| Conclusions
"Operation Menace." September 23, 24, 25, 1940. HMAS Australia and the debacle at Dakar with General Charles de Gaulle
In September 1940, I was eighteen and had already served as a Midshipman in HMAS Australia for over a year. We had been attached to the Home Fleet based in the desolate North of Scotland at Scapa Flow.
Australia had carried out patrols between the Faroe Islands and Greenland; sweeps into the Greenland sea which took us north as far as Bear Island, less than a 1000 miles from the North Pole; and patrols in the east to Tromso off the coast of Norway.
The weather was usually cold, and we often encountered extremely rough seas and gale force winds. Life at sea was not pleasant, one could rarely keep warm, and how we yearned for some lovely Australian sunshine, but Australia seemed as far away as the moon, our only link with home being mail; and that was usually months old by the time it reached us.
The last day of August 1940 found my ship en route from Scapa to Greenock on the Clyde. We passed the torpedoed liner, Volendam, being towed stern first by an Admiralty tug, she was well down by the bows. We entered the Clyde at 1100 the next day, and as the ship proceeded up the river I found the scenery quite beautiful, a complete contrast to Scapa Flow. On both banks, the hills brilliantly green, rose up into the distance; we passed through the protective boom, and anchored off Greenock. On the 5th of September we embarked French flying officers and two Cauldron Renault aircraft - quite similar to our Gipsy Moth. The next day we cleared the Clyde, and turned south, proceeding under sealed orders. For the following week we continued steaming on a south westerly or southerly course, with the weather now becoming decidedly warmer, as we finally shook off the cold Scottish and North Atlantic weather.
...
Winston Churchill and his war Cabinet had decided to assist de Gaulle in a landing of Free French forces in West Africa, our destination is Dakar.
This was the main port of French West Africa squatting ideally on the trade route from the Cape to Britain, and until the capitulation of France, extensively used by British merchant ships. However, Dakar had remained loyal to the Vichy Government, and was now available as a base for enemy submarines, and armed merchant raiders to operate against our trade and our Navy.
De Gaulle believed that he could prise Dakar away from Vichy control, and bring them over to the Free French cause.
Shortly after assuming the patrol off Dakar, Australia closed up at action stations, the reason soon apparent; three French cruisers Gloire, Georges Leygues, and Montcalm all of the Galissoniere class were in sight. These were 6 inch ships, each carrying 9 by 6 inch guns in triple turrets, 8 by 3.5 inch AA guns, 8 torpedo tubes in 4 twin mountings, and fitted with a catapult, for use by 4 aircraft. Reported speed was in excess of 32 knots, and their aircraft are recovered by a unique method. A type of steel mesh mat was lowered out of the square stern, this sloped down into the water, the aircraft landed astern, and taxied up onto this mat, to be hoisted aboard by a stern crane.
Our task was to prevent these 3 French cruisers from reaching Dakar and reinforcing the naval force already in that port. Cumberland joined us and we shadowed them from ahead, as they proceeded on a southerly course. At 1730, we closed these ships for night shadowing, night fell quickly as it does in the tropics, and the French ships turned to the north west and increased speed to give us the slip. They were soon out of sight, as we worked up speed to give chase.
A heavy cruiser takes time to work up to full speed, not at all like driving a car where one may plant your foot on the accelerator for an instant response. At 2100,we visually sighted one of the Frenchmen on our starboard bow, our capture, Gloire, who had broken down and could only proceed at 4 knots.
Cumberland joined by Devonshire, were after the other two French cruisers, but they subsequently reached Dakar, having out run the British ships.
During our chase, Australia worked up to 32.8 knots, needing 82,000 horse power to achieve this speed. The ship's designed horse power was 80,000, and we were over six months from our last docking, carrying a fouled bottom, and were also well above our design tonnage. Praise must be due to our engine room staff who kept the ship steaming at full speed, under most difficult conditions for almost three hours.
Gloire was kept in sight all day, and now decided that she could steam at 17 knots. She was ordered to steer for Casablanca, and warned we would "sink her" if found in the vicinity of Dakar. Captain Broussignac in Gloire indicated he would proceed quietly to Casablanca, we accepted this assurance, and he proceeded alone, we parted company and proceeded to the west. Gloire reached Casablanca on the 24th. of September.
"Frenchman of |
