HMAS Yarra (U77)

HMAS Yarra
History
Australia
Namesake	The Yarra River
Builder	Cockatoo Island Dockyard
Laid down	24 May 1934
Launched	28 March 1935
Commissioned	19 December 1935
Motto	"Hunt and Strike"
Honours and awards	Battle honours: Libya 1941 East Indies 1942 Plus two inherited honours Awards: Unit Citation for Gallantry
Fate	Sunk by Japanese cruisers, 4 March 1942
Badge
General characteristics
Class and type	Grimsby-class sloop
Displacement	1,060 tons (standard), 1,500 tons (full load)
Length	266 ft 3 in (81.15 m)
Beam	36 ft (11 m)
Draught	7.5 to 10 ft (2.3 to 3.0 m)
Propulsion	2 × Admiralty 3-drum boilers, Parsons turbines, 2,000 shp (1,500 kW), 2 shafts
Speed	16.5 knots (30.6 km/h; 19.0 mph)
Complement	135 peace, 160 war
Armament	3 × QF 4-inch (101.6 mm) Mk V anti-aircraft guns

HMAS Yarra (U77), named for the Yarra River, was a Grimsby-class sloop of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) that served during World War II. Commissioned in 1936, Yarra spent the early part of the war in Australian waters, then was transferred to the East Indies Station in 1940. The sloop operated in the Red Sea, then was involved in the Anglo-Iraqi War and the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran. After operating as part of the Tobruk Ferry Service in the Mediterranean during November, Yarra was reassigned to Southeast Asia in response to Japanese attacks. On 4 March 1942, Yarra was attacked and sunk by a force of Japanese cruisers and destroyers while attempting to protect ships withdrawing to Australia.