GREAT GALLANTRY OF LOST COMMANDER

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 197, 21 August 1942, Page 5

GREAT GALLANTRY OF LOST COMMANDER

MORTALLY WOUNDED

"Belted Hell" Out Of Jap,

Aircraft

United Press Association.—Copyright Rec. 1.30 p.m. SYDNEY, this day. The Australian cruiser Canberra nas been lost in action in the Solomons, according to an announcement oy the Prime Minister, Mr. J. Curtin. We said she was lost while co-opera ting with other Australian vessels and American naval forces. The Canberra is the third and largest cruiser the war Australian Navy during

Out of a complement of 816 officers ii . m , en ' the casualties were:—Ten tim J 3 wounds, 74 missing, believed killed, and 109 were wounded. Of the total casualties, 20 were officers, ten ?L w l\°o m ai i e dead or believed killed, and 173 ratings.

Although mortally wounded, the commanding officer of the Canberra, Captain F. E. Getting, directed the operations of his ship, seated on a stool and refusing medical aid until u still protesting, he was carried aboard the rescue destroyer. He died the next day.

. Survivors who reached an Australian port to-day related how the Canberra was attacked in the early nours of the morning and disabled. One officer said: "The Allied war•nips belted hell out of the Japanese bombers and fighters which attacked us for two days." Shortly before an,, Allied convoy arrived off the Solomons at dawn on August 7, waves of - American diveoombers opened a terrific attack on the Japanese shore positions. There ■eemed to be hundreds of them, Mid a survivor from the Canberra. As soon as one formation came away from the target area, another went in. One point was dive-bombed incessantly for two hours. Next day about 100 Japanese torpedo bombers attacked the Allied •hips. Out of one group of 22 planes 21 were shot down.

.The heavy cruiser H.M.A.S. Canberra, with a "Standard" displacement of 9800 »ns. was launched in May, 1927. She Carried eight 8-inch guns, eight 4-inch anti-aircraft guns, four 3-pounders, four •-pounder pom-poms and twelve machineguns. she also had eight 21-inch torpedo tube*. Her highest speed waa 31.5 Knots and her fuel capacity permitted • r ®di u s of 2300 miles at full speed and j0,400 miles at economical speed <11 to 14 knots).

a ?.• Canberra was In Auckland in ' - pr "i as flagship of the Australian •quadron then visiting New Zealand, kittle has been announced ot her war wvlcs, most of her time having been •pent in or near Australian waters. She «>as steamed Immense distances in convoy and patrol work and has given valuable service In the Indian Ocean. Australia has already lost two cruisers, gpth sister ships—the Sydney and the ferth. xhe Sydney disappeared mysteriously after her action against the Gerjn«n raider Stelermarck, or Kormoran, w the Indian Ocean. The , Perth disappeared without trace after the battle •* the Java Sea. Captain Getting entered the Royal Australian Naval College as a cadet-midship-Wian in 1012, and was appointed to the Command of the Canberra In June this year. He was formerly chief executive Officer, in the rank of commander, of Jne same ship, and had previously served Jn the same capacity In her sister ship, tne Australia. He was appointed a commander at the end of 1933 after ave years as a lieutenant-commander in vsrlous ships of the Royal Australian iNavy.