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The RAN, the Strategic Reserve and the Malayan Emergency |
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Less than three years after World War II ended Communist terrorists began a bold policy of hit and run violence in Malaya aimed at demoralising the elected leaders. After several men prominent in political and private circles had been cold-bloodedly killed the Malayan Emergency was declared in June 1948 and was not lifted until July 1960. Britain, as leader of the British Commonwealth, appealed to Australia and New Zealand for assistance in restoring order and in 1950 Australia sent a Lincoln heavy bomber squadron and a Dakota transport squadron to Singapore for operations in Malaya. In 1955 Australia agreed to increase its military assistance by contributing Navy, Army and Air Force units to a Malaysian-based Commonwealth Strategic Reserve. From 1955 the men and ships of the Royal Australian Navy contributed to the defence and development of the Federation of Malaya in different ways and at different levels. The units of the Strategic Reserve trained against the time that they might be used in a regional or even global conflict, in the defence of Malaya . |
| The directive for the Strategic Reserve, issued in January 1956, gave it two roles. The primary role was to provide ‘a deterrent to further Communist aggression in South East Asia', with the British Defence Coordinating Committee (Far East), able to deploy units in defensive operations in the event of an attack on Malaya, Singapore, or the sea lines of communication around it. The secondary role was ‘to assist in the maintenance of the security of the Federation of Malaya by participating in operations against the Communist Terrorists', but this was not to occur to the prejudice of the primary role. In practice the secondary role was to dominate in the 1950s. |
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The RAN's contribution was to be two destroyers or frigates, an aircraft carrier on an annual visit and additional ships if an emergency arose. Subsequently, in June 1955 HMA Ships Warramunga and Arunta became the first RAN vessels to join the force. Other ships that served in Malayan waters during the Emergency were HMA Ships Anzac , Melbourne , Quadrant , Queenborough , Quiberon , Quickmatch , Sydney , Tobruk , Vampire , Vendetta and Voyager; some of which took part in shore bombardments against terrorist positions in the Johore State . |
| The naval contribution would amount to some
1,500 personnel annually out of an
Australian total of 4,736, although the former figure included the 1,000 men for
the regular visit of the carrier and it's embarked squadrons. RAN ships did not spend all their time in Malayan waters, and visits to the
great commercial port of Hong Kong and to other centres in Japan or Korea were a
regular feature of service with the naval component.
Much time was spent exercising at sea and testing the men and equipment for the roles they would be called on to fulfil in the event of war. Being part of a larger naval organisation also provided valuable experience for the ships from the smaller regional navies of Australia and New Zealand , affording them greater opportunities to conduct warfare exercises with and against their British counterparts. |
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Service with the Strategic Reserve could at times be arduous. Life at sea in the tropics was occasionally dangerous and seldom pleasant in mess decks that had no air conditioning (seven members of RAN ships were killed accidentally or died of other causes while serving with the Strategic Reserve). The naval component's secondary role in combating the communist terrorists (CTs) during the Emergency was largely symbokic. |
| However, it should be noted that the effective naval blockade against the supply of arms and ammunition to the CTs from sources outside the country denied them any effective use of the sea throughout the Emergency. Between 1955 and 1960 a total of 13 RAN ships served with the Strategic Reserve. Some of these attachments were for short periods involving, for example, participation in exercises conducted under the auspices of the South East Asia Treaty Organisation (SEATO). More generally however, an attachment lasted between six and nine months. |
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Indonesian Confrontation |
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At the end of the Malayan Emergency Australia agreed to keep forces in Malaya-Singapore as part of the British Commonwealth Strategic Reserve, and the RAN had two frigates, Yarra and Parramatta there on duty when the Indonesian policy of ‘confrontation' began with the new nation of Malaysia . Malaysia had been formed in 1963, embracing the British colonies of Malaya , Singapore (later to withdraw) Sarawak (North Borneo) and Sabah . Fearing that the new Federation posed a threat, Indonesia 's President Sukarno decided to demonstrate Indonesia 's opposition. Indonesian forces made shore landings in Borneo and Malaya, paratroopers were dropped into Malaya early in the confrontation and naval skirmishes occurred in the straits of Malacca. Grave fears were therefore held for the stability of the region. As tension mounted, Australia increased its presence by sending HMAS Sydney , the destroyers Vampire , Vendetta and Duchess and the frigate, Derwent to the area. Sydney had by now been converted to a fast troop transport and carried troops and equipment to Jesselton in North Borneo . |
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The 16th Minesweeping Squadron comprising six Ton Class coastal minesweepers
was also assigned for duties during Confrontation arriving in Malaysian waters
in May 1964.
