The Sinking of the HMAS Yarra (U77)

Serving Valiantly with the allies, many of the commonwealth navies are often overlooked. But all served valiantly. On March 04, 1942 One sloop of the Royal Australian Navy made the ultimate sacrifice protecting a convoy from a superior force of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Her story should not be forgotten. Learn the Story of the HMAS Yarra (U77).
#History #Disaster #WW2

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[MaritimeHorrors]

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[fabianzimmermann]

The last stand of the HMAS Yarra is one of my favorite last stands in history. Rankin deserves that Victoria Cross and I really hope, he will receive it.

[andreww]

"Protect the Weak" ... even though you had no chance ... "For Valour" ... the inscription on a Victoria Cross medal ... amazing men doing amazing things in another time.

[ThroneOfBhaal]

I suppose the Yarra wouldn't have been able to outrun the Japanese anyway, but her commander may have thought he could at least delay them and allow the others a chance to scatter. A brave ship and crew who deserve the recognition. Thank you for the video! :)

[wagstag]

Gotta give the Yarra and crew respect for going down guns blazing with no fear

[charlottescat]

My Dad served with the Australian Navy for 15 years. Thank you :) To have YouTubers from other countries take interest in our Naval stories is absolutely wonderful.

[stephenlyons]

As an Australian I never heard this story before but the commander should awarded the Victoria Cross in my opinion.

[AndyProper]

“All gave some, some gave all” R.I.P to those men ! They gave their lives for others to live.

[petebroady]

Rankin deserves a VC. There was a RN Captain awarded the VC for basically doing the same thing in the North Atlantic in 1940 so there is a precedent.

[dundeedamocars]

Thanks for sharing this video, it it much appreciated as my Grandpa Harold George Wagland was one of the 13 survivors.

[laurentaylor]

Thank you for covering these Aussie naval stories, we don't hear enough about them, even here in Australia. Just fyi, Yarra is pronounced with a hard a, like yak. It was named for the Yarra River that runs through Melbourne - Yarra Yarra means ever-flowing in the local Wurundjeri language, although they call the river Birrarung.

[antiquepork]

I can't believe YouTube recommended this gem of a channel. You're definitely going to keep growing; your videos are great. While the effort and research is spectacular already, I think it'd be nice to see some more dynamic backgrounds and music. I'm sure you'll make it big one day.

[yarrabaz]

Thank you for making this video about a brave Australian ship. The final action was in the Indian Ocean not the South Pacific. My Dad was one of the men killed in that final action. A brave ship manned by a crew of HEROES.

[dippinggainsreviews]

Hey man, you created what ive wanted to do for years in my dreams here. A proud US Naval aviation electrician here! Love your work Shipmate, fair winds and following seas.

[kinorris]

HMAS Yarra exemplifies far more than just the fighting spirit of the Australian Navy, or any Navy for that matter.

Those aboard the Yarra that gave their lives that day, are real men. They are an example of what warriors dream of being. Maybe not fearless, but certainly undeterred by fear. They, like several other crews of allied vessels during WW2, looked the seemingly unstoppable horde of the Axis in the eye, and said to themselves "I'll fight that". And fight that, they did. We owe everything to such men.

[mikewright]

To add to HMAS Yarra's back story, she was escorting a convoy to Singapore in early February 1942 - this convoy would be the last to arrive in Singapore before the surrender on 15th February. This convoy included the Empress of Asia, a Canadian Pacific ship being used as a troop transport to carry the British 18th Division to Singapore. The Empress of Asia was heavily bombed and set on fire amidships. The captain deliberately ran the ship aground close to Sultan Shoal lighthouse to stop her sinking, 11 miles from Singapore. As part of the rescue of the troops onboard, HMAS Yarra came alongside the stern and evacuated the remaining troops from that end of the ship. These included my father who stepped from the Empress of Asia to the Yarra without getting his feet wet, which was a great relief to him as he was scared of sharks had he gone into the water. HMAS Yarra landed him in Singapore but 18th Division had lost all their equipment. My father recounted how he had to go on patrol armed only with 2 hand grenades until he found a Thompson sub-machine gun from a dead Australian soldier. It was all for nought as the British surrendered on 15th February 1942 - my father's 24th Birthday. Like many others he spent the next 3 1/2 years as a POW, but that's another story.

[Hawaiian]

I'm so stoked I discovered this post. As a young U. S. Marine back in 1980 while on WesPac, I was one of a handful of Marines selected to go aboard the Australian Destroyer Escort HMAS Yarra while participating in Kangaroo operations in Shoal-water Bay, Australia...Its so important to remember our history and the brave men and women that carried the fight back then....the crew of the HMAS Yarra was outstanding sailors....Cheers Cobbers! God Bless the Royal Australian Navy!

[annettefindlay]

Hi from New Zealand!🇳🇿The Yarra! Great ship! Great crew!🇦🇺

[briantaylor]

Rankin and HMAS Yarra went out like absolute bosses.

[Horizontalvertigo]

I've fallen into the Yarra, and have even pet a kookaburra (extremely fluffy) but I've never heard of this story, thanks for sharing it!