List of Royal Australian Navy losses

This is a list of Royal Australian Navy (RAN) vessels which were damaged or sunk causing loss of life, in warlike and non-warlike circumstances. The list includes incidents involving equipment (helicopters, whaleboats) attached to ships and naval establishments. The list excludes losses on non-RAN vessels (including attacks on merchant shipping), merchant seaman deaths, and other losses (including prisoner of war deaths). Fatalities include all lives lost on the named vessel at each incident.

By far the bloodiest conflict for the RAN was the Second World War, when 2,170 serving RAN personnel^[1] and 845 Australian merchant seaman^[2] died from all causes.

Deaths	Vessel	Event	Conflict/Operation	Location	Date	Vessel fate
645	HMAS Sydney	Engaged with the German auxiliary cruiser Kormoran in a mutually destructive battle	World War II	off Western Australia	19 November 1941	lost	[3]
353	HMAS Perth	Battle of Sundra Strait - sunk by Japanese cruiser	World War II	Sunda Strait, Dutch East Indies	28 February - 1 March 1942	lost	[4]
138	HMAS Parramatta	Torpedoed by German submarine U-559 while supplying Australian garrison in Tobruk	World War II	off Tobruk, Libya	27 November 1941	lost	[5]
138	HMAS Yarra	Naval battle with Japanese fleet	World War II	between Java and Western Australia	4 March 1942	lost	[6]
100	HMAS Armidale	Aerial attack from Japanese aircraft	World War II	Arafura Sea	30 November 1942	lost	[7]
84	HMAS Canberra	Battle of Savo Island - attacked by Japanese naval vessels	World War II	off Savo Island, British Solomon Islands	9 August 1942	scuttled	[8]
82	HMAS Voyager	Collision with HMAS Melbourne	Peacetime	Jervis Bay, Australia	10 February 1964	lost	[9]
35	AE1	Diving accident	World War I	off Neulauenburg Islands (Duke of York Islands), German New Guinea	14 September 1914	lost	[10]
31	HMAS Matafele	Lost, presumed accidentally sunk	World War II	near China Strait, Territory of Papua	20 June 1944	lost	[11]
30	HMAS Australia	Battle of Leyte Gulf - possible Japanese Kamikaze attack	World War II	Leyte Gulf, Philippines	21 October 1944	damaged	[12]
25	HMAS Australia	Invasion of Lingayen Gulf - Kamikaze attack	World War II	Lingayen Gulf, Philippines	6 January 1945	damaged	[13]
24	HMAS Goorangai	Accidental collision with MV Duntroon	World War II	Port Philip Bay, Australia	20 November 1940	lost	[14]
21	HMAS Kuttabul	Torpedoed by Japanese submarine	World War II	Sydney Harbour	1 June 1942	lost	[15]
14	HMAS Australia	Invasion of Lingayen Gulf - Kamikaze attack	World War II	Lingayen Gulf, Philippines	6 January 1945	damaged	[16]
13	HMAS Hobart	torpodoed by Japanese submarine	World War II	off Espírito Santo, British Solomon Islands	20 July 1943	damaged	[17]
13	HMAS Perth	Aerial attack from German aircraft	World War II	off Sphakia, Greece	29 May 1941	damaged	[18]
10	HMAS Nizam	Freak wave washes crew overboard	World War II	off Cape Leeuwin, Western Australia	11 February 1945	undamaged	[19]
9	HMAS Vampire	Indian Ocean raid - Aerial attack from Japanese aircraft	World War II	off Ceylon	9 April 1942	lost	[20]
9	817 Squadron RAN (helicopter)	helicopter crash during earthquake relief operations	Operation Sumatra Assist	Nias, Indonesia	2 April 2005	lost (aircraft)
8	HMAS Patricia Cam	Aerial attack from Japanese aircraft	World War II	off Arnhem Land, Australia	22 January 1943	lost	[21]
8	HMAS Tarakan	Accidental explosion while undergoing repairs	Peacetime	Garden Island, New South Wales, Australia	25 January 1950	scrapped	[22]
7	HMAS Pirie	Aerial attack from Japanese aircraft	World War II	Oro Bay, Territory of New Guinea	11 April 1943	damaged	[23]
6	HMAS Nizam	Aerial attack from German aircraft	World War II	off Tobruk, Libya	21 October 1941	damaged	[24]
5	HMAS Sydney (whaleboat)	Whaleboat capsizes during training exercise	Peacetime	off Hayman Island, Australia	17 October 1963	undamaged
4	HMAS Sydney	Naval battle with German raider	World War I	Cocos (Keeling) Islands	9 November 1914	damaged	[25]
4	HMAS Nestor	Aerial attack from Italian aircraft	World War II	off Crete, Greece	15 June 1942	scuttled	[26]
4	HMAS Warrnambool	Struck mine while carrying out clearance work	Peacetime	off northern Queensland	13 September 1947	lost	[27]
4	HMAS Westralia	Onboard fire	Peacetime	off Western Australia	5 May 1998	damaged	[28]
4	HMAS Perth	Aerial attack from German aircraft	World War II	off Crete, Greece	30 May 1941	damaged	[29]
4	HMAS Tambar	Accidental attack from shore battery	World War II	off Moreton Island, Queensland	4 March 1942	damaged	[30]
3	HMAS Australia (plane)	Operation Menace - HMAS Australia's spotting plane shot down by Vichy France aircraft	World War II	off Dakar, French West Africa	25 September 1940	lost (aircraft)
3	HMAS Swan	Aerial attack from Japanese aircraft during bombing of Darwin	World War II	Darwin, Australia	19 February 1942	damaged	[31]
3	HMAS Lismore	Whaleboat capsizes while transporting crew	World War II	Jervis Bay, Australia	10 February 1941	undamaged	[32]
3	HMAS Wallaroo	Accidental collision with US Liberty Ship Henry Gilbert Costin	World War II	off Fremantle, Western Australia	11 June 1943	lost	[33]
2	HMAS Arrow	Collision with wharf caused by Cyclone Tracy	Peacetime	Darwin, Australia	25 December 1974	lost	[34]
2	HMAS Kanimbla (helicopter)	Onboard helicopter crash	Operation Quickstep	off Fiji	29 November 2006	lost (aircraft)
2	HMAS Hobart	Accidental aerial attack from US aircraft	Vietnam War	off Con Co Island, Democratic Republic of Vietnam	17 June 1968	damaged	[35]
2	HMAS Arunta	Invasion of Lingayen Gulf - Kamikaze attack	World War II	Lingayen Gulf, Philippines	6 January 1945	damaged	[36]
2	HMAS Napier	Freak wave washes crew overboard	World War II	Bass Strait, Australia	7 March 1945	undamaged	[37]
2	HMAS Kara Kara	Aerial attack from Japanese aircraft during bombing of Darwin	World War II	Darwin, Australia	19 February 1942	damaged	[38]
2	HMAS Woomera	Accidental explosion during ammunition disposal	Peacetime	off Sydney, Australia	11 October 1960	lost	[39]
2	HMAS Vengeance (whaleboat)	Whaleboat capsizes while transporting crew	Peacetime	Port Philip Bay, Australia	9 March 1954	undamaged
2	HMAS Colac	Shore-based gunfire	World War II	British Solomon Islands	26 May 1945	undamaged	[40]
2	HMAS Lolita	Accidental explosion	World War II	off Madang, Territory of New Guinea	13 June 1945	damaged	[41]
1	HMAS Vampire	Battle of Calabria - Aerial attack from Italian aircraft	World War II	off Punta Stilo, Italy	9 July 1940	damaged	[42]
1	HMAS Waterhen	Aerial attack from German and Italian aircraft	World War II	off Sollum, Egypt	30 June 1941	lost	[43]
1	HMAS Kangaroo	Aerial attack from Japanese aircraft during bombing of Darwin	World War II	Darwin, Australia	19 February 1942	damaged	[44]
1	HMAS Gunbar	Aerial attack from Japanese aircraft during bombing of Darwin	World War II	Darwin, Australia	22 February 1942	damaged	[45]
1	HMAS Chinampa	Shore-based gunfire	World War II	off Saumlaki, Dutch East Indies	31 August 1942	undamaged	[46]