Initially their patrol duties were centred in Borneo . |
| They had a
standard displacement of 360 tons, a maximum speed of 15 knots, a crew of three
officers and 30 ratings and were armed with two 40/60mm Bofors guns, together
with light automatic weapons.
On 10 November 1964 Prime Minister Menzies told Parliament that there had been a ‘deterioration in Australia 's strategic situation' and announced big manpower and equipment increases in the navy, army and air force. ‘Indonesian attacks,' the Prime Minister told parliament, may create a real risk of war…it is tremendously important to us that Indonesia should not become Communist. On 13 December 1964, as if to echo the Prime Minister's concerns, the minesweeper HMAS Teal, Lieutenant K. Murray, RAN, whilst operating as part of the Singaporean Straits patrol, was fired upon with automatic weapons by an unlit vessel. The attacking vessel (one of two) then shaped course for Indonesian waters but was overpowered and arrested by Teal following a further small arms engagement that resulted in the deaths of three Indonesian crew members. For his coolness and judgment during this, and a previous, interception Lieutenant Murray was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the only award for gallant or distinguished service made to the RAN during Confrontation. Teal was involved in another interception on 23 February 1965 when she detected an unlit vessel nine miles off Cape Rachado . The suspicious vessel was closed and illuminated, and revealed nine fully armed infiltrators in uniform who surrendered immediately upon challenge. The contacts between December 1964 and February 1965 were symptomatic of a period of considerably heightened activity by the Indonesians, and although few of their infiltration parties actually made it ashore in Malaysia , the level of effort required to stop them stretched the security forces considerably. Teal was not the only ship of the 16th Squadron to see action. On 13 March 1966 while patrolling off Raffles Light HMAS Hawk , under the command of Lieutenant J.D. Foster, RAN, came under fire from an Indonesian shore battery, even though the minesweeper was inside Singapore territorial waters. Two salvoes totalling 11 high explosive rounds were fired at the ship, landing within 200 yards of the vessel. Hawk retired at speed, and without retaliating, since fire ceased immediately the minesweeper got under way. The following morning Hawk ‘evened the score' when it intercepted a sampan with five Indonesians on board who were promptly arrested. This trend of interrogating suspicious vessels and making arrests continued throughout Confrontation. It was hard, long, tedious and exacting work with little to show as a result. During a five-month period on patrol activities in 1964-65, HMAS Ibis spent 87 of 100 days at sea. Throughout Confrontation the small Ton Class Minesweepers proved to be a worthy gunboat with a useful all round capability. However it came as no comfort to those onboard to know that they were out-gunned by nearly every Indonesian warship in the region. |
| As Indonesia continued its ‘confrontation' the British organised substantial naval forces to defend Malaysia . RAN destroyers, frigates and minesweepers maintained their patrols in the Malacca, Singapore and Johore Straits and in the Tawau area of North Borneo as well as joining in exercises with fleet units of the Malaysian Navy. |  |
| When Indonesian forces crossed the border into eastern
Sebatik Island near Tawau, Sabah on 28 June 1965, HMAS Yarra was called
on to carry out bombardments designed to harass the withdrawal of the
infiltrators. During three runs Yarra fired a total of 70 rounds.
Bombardments of the border area of Sebatik were again carried out on 5 and 10
July, the targets on all occasions being within Sabah .
On the night of 30 September/1 October 1965, a communist inspired coup attempt occurred in Indonesia . Six senior generals were slain, but the coup failed and was followed by widespread violence and bloodshed. It proved a turning point for ‘confrontation', which thereafter declined. On 13 August 1966 a formal agreement concluded between Indonesia and Malaysia brought the conflict to an end. The Far East Strategic Reserve maintained an on-going presence in Southeast Asia until 1971 at which time the Five Power Defence Arrangements came into effect replacing the arrangements of earlier years associated with the Anglo-Malaysian Defence Agreement. |
