COOKING CLASS OHIO

3844. In the first year of the war, HMAS ADELAIDE'S work was mainly involved in the escort of convoys between Australia's East Coast to Fremantle in the West, and some way beyond. Her charges and those of other RAN ships, included the great troop convoys leaving New Zealand and Australia for the Middle East.

During this time eventually all of Australia's frontline cruisers and destroyers, even the small sloops and AMCs were deployed across the world, to the Mediterranean, the Indian Ocean, the Arabian Gulf, the Red Sea and the Atlantic, but ADELAIDE's keel continued to plough a dreary furrow back and forth across The Great Australian Bight, between the country's East and West Coasts.

Then, as the first anniversary of the war approached, Charles de Gaulle's new Free French government in exile approached the British Government, and asked that a warship be sent to Noumea to prevent France's Pacific colony of New Caledonia from falling into the hands of the Vichy side.

The request passed to Australia, which had a vital interest in the matter, as New Caledonia straddled its sea lanes and lines of communication East towards the United States.

Already at least one quite powerful Vichy French colonial sloop, the DUMONT D'URVILLE, with three 5.5 inch guns and a spotter aircraft, was known to be at Noumea, with another thought to be on the way.

Australia looked around, and found that - with deployments abroad and refits - it had only one warship of any significant size available to send.

HMAS ADELAIDE was about to have her most intriguing war adventure, in the face of great danger. If the second French Sloop turned up, the Navy Office in Melbourne believed the old cruiser would probably be overwhelmed.

As it was, ADELAIDE would achieve her most significant success of the war, a very close run thing, but pulled off without a shot being fired.

NEXT; INTRIGUE AND THE GAME OF BLUFF IN NOUMEA.

Photo: Collection of Graeme Keith Andrews [GKAC], RAN 1955-1968, RANR 1980. From a private disc, with permission.*

*Again we would like to generally acknowledge contributions to the GKAC HMAS ADELAIDE photo group by the following former crewmen and others: Stoker Harold Dyball; Leading Stoker Stan Billington; Gunner Lance Clough; Baker/cook Kevin Gattinhof; CPO Cook Matt Howley; OS/AB Martin Lingarde; Engineering Sub-Lt Ross Lyndsay; Cook Lionel Love; Leading Stoker Doug Malloch; AB Gunner Alan Marshall; Gunnery Officer Douglas A. Marshall; Leading Steward J.S. McLoed; Cook Clem McManus; Ordinary Seaman/AB Jim Nixon; Sub-Lt Gunnery Kevin O'Neill; Stoker 3rd Class Ken Spragg; Ron Ricardo, ex-HMAS Shropshire; Tom Ross AIF; and Seaman QR2 Bill Wehrman.