References

1. "RAN1911-1961" (PDF). Royal Australian Navy. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
2. "RAN1history". Naval Institute. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
3. "HMASSydney". Royal Australian Navy. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
4. "HMASPerth". Royal Australian Navy. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
5. "HMASParramatta". Royal Australian Navy. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
6. "HMASYarra". Royal Australian Navy. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
7. "HMASArmidale". Royal Australian Navy. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
8. "HMASCanberra". Royal Australian Navy. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
9. "HMASVoyager". Royal Australian Navy. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
10. "AE1". Royal Australian Navy. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
11. "HMASMatafele". Royal Australian Navy. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
12. "HMASAustralia". Royal Australian Navy. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
13. "HMASAustralia". Royal Australian Navy. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
14. "HMASGoorangai". Royal Australian Navy. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
15. "HMASKuttabul". Royal Australian Navy. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
16. "HMASAustralia". Royal Australian Navy. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
17. "HMASHobart". Royal Australian Navy. Archived from the original on 13 February 2014. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
18. "HMASPerth". Royal Australian Navy. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
19. "HMASNizam". Royal Australian Navy. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
20. "HMASVampire". Royal Australian Navy. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
21. "HMASPatriciaCam". Royal Australian Navy. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
22. "HMASTarakan". Royal Australian Navy. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
23. "HMASPirie". Royal Australian Navy. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
24. "HMASNizam". Royal Australian Navy. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
25. "HMASSydney". Royal Australian Navy. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
26. "HMASNestor". Royal Australian Navy. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
27. "HMASWarnambool". Royal Australian Navy. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
28. "HMASWestralia". Royal Australian Navy. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
29. "HMASPerth". Royal Australian Navy. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
30. "HMASTanmar". Royal Australian Navy. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
31. "HMASSwan". Royal Australian Navy. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
32. "HMASLismore". Royal Australian Navy. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
33. "HMASWallaroo". Royal Australian Navy. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
34. "HMASArrow". Royal Australian Navy. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
35. "HMASHobart". Royal Australian Navy. Archived from the original on 13 February 2014. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
36. "HMASArunta". Royal Australian Navy. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
37. "HMASNapier". Royal Australian Navy. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
38. "HMASKara Kara". Royal Australian Navy. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
39. "HMASWoomera". Royal Australian Navy. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
40. "HMASColac". Royal Australian Navy. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
41. "HMASLolita". Royal Australian Navy. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
42. "HMASVampire". Royal Australian Navy. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
43. "HMASWaterhen". Royal Australian Navy. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
44. "HMASKangaroo". Royal Australian Navy. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
45. "HMASGunbar". Royal Australian Navy. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
46. "HMASChinampa". Royal Australian Navy. Retrieved 31 December 2019.