Naval Base Melbourne

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Naval Base Melbourne
Victoria
 United States Navy
(1942–1945)
Map of Melbourne, Australia
Map of Melbourne, Australia
Naval Base Melbourne is located in Australia
Naval Base Melbourne
Naval Base Melbourne
Coordinates37°49′02″S 144°57′40″E / 37.817153°S 144.961093°E / -37.817153; 144.961093
Established21 March 1942
Elevation31 m (102 ft)
Time zoneAEST (UTC+10)
 • Summer (DST)AEDT (UTC+11)
Japanese advances in the Southwest Pacific and Southeast Asia areas during the first five months of the Pacific Campaign of World War II. The proposed offensive on Fiji, Samoa, and New Caledonia is depicted in the lower right corner.
An Australian propaganda poster from 1942 referring to the threat of Japanese invasion. This poster was criticised for being alarmist when it was released and was banned by the Queensland government. Japan did have a plan.[1]
Victoria Barracks, Melbourne HQ for the US and Australian armed forces
US General Douglas MacArthur, Commander of Allied forces in the South-West Pacific Area, with Australian Prime Minister John Curtin on 26 March 1942

Naval Base Melbourne was a United States Navy base at Melbourne during World War II. Naval Base Melbourne became the South West Pacific Area Command Headquarters after the 1941 invasion of the Philippines. General Douglas MacArthur, after escaping the Philippines, set up his Headquarters after his arrival on 21 March 1942. MacArthur was appointed Supreme Commander of all Allied Forces in the South West Pacific Area. The US Navy also set up a Headquarters a Melbourne, Allied Naval Forces Southwest Pacific Area under Commander Vice Admiral Herbert F. Leary.[2] MacArthur and Leary used the empty Trustees Executive building at 401 Collins Street, Melbourne for headquarters. The Port of Melbourne had good fleet anchorage and docks. A new naval base was built at Brisbane, Australia, Naval Base Brisbane, and the Headquarters was moved to Brisbane in July 1942.[3][4][5]

History[edit]

With the loss of Naval Base Manila in 1941, the US Navy and United States Army need a safe South West Pacific port to stage a reply to Empire of Japan advances. Northern Australia ports were within reach of Japan long-range bombers. Bombing of Darwin on 19 February 1942, demonstrated a more southern port was needed. Melbourne, in southern Australia, was far away from any current or future attacks. The existing port facilities at Melbourne were large enough to support the staging of future action. Local civilians were hired to help in the unloading and loading of US Navy and US Army ships. Japan planned an invasion of Australia, but after the losses at the Battle of the Coral Sea Japan canceled these plans. The SS President Coolidge and SS Mariposa arrived at Melbourne on 1 February 1942 with supplies and munitions for the base and Australia. The ship also had troops and crafted P-40. The crew's leaders were sometimes called the "Remember Pearl Harbor" (RPH) Group or RPH staff.[6][7] Other ships that were heading to now captured or in danger Pacific ports arrived at Melbourne. Melbourne became a staging place for 1942 convoys. On 16 July 1942 the SS Matsonia arrived at Melbourne with troops, most camped at Camp Murphy. The Melbourne Cricket Ground was used to house the staging of American and Australian troops, called Camp Murphy. The USS West Point (AP-23) arrived 4 September 1942 with more troops for Camp Murphy.[8][9] US Army set up a camp at Victoria Barracks, Melbourne. MacArthur set up his HQ at first in the Hotel Australia. After the Battle of the Coral Sea, in May 1942, and the Battle of Midway in June 1942, the US Navy and Army later moved its Headquarters to Naval Base Brisbane in July 1942. Melbourne also became a rest and recuperation spot for US troops after Pacific War battles. The 1st Marine Division, 865 Officers and 17,335 men, rested at Melbourne after the Battle of guadalcanal arriving on 12 January 1943 on the USS West Point (AP-23), protected by the USS Bagley (DD-386). Rest camps were Camp Robinson, Camp Murphy, Convalescent Camp Pell, Camp Balcombe, Mount Martha, and at Ballarat.[10] Naval Base Melbourne was closed after the war.[11][12]

Geelong depot[edit]

