![]() Left: Captain Frank Getting, RAN, in command of HMAS Kanimbla, circa 1940. They were, however, about to be asked to give more. For “outstanding zeal and devotion to duty”, he was awarded a Distinguished Service Cross in 1941.Īs tensions grew in the Asia-Pacific towards the end of 1941, Waller, Getting and Dechaineux had each made significant contributions to the war effort both at sea and ashore. He subsequently commanded the destroyer flotilla-leader HMS Eglinton, in which he patrolled the North Sea conducting successful searches for German E-boats. When war broke out in Europe Emile was serving in the UK and in 1940 he was given temporary command of the destroyer HMS Vivacious during the Dunkirk evacuation. He honed those skills in both destroyers and cruisers demonstrating a sound understanding of this developing weapon of war. ![]() A second award of that decoration saw him add a Bar to its ribbon for the role played by Stuart in the battle of Matapan in March 1941.Įmile Dechaineux found his forte in torpedo gunnery, topping the advanced torpedo gunnery course in 1929 and winning the Ogilvy Medal. For his “courage, enterprise and devotion to duty”, Waller was awarded a Distinguished Service Order. He would later earn fame in the Mediterranean as the captain of HMAS Stuart in which he earned the nick-name “Hardover Hec”, a reference to his violent manoeuvring of the ship in avoiding enemy aerial attacks. It was, however, in destroyers that he developed and fine-tuned his seamanship skills and he was rewarded with command of the British destroyer HMS Brazen in 1937. When war broke out he was given command of the armed merchant cruiser HMAS Kanimbla.įor Hec Waller, developments in communications saw him specialise in that field and he gained an impressive reputation as an expert while serving as the Squadron Signals Officer in the heavy cruiser HMAS Australia. Later appointments saw him gain considerable experience in the heavy cruisers HMA Ships Australia and Canberra in which he served as the second-in-command. He was later appointed in command of one of the RAN’s early submarines HMAS Oxley in 1928. On being accepted he undertook training in the UK and in 1926 he became the first Australian naval officer to pass the Royal Navy’s submarine commanders course after which he was promoted Lieutenant Commander. In Frank Getting’s case the allure of serving in submarines captured his imagination prompting him to volunteer to serve in the ‘silent service’. Studies in navigation and seamanship consumed much of their time but they soon proved themselves capable and efficient young officers. For a young man, life in a modern British battle cruiser was both exhilarating and demanding. Consolidation training followed in battleships and battle cruisers of the Royal Navy. They were schooled at the Royal Australian Naval College where they learnt the fundamentals of naval life. This is the story of three such men, cruiser captains, who took the fight to the enemy in actions alongside our US Allies, actions that would ultimately cost them their lives.Ĭaptain ‘Hec’ Waller, Captain Frank Getting and Captain Emile Dechaineux were men who had each joined the RAN as teenage Cadet Midshipmen. As the ships and their war-weary crews returned to continue the fight in the Asia-Pacific region it fell to the captains of those ships to inspire their men through self-sacrifice and leadership. Many RAN ships had received their baptism of fire and many men had made the supreme sacrifice. By the time the forces of Imperial Japan brought war to the Asia-Pacific Region in December 1941 the Royal Australian Navy had already been at war for two years in the bitter struggle against Axis forces in the northern hemisphere.
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