HMAS ARMIDALE and Ordinary Seaman Teddy Sheean's action.

[The Sailor]

The story

HMAS Armidale, was sunk by enemy action on 1 December, 1942, off Timor, while taking supplies and reinforcements to the commandos fighting ashore. The ship had been hit by two torpedoes and a near-miss bomb had helped by blowing a hole in her side. The Captain, Lieutenant-Commander David Richards, gave the order to abandon ship but one man refused - Ordinary Seaman Teddy Sheean. He struggled back to the after Oerlikon gun, strapped himself in and fired at the planes strafing his shipmates in the water. The ship was sinking so rapidly that when he fastened those straps he must have known he would go down with the ship.

He poured a stream of 20mm shells at the planes and sent one cartwheeling into the sea. A Zero flashed in, its guns blazing, and slashed Sheean's chest and back wide open. With blood pouring from his wounds he kept fighting. The ship was now sinking faster and with water lapping his feet he kept shooting. The men in the water gasped in amazement as they saw the blood-stained, desperate youngster wheel his gun from target to target, his powerless legs dragging on the deck.

Then came the most incredible sight of all - the ship plunged down and the sea rose up past Sheean's waist to his shattered chest, but still he kept firing. Even when there was nothing left of the ship above water, tracer bullets from Sheean's gun kept shooting up from under the water in forlorn, bizarre arcs.

Armidale and Sheean had kept fighting to the end. It was valour above and beyond the call of duty.

Sheean was not the only hero that day and on the grim days that were to follow. Ten of the crew and 37 soldiers had been killed in the action. In the water now were 102 men - 73 of Armidale's crew and 29 soldiers, including three AIF men, two Dutch army officers and 24 Javanese troops. And, of course, sharks and deadly sea snakes. They were 110 km from Timor, 470 km from Darwin and 400 km from the nearest Australian land, Bathurst Island.

Next day the Captain, Lieutenant-Commander David Richards, left with 21 others in the 5.3-metres motor-boat to try to get help. It was not until four harrowing days later - six days since the sinking - that the motor-boat was spotted and the survivors rescued, by the corvette HMAS Kalgoorlie.

Meanwhile back at the scene of the sinking, something approaching a miracle had taken place. The sailors managed to salvage the derelict whaler - an eight-metre-long lifeboat - which was peppered with holes and gashes from shrapnel and bullets.

The Gunnery Officer, Lieutenant Lloyd Palmer, left with 29 men in the patched-up boat to try to get help and nine harrowing days after the sinking they were sighted by an RAAF plane and rescued by HMAS Kalgoorlie.

Fate dealt cruelly to the 47 men left behind on the raft. On the eighth day after the sinking, a RAAF Catalina flying boat sighted them, but could not land because the sea was too rough. The airmen dropped food and water to them, but despite searches by the Catalina, Hudsons and Beaufighters they were never seen again. Somehow or other, fate snatched them away just when they thought they were about to be rescued.

[herakles]

What a remarkable story! The bravery of Teddy Sheean is quite extraordinary and should be far more widely known than it is.

Thank you for this stirring story.

[TheDigger]

Was Teddy ever recommended for an award of any type surely a VC or other honour was recomended

[The Sailor]

Sheean was posthumously Mentioned in Despatches "for bravery and devotion to duty when HMAS Armidale was lost." In May 1999 Sheean was honoured by the Royal Australian Navy when Collins Class Submarine No. 5 was named HMAS Sheean. This is the first occasion on which a RAN vessel has been named after an ordinary seaman.

In 1987 by the Royal Australian Navy Corvettes Association erected a plaque in memory of Sheean in Corvettes' Corner at Shropshire

[battlestar]

G'day All

On 23 February 2001 I was honoured to be invited to the Joint commissioning ceremony of HMAS Dechainuex (SSG-76) and HMAS Sheean (SSG-77).

I had the pleasure of talking with survivors from HMAS Armidale. I, along with those survivors, were in tears as they talked about Teddy's actions that day. As one said...

"To this day I could never understand the courage of a boy his age to do what he did."

But the quote of the day came from Ivy Hayes (97), Teddy's Sister.

"Teddy was a ordinary man, that did an extraordinary thing."

In my mind, and everybody else there, Ivy's statement became the true definition of what a hero really is.

In naming a Collins class submarine after Teddy Sheean, it puts his magificent story out there for the world to know.

I'm including in this post a copy of the commissioning book (such as it is) on HMAS Dechainuex (SSG-76) and HMAS Sheean (SSG-77), as well as a welcome aboard pamphlet from HMAS Sheean.

[astraltrader]

Thanks a lot for those Ian - very interesting and moving.

Just one thing - you seem to be all over the shop with the numbering of HMAS Sheeane. Is it 77 or 78?

[battlestar]

Hi there

Thanks Terry, got it.

New rule for me, must not post before sleep.

Ian

[herakles]

Thanks for that posting Ian. Very good material.

[astraltrader]

Hi there

Thanks Terry, got it.

New rule for me, must not post before sleep.

Ian

Easily done my friend!:o

[herakles]

An update on this story:

On 22 November 2008 Attack Two (LCDR D.L. Curtis, RAN) embarked in HMAS Armidale (II), scattered the ashes of the late LEUT Frank Bartley Walker RANR (Retd), over the final resting place of HMAS Armidale (I), while returning from Kupang, Indonesia after completing EX CASSOWARY 2008.

