Discover some of the ways HMAS Perth (I) has been memorialised over time and how the vessel and its crew continue to remain relevant at a very special exhibition at the WA Maritime Museum running until July 27.
At 23:06 on February 28, 1942, HMAS Perth (I) and USS Houston met a large Japanese Navy task force between the islands of Sumatra and Java in the Sunda Strait. The two ships engaged the Japanese fleet and despite fighting gallantly, they were eventually overwhelmed and sunk with a great loss of life.
This exhibition unpacks some of the ways HMAS Perth (I) has been memorialised over time, and how the vessel and its crew continue to have a presence in various aspects of WA life. Such aspects include the HMAS Perth (I) Regatta, the annual remembrance ceremony at the St John the Evangelist Church in Fremantle, and now the HMAS Perth (I) Memorial in East Fremantle which was officially opened on March 1.
The banners incorporated into this display tell the history of HMAS Perth (I), from its acceptance into the Royal Australian Navy in 1939 to the unauthorised partial salvage of the wreck in 2013. The detailed models by Gerry Westenberg further give a technical perspective on HMAS Perth (I) and USS Houston.
A highlight of the exhibition is the display, for the first time, of a model of Perth built by WWII German POWs held at the Harvey detention camp in 1942. It is believed that the model, made from cigarette tins, was probably built by survivors of the German raider, Kormoran.
Formed from the WA Division of the Navy League of Australia in 2018, the HMAS Perth (I) Memorial Foundation Inc. was tasked with the challenge of building a significant memorial commemorating the ship and crew.
The memorial is in front of the existing HMAS Perth (I) Memorial Hall on Riverside Road, East Fremantle and comprises a granite Wall of Remembrance and a glass structure representing the bow of a ship. The concept design was by Charles and Joan Smith OAM who also designed the HMAS Sydney (II) Memorial in Geraldton, a sister ship of HMAS Perth (I).
