The Australian Cruiser Perth, 1939-1942, by Ian Pfenningweth

Kenthurst, N.S.W.: Rosenberg Publishing/Portland, Ore: ISBS, 2007. Pp. 263. Illus., maps, diagr., notes, biblio., index. $29.95 paper. ISBN:1877058521.

Known in the U.S. primarily as the Australian ship that went down alongside the USS Houston in a gallant fight in the Sunda Strait very early on March 1, 1942 , HMAS Perth was in fact a seasoned veteran of more than two years of war, beginning operations just two months after commissioning.  But for a brief refit, Perth was almost continuously in action from the onset of World War II in September of 1939 until she was sunk. 

This volume traces Perth' s history from her origins as part of the effort to expand Australia' s naval forces in the interwar period, through her loss.  Her wartime career was impressive, routine patrol against submarines and surface raiders in the Atlantic and Caribbean , escorting convoys to Malta , fighting from the Battle of Cape Matapan to the evacuation of Crete , supporting land forces in North Africa and Syria , and, at the end in the desperate Allied attempt to stem the Japanese advance in the East Indies . 

In the process of telling this impressive story, the book introduces the reader to the ship's company, from her captains to many of the common seamen, providing an excellent look at a fine warship in a desperate struggle.

Buy it at Amazon.com