HMAS Armidale was sunk during WWII by Japanese planes off Timor on 1 Dec 1942, after being struck by two Torpedoes and possibly one bomb. She sank in three to four minutes and clamed the lives of 100 men. During the battle Ordinary SMN

Edward Sheean remained at his post at the after Oerlikon gun and though wounded continued firing until he was killed at his post as the ship sunk. Though he was mentioned in dispatches his gallantry was never awarded.

Frank Walker was the author of many books including HMAS Armidale – The Ship That Had to Die. He served in the RAN during WWII as an Anti-Submarine Officer in Corvettes and was the editor of the Corvette’s Association News Letter and vigorously campaigned for the posthumous award of the Victoria Cross to Ordinary SMN

It was therefore befitting that the ashes of the late Frank Walker be scattered in the vicinity of the Ship he wrote so much about. At 1000 I/K the church pennant was hoisted, the Ensign lowered to Half Mast and Ship’s Company was fallen-in in ceremonials. After a moving obituary read by the Commanding Officer, the ashes of the late Frank Walker were scattered with Volleys fired during the Naval Hymn. The stirring event was followed by the Last Post, Reveille and Australian National Anthem.

Frank Walker is survived by his wife Erika, sons Peter and Frank, three grandchildren, a great-granddaughter and a stepdaughter, Sharon. Lest we forget.

[kookaburra]

Good to see the RAN honoring Frank Walker and marking its own service tradition. Regarding Teddy Sheean and the V.C. (or lack of): we've discussed Commander Robert Rankin and his sacrificial action on Yarra. There just seems to have been something about the perception of the collective nature of navy ships crews, idealised as a single unit, and the nature of naval 'duty' that has mitigated against the bestowing of the highest gallantry award to an individual in the R.A.N.

I seem to recall reading some bitter comments on the failure of the command structure to advance recommendations in one or two of these cases where it was certainly merited.

Okay, in the case of Commander Rankin (Yarra) one can see where there may have been other considerations mitigating against it - the terrible suffering and deaths by wounds and exposure in the boats afterwards, creating a situation where it may have been seen as just too painful for bereaved kin and the few survivors alike to have had the action permanently memorialised in this distinctive way.

Sheean's individual action however was different and in my opinion, he deserved it and the ship's crew would have shared the sense of honour from the action in perpetuity. I wonder if it's all too late? I don't know the rules governing this award, and whether there's a time limitation.

[herakles]

As I see it, Sheehan's actions were no different to those performed by Army men like Jacka. Highly individualised as well as being extremely heroic.

I guess I could argue that awarding a medal to Rankin fails to take into account what was clearly a collective action by the entire crew. But only just. Medals are our form of recognition of great bravery. How else does one recognise the HMAS Yarra action?

What's more, medals are routinely handed out to generals for what is after all mostly a group action by the men under his command.

I don't think there is a time limit on the awarding of medals. There have been several cases in recent years of people attempting those from the past being recognised. e.g. the push to have Simpson awarded a VC and awards being given to the men who fought in Vietnam.

[battlestar]

G'Day All

I agree with you Kookaburra, it is nice to see the RAN honouring its past. I'd like to see more of it!

As for a Medal for Ordinary Seaman Teddy Sheean's action, no doubt he deserved such an honour, as did many others.

I could never understand why he never got a VC, considering the actions of others that were awarded VC's throughout the war, some from the St. Nazaire Raid, in particular Sergeant T. F. Durrant, who had manned a Lewis Gun during the clash, kept firing despite being shot over sixteen times and severely wounded; eventually he passed out from loss of blood and died. He was later posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross upon the personal recommendation of Kapitänleutnant F. K. Paul, the German officer in command of the Jaguar.

As 'THE SAILOR' stated.

'HMAS Armidale, was sunk by enemy action on 1 December, 1942, off Timor, while taking supplies and reinforcements to the commandos fighting ashore. The ship had been hit by two torpedoes and a near-miss bomb had helped by blowing a hole in her side. The Captain, Lieutenant-Commander David Richards, gave the order to abandon ship but one man refused - Ordinary Seaman Teddy Sheean. He struggled back to the after Oerlikon gun, strapped himself in and fired at the planes strafing his shipmates in the water. The ship was sinking so rapidly that when he fastened those straps he must have known he would go down with the ship.

'He poured a stream of 20mm shells at the planes and sent one cartwheeling into the sea. A Zero flashed in, its guns blazing, and slashed Sheean's chest and back wide open. With blood pouring from his wounds he kept fighting. The ship was now sinking faster and with water lapping his feet he kept shooting. The men in the water gasped in amazement as they saw the blood-stained, desperate youngster wheel his gun from target to target, his powerless legs dragging on the deck.

Then came the most incredible sight of all - the ship plunged down and the sea rose up past Sheean's waist to his shattered chest, but still he kept firing. Even when there was nothing left of the ship above water, tracer bullets from Sheean's gun kept shooting up from under the water in forlorn, bizarre arcs.

'Armidale and Sheean had kept fighting to the end. It was valour above and beyond the call of duty.'

I say to you all I don't see any difference in either Act of Valor!