Near Melbourne at Geelong, the US built a new ammunition depot. The Geelong depot was later named Kane Ammunition Depot, after a US Army 453d Ordnance Company crew member, who died in a convoy that departed Melbourne on 27 January 1942. His ship, Don Isidro was going to Corregidor in Manila to help the troops there. But in north Australia, his ship was attacked and ground on Bathurst Island, north of Darwin. Kane died in an Australian hospital at Darwin. Kane Ammunition Depot was run by the 25th Ordnance Medium Maintenance Company. The depot worked with the Townsville Naval Section Base, which had an Anti-aircraft Ordnance Training Center. The depot was closed after the war and is still abandoned today.[13][14]

Rowville Training Camp[edit]

At Rowville a US Marine training camp was built in May 1943, with support from the US Navy. The 1st Marines trained at the camp. Marines trained on field exercises live overhead firing, machine gun use, and mortar use.[16] The camp was built by the Seabee 19th Battalion. The 19th Battalion also were the teachers of the use of some of the heavy equipment for the 17th Marine Engineering Regiment. In July 1943 the 3rd Battalion of the 17th Marines moved to Naval Base Cairns. The camp closed 30 September 1943 after the departure of the 7th Marines, 1st Battalion and 4th Battalion of the 11th Marines. Most of the camp is now a major electrical terminal station and Stud Park. The camp was at 37°55′41″S 145°13′48″E / 37.928°S 145.230°E / -37.928; 145.230.[17]

Prisoner of war camps[edit]

In 1944 Prisoner of war Camp, Rowville POW Hostel, was built that house 300 Italian Prisoners. A small hospital was built at the site in 1945. Italian infantryman Private Rodolfo Bartoli, from Firenze, Italy tried to escape and was shot on 29 March 1946. The POW camp closed in 1946.[18] In 1940 camps were also built at Tatura, two camps at Tatura and two at Rushworth for German and Italian.[19][20]

Melbourne Convoys[edit]

After departing Naval Base Melbourne the USS Langley was attacked by Empire of Japan, damage beyond reapir, she was scuttled by torpedo on 27 February 1942 off Java

Naval Intelligence Center[edit]

Main articles: Station CAST and Fleet Radio Unit, Melbourne

Station CAST was Naval intelligence center at Naval Base Cavite. With the fall of the Philippines the center was moved to Naval Base Manila's Corregidor Island. US Navy Cryptologists and other Naval intelligence personnel were taken off Corregidor Island by submarines on 8 April 1942 after the fall of Manila. Not all troops on Corregidor were evacuated, many became Prisoner of war and part of the Bataan Death March. The team set up a Naval Intelligence Center at Melbourne. The CAST team joined the Royal Australian Navy codebreakers at Melbourne. The two units became Fleet Radio Unit, Melbourne. To be low key the unit was based in the Monterey Apts on Arthur Street and the Moorabbin Town Hall.[28][29] US Navy Communication Security Section of the Office of Naval Communications, since 1940 was able to decode some Japanese communication ciphers and codes. By March 1942 the center was able to decipher up to 15% of the Imperial Japanese Navy's Naval Codebook D, (US Navy label "JN-25B"). By May 1942 the US Navy was decoding up to 85% of the Ro code sent by Japan's Navy.[30]

Fleet Radio Unit Radio Station[edit]

Naval Base Melbourne supported a remote post, Fleet Radio Unit Radio Station, at Adelaide River. The post was called USN Supplementary Radio Station Adelaide River and U.S. Naval Attachment, Fleet Radio Unit, Navy 136. It was run under the United States Seventh Fleet for the Naval Intelligence Center and opened in March 1943. A teleprinter line was run to Naval Intelligence Center so the info picked up could get to Naval Intelligence Center quickly. A DAB-3 HFDF was installed, a radio Direction Finding System, or Radio Direction Finder (RDF). The site was abandoned after the war. The Fleet Post Office FPO was 179 SF Adelaide River, Australia. Fleet Radio Unit Radio Station was supported by Naval Base Darwin.[31][32]

Airfields[edit]

The US Navy and other branches made some use of existing Airfields in Melbourne:

Battle of Melbourne[edit]

Main article: Battle of Brisbane

While most people in Melbourne welcomed the US arrival at Melbourne, problems between Australian Troop and US Troop peaked in 1942 and caused was is called the Battle of Melbourne on 1 December 1942. The Battle of Melbourne was a smaller riot between Australian Troops and US Troops. There were riots in Brisbane, Bondi on 6 February 1943, Perth in January 1944 and Fremantle in April 1944. During the war there was a news blackout of the event, due to the need to keep morale up.[33][34]

