the union of ship+crew is less important. Nevertheless some interesting perspectives in Australian upper command (political and military) as well as the POW repatriation procedure and experience.

I have to give Australian author credit for not being afraid to include graphic descriptions of sailor's leaves in brothels - something that no doubt happened in all armed forces but often left out of narrative histories. Australian authors also aren't afraid to rightfully toss blame at senior commanders (both Aussie and Brit) for vanity, idiocy, or cowardice. This makes for a refreshing read.

Useful maps, some photos, excellent notes and a well-done epilogue. The author conducted in person interviews with survivors and greatly benefited from numerous first hand published and unpublished accounts. And, despite 600+ pages, it reads easily due to the writing skill of Carlton.

Recommended for folks interested in Royal Australian Navy history during WW II.

[James Yong · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well written book about not just the life and loss of the HMAS Perth and her crew but the political climate and circumstances that put her there. A real window into the past. Mike's vivid descriptions have the effect of putting you right in the midst of World War 2

[Lawrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of all the Australians who fought in the Second World War, none saw more action nor endured so much of its hardship and horror as the crew of the cruiser HMAS Perth. Most were young—many were still teenagers—from cities and towns, villages and farms across the nation. In three tumultuous years they did battle with the forces of Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, the Vichy French, and, finally, the Imperial Japanese Navy. They were nearly lost in a hurricane in the Atlantic. In the Mediterranean in 1941 they were bombed by the Luftwaffe and the Italian Air Force for months on end until, ultimately, during the disastrous evacuation of the Australian army from Crete, their ship took a direct hit and thirteen men were killed. After the fall of Singapore in 1942, HMAS Perth was hurled into the forlorn campaign to stem the Japanese advance towards Australia. Off the coast of Java in March that year she met an overwhelming enemy naval force. Firing until her ammunition literally ran out, she was sunk with the loss of 353 of her crew, including her much-loved captain and the Royal Australian Navy’s finest fighting sailor, ‘Hardover’ Hec Waller. Another 328 men were taken into Japanese captivity, most to become slave labourers in the infinite hell of the Burma-Thai railway. Many died there, victims of unspeakable atrocity. Only 218 men, less than a third of her crew, survived to return home at war’s end. Cruiser, by journalist and broadcaster Mike Carlton, is their story. And the story of those who loved them and waited for them.

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve read two of Mike Carlton’s books now (Flagship was the other) and am happy to report Cruiser is of similar form – uniformly excellent writing, great attention to detail with the core subject material and a fitting tribute to HMAS Perth and her crew. One could raise some minor quibbles with how Carlton draws the broader strategic picture (he’s a tad harsh on the Regia Marina, and when he writes after the Battle of Matapan that “the fleet itself never again ventured in strength from its harbours.” he makes a very rare factual error), but Cruiser isn’t about the Regia Marina, it’s about HMAS Perth, and I doubt it would be possible to do the ship’s service and its crew better service than that done in this book.

Cruiser doesn’t stop there though – the book deftly works in the career of HMAS Perth into the broader struggle of World War Two. While some nautical terms are used (most but not all explained), it’s very accessible. Can’t recommend highly enough to anyone interested in Australian history, naval history or just good non-fiction reads.

I read the Kindle edition - the only downside (not unusual for Kindle editions) are the relatively low-resolution photographs. The photographs aren’t essential to appreciating the work, but it’s worth noting for those that like this side to things.

[Phil Twiss · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I picked this book up in my local second hand book store the shiver that went up my spine told me I needed to read it.

As a young Western Australian sailor on the Destroyer Escort, HMAS SWAN, I recall the poignant moment we stopped in the Sunda Strait for a memorial service over the resting place of HMAS Perth. The experience has remained with me for many years and I am incredibly grateful for Mike Carlton’s work in bringing the life of the ship and her company to light in such and engaging, sensitive and authentic way.

As one who has served in the boiler and engine rooms of HMA ships I was struck by how close Carlton must have got to men whose stories he told. The language that defines a sailor remains with them for life (often suppressed once a civilian again but springs again to life in the presence of fellow ex-pussers) and the longing that only a sailor knows are captured in Carlton’s words in an almost uncanny way with memories mostly forgotten coming flooding back again.

This is a long book, but not too long. Allow yourself to be immersed in the writing and the stories of gallant men to whom we owe so much and you will not be disappointed.

We will remember them.

[Calzean · Rating 4 out of 5]

HMAS Perth and her crew probably saw more action than any other body of the WWII Australian armed forces. After all of their battles, air attacks and bumbling due to political masters the ship was sunk and more than half of the crew were killed. Those that survived then had three years of captivity including the Thai-Burma railway and the mines of Japan.
This book opened my eyes to the breath of the Perth's experiences. The author does a fine job in painting the environment the ship found itself, humanising the crew and recognising their sacrifices.

[CMDR RETD · Rating 5 out of 5]

With a family link to the story, I found this story to be a real page turner, finding it hard to put down. One of the best stories I have read about this famous battle and the RAN ship that played such a central role. I highly recommend it.

[Jane Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another engaging account of Australian naval WW2 history. I really like how the men are brought to life through their diaries and information about family back home. Such a tragic waste of young lives.

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great to revisit this history. We must look at what others had to endure to contribute to the society of today. Recommend to anyone who loves history.

[Dipra Lahiri · Rating 5 out of 5]

A riveting read, with the pace and energy of a thriller. HMAS Perth took part in many battles across many theaters, but eventually succumbed. The story about her surviving crew is equally absorbing.

[Matthew Sweeney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, easy to read history.

[Eric Armstrong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Large book! Excellent. Life and loss of personnel onboard HMAS Perth in Europe and the Pacific regions. Very graphic.

[Tegan Mahoney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not even a fan of military history, but the vivid detail in which Mike describes not only the military aspect of this era but also the general atmosphere at the time is just so alluring. Highly recommend.

[Danntor · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I purchased this all I thought it would be about the battle of the Sunda Strait but it starts off with the first ships crew manning it for the first time all the way to the men in the POW camps. A very good read, especially if you are an ex or current sailor.

[Jason]

Excellent biography about HMAS Perth (I) and the people who sailed her.

[Beatté · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent can't put down reading

[Andrew Parnell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book well written.