page_title: HMAS Canberra (D33)
section_title: Pre-World War II
hierarchical_section_title: HMAS Canberra (D33) / Operational history / Pre-World War II
caption_attribution_description: English: County-class cruiser HMAS Canberra arriving in Sydney, New South Wales, 6 August 1936, carrying the new NSW governor Admiral Sir Murray and Lady Anderson
context_page_description: HMAS Canberra, named after the Australian capital city of Canberra, was a Royal Australian Navy heavy cruiser of the Kent sub-class of County-class cruisers. Constructed in Scotland during the mid-1920s, the ship was commissioned in 1928, and spent the first part of her career primarily operating in Australian waters, with some deployments to the China Station.
  At the start of World War II, Canberra was initially used for patrols and convoy escort around Australia. In July 1940, she was reassigned as a convoy escort between Western Australia, Sri Lanka, and South Africa. During this deployment, which ended in mid-1941, Canberra was involved in the hunt for several German auxiliary cruisers. The cruiser resumed operations in Australian waters, but when Japan entered the war, she was quickly reassigned to convoy duties around New Guinea, interspersed with operations in Malaysian and Javanese waters. Canberra later joined Task Force 44, and was involved in the Guadalcanal Campaign and the Tulagi landings.
  On 9 August 1942, Canberra was struck by the opening Japanese shots of the Battle of Savo Island, and was quickly damaged.
context_section_description: Canberra left Portsmouth on 4 December 1928, after several months of workup trials, and arrived at Sydney on 16 February 1929. The cruiser operated primarily in Australian waters during the next ten years, spending periods of time as the RAN flagship. On 20 September 1929, during a round-Australia cruise, the ship grounded on a sand shoal outside Roebuck Bay, Western Australia. The damage did not prevent the ship from operating, and it was not until early 1930 that the affected hull plates were replaced. In September 1931, Canberra visited New Caledonia and Fiji. The cruiser operated on the Royal Navy's China Station in 1932 and 1937. In 1934 the ship was assigned to escort HMS Sussex, which was transporting the Duke of Gloucester during a visit to Australia. In August 1936 she brought Admiral Sir Murray Anderson to Sydney, Australia to be invested as Governor of New South Wales.
caption: Canberra entering Sydney Harbour on 6 August 1936. The cruiser is carrying Admiral Sir Murray Anderson, who was to be invested as Governor of New South Wales.
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