Post war[edit]

"A tree that looks at god all day And lifts her leafy arms to pray. United States Marine Corps 1st Marine Division. This tree is to commemorate the Friendship established between The United States Marine and The citizens of Ballaarat during Their sojourn in early 1943"

See also[edit]

External links[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Peter Stanley (2002), pg 3.
  2. ^ Allied Naval Forces Southwest Pacific ozatwar.com
  3. ^ AAF Melbourneozatwar
  4. ^ South West Pacific Area (command)ozatwar
  5. ^ Melbournepacificwrecks.com
  6. ^ Mayo, Lida (1991). The Ordnance Department: On Beachhead And Battlefront. United States Army in World War II – The Technical Services. Washington, DC: Center Of Military History, United States Army. p. 40. LCCN 67-60000.
  7. ^ Matloif, Maurice; Snell, Edwin M. (1991). Strategic Planning For Coalition Warfare 1941–1942. United States Army in World War II – The War Department. Washington, DC: Center Of Military History, United States Army. p. 132. LCCN 53-61477.
  8. ^ Camp Murphyozatwar.com
  9. ^ 1942 Troop Shipsww2troopships.com
  10. ^ 1st Marine Divisionozatwar.com
  11. ^ Frei, Henry P. (1991). Japan's Southward Advance and Australia. From the Sixteenth Century to World War II. Melbourne: Melbourne University Press. ISBN 0-522-84392-1.
  12. ^ Stanley, Peter (2008). Invading Australia. Japan and the Battle for Australia, 1942. Melbourne: Penguin Group (Australia). ISBN 978-0-670-02925-9.
  13. ^ Early Arrivals in Australia US Army
  14. ^ Kane Ammunition Depotozatwar.com
  15. ^ US Army Australia
  16. ^ Marines at Melbourne pacificwrecks.com
  17. ^ Rowville Training Campozatwar.com
  18. ^ Rowville POW campozatwar.com
  19. ^ The forgotten history of Australia’s prisoner of war camps, by MATT YOUNG & CHARIS CHANG, April 25, 2014 heraldsun.com.au
  20. ^ Italian POWs
  21. ^ US Navy, American and Australian Cooperation in the Battle of the Coral Sea
  22. ^ Convoy MS-5convoyweb.org
  23. ^ Hattori, Takushiro (1980) [1949]. "Statement Concerning Reasons for Opposition to Plan for Invasion of Australia". In Donald S. Detwiler (ed.). War in Asia and the Pacific. Volume 7. The Southern Area (Part II). New York: Garland Publishing. ISBN 0-8240-3291-8.
  24. ^ convoy February 1, 1942sea.museum
  25. ^ Royal Park, Melbourneinnercitynews.com.au
  26. ^ 182ndinfantry.org182ndinfantry.org
  27. ^ Task Force 6814 US Navy
  28. ^ Naval Supplementary Radio Station Melbourne Australia stationhypo.com
  29. ^ Fleet Radio Unit, Melbournenavycthistory.com
  30. ^ Parker 2017, pp. 18–21; Willmott 2002, pp. 21–22; Parshall & Tully 2005, p. 60. For unknown reasons, the IJN postponed making their scheduled change of the Ro code from 1 April to 1 to 27 May 1942 (Willmott 2002, pp. 21–22; Lundstrom 2006, p. 119). The U.S. operated Fleet Radio Units in Washington, D.C., Pearl Harbor and, with the Australians, at Melbourne (Prados 1995, pp. 300–303).
  31. ^ DAB-3 HFDFcryptomuseum.com
  32. ^ USN Supplementary Radio Station Adelaide Riverozatwar.com
  33. ^ Raymond Evans and Jacqui Donegan, "The Battle of Brisbane", Politics and Culture.
  34. ^ Peter Dunn, 2005, "The Battle Of Brisbane – 26 & 27 November 1942" Archived 10 January 2008 at the Wayback Machine (Australia @ War) Accessed 15 December 2006
  35. ^ Ballarat Gardens plaque ozatwar.com
  36. ^ Marker of the Rowville POW campozatwar.com

Sources[edit]

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