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HMAS Australia, launched in 1927, was a County-class heavy cruiser in the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). The ship is believed to have been the first ship damaged by a kamikaze attack, and to also be the ship hit the most times by kamikazes. The Australia was laid down by John Brown and Company of Clydebank at Glasgow, Scotland on August 26 1925. It was launched on March 17 1927 and commissioned on April 24 1928, two months before its sister ship HMAS ''Canberra''. After World War II began, "The Aussie" (as the ship was affectionately known within the RAN), first fired its main armament of eight 8 inch guns in anger off the coast of Dakar, in late 1940, when it took part in Operation Menace. Australia damaged the Vichy French destroyer ''L'Audacieux'', which as a result was beached on September 23–September 24. Australia received hits from shore batteries and its Supermarine Walrus reconnaissance plane — detached from No. 9 Squadron Royal Australian Air Force — was shot down. During 1941, the Australia escorted convoys and patrolled the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Following the onset of the Pacific War, Australia was re-deployed to the South West Pacific Area. In May 1942, during the Battle of the Coral Sea, the ship survived a brief but intense attack from Japanese torpedo bombers. From August 1942 until mid-1944, the Australia provided supporting fire and surface protection for Allied land forces at land battles including the invasion of Guadalcanal and the New Guinea campaign, including the Allied landings in New Britain. On October 21 1944, in the lead-up to the Battle of Leyte Gulf, Australia was hit by a Japanese plane carrying a 200 kg (441 lb) bomb, in the first-ever kamikaze attack. The plane struck the superstructure, above the bridge, spewing burning fuel and debris over a large area. However, the bomb failed to explode; if it had, the ship might have been effectively destroyed. At least 30 crew members died as a result of the attack, including the commanding officer, Captain Emile Dechaineux; among the wounded was Commodore John Collins, the Australian force commander. On October 25, the Australia was hit again and was forced to retire to the New Hebrides for repairs. The ship returned to combat in January 1945; by the end of the war, she had survived being hit by kamikazes on six separate occasions, which had resulted in the loss of 86 lives. This was Australia's last action, as she was still undergoing repairs when the war ended. Following the end of the war, Australia served as a training ship. It was paid off for disposal on August 31 1954 and sold for scrap to the British Iron and Steel Corporation (Salvage) on January 25 1955, left Sydney under tow on March 26 1955, and was broken up at the Thomas W. Ward Shipbreaking Yard at Barrow-in-Furness in 1956. A barrel from the main armament was preserved and can be seen in the grounds of the Australian War Memorial. See HMAS ''Australia'' for other ships of this name.
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