Able Seaman P.D. Mackintosh was at his aircraft defence post when he saw two torpedoes streak past the port side of HMAS Canberra I.

The Brisbane sailor watched as the torpedoes continued into the darkness moments before the heavy cruiser came under devastating attack.

In less than two minutes, Canberra I was struck more than 20 times by Japanese shells and torpedoes, leaving the ship crippled and many of her crew dead or wounded.

The surprise assault was launched by a Japanese naval force sent to the Solomon Islands to disrupt US Marine Corps operations on Guadalcanal.

As the lead ship of the allied screening force, Canberra I was the first vessel engaged in what became known as the Battle of Savo Island.

Amid the chaos, Able Seaman Mackintosh watched as a US destroyer came alongside to evacuate the wounded. An alarm suddenly sounded and, in the confusion of battle, the destroyer pulled away before disconnecting its lines.

Of Canberra I’s crew of 819, 84 were killed and 109 wounded.

With the cruiser without power and listing heavily, the order was given to abandon ship and scuttle her if steam could not be raised.

On the morning of August 9, 1942, after surviving the Japanese attack, Canberra I was sunk by allied gunfire to prevent her capture. She now rests in Ironbottom Sound, where about 30 allied ships were lost during the Guadalcanal campaign.

'Standing above the waters where Canberra I rests was a powerful reminder of the price paid by those who defended our nation and our values.'

The crew of HMAS Diamantina paused to honour this legacy on June 23 as the minehunter transited Ironbottom Sound en route to Honiara. 

Commanding Officer Diamantina Lieutenant Commander Sam Mairs led the ship’s company in a commemorative service.

“Standing above the waters where Canberra I rests was a powerful reminder of the price paid by those who defended our nation and our values,” Lieutenant Commander Mairs said.

He encouraged the crew to draw inspiration from the sacrifice of those who served before them.

“As members of the Royal Australian Navy, it is a privilege to honour their service. Their courage and selflessness remain an enduring source of inspiration,” he said.

Honiara, the capital of the Solomon Islands, was the first port visit of Operation Render Safe 26-2. Diamantina and Pacific Support Vessel ADV Reliant are deployed to Tuvalu’s northernmost atoll, Nanumea, to conduct a technical reconnaissance of explosive remnants of war (ERW) within the atoll’s 12-kilometre lagoon.

The survey will provide the Government of Tuvalu with a clearer understanding of the type, location and extent of ERW in the lagoon, informing future efforts to safely remove and dispose of unexploded ordnance, while improving the safety of the Nanumea community and the surrounding marine environment.