However from September 1939, the British Admiralty and the Australian Commonwealth Naval Board ordered the deployment of the RAN Destroyer Flotilla in the Mediterranean as requested.This was the beginning of the “Scrap Iron Flotilla”* based on Malta from mid-December.HMAS Sydney by May 1940 joined HMAS Hobart and as soon as Italy declared was on 10 June 1940, they protected the Australian destroyer squadron. Ford Australia was already contacted in October 1939 to produce mine units and their shells and sinkers at Geelong. Annual cost and depreciation was estimated to £4,024,600. This will change in post war years, with the transfer of two ships renamed Melbourne and Sydney, retired in 1976 and 1985. The Pacific Patrol Boat Systems Program Office was created within the Minor War Vessels Branch of the RAN procurement organisation.The tender for the vessels was released in August 1984, and was awarded to Australian Shipbuilding Industries Pty Ltd (now The main role of the Royal Australian Navy in the two decades following the end of Australia's involvement in the Vietnam War was supporting Australian diplomatic initiatives. On 27 November 1941, there was payback for the axis as HMAS Parramatta was sunk by U-559 during an escort bound to Tobruk. However as soon as the German threat was eliminated, the RAN started to operate as part of Royal Navy forces in the Mediterranean and Northern Sea.

However from September 1940 the government prepared a plan for the defence of the Australian shores including mines. After the fall of the Netherlands East Indies the submersible escaped to Fremantle in Western Australia, by 13 March 1942.By then, in May 1942 the Dutch government choose to offer K IX to the Royal Australian Navy and repatriate the crew.

Back to South-West Pacific she remained in home waters as war broke out and until mid-1940.She was sent to the eastern Atlantic searching for German ships and for HMAS Australia took part in the battle of the Coral Sea, Savo Island, Guadalcanal and Leyte Gulf, and New Guinea. The light cruiser Brisbane and three destroyers were still under construction, as well as the HMS Adelaide, plus a small fleet of auxiliary ships, quite a formidable force in the Pacific, although much smaller than the Japanese Imperial Navy.In 1919, the RAN received a force of six destroyers, three sloops and six submarines from the Royal Navy. The RAN's primary contribution consisted of destroyers, The RAN did not deploy operationally until 1965, but in 1962 When Tracy struck Darwin, the RAN had a total of 351 personnel based in the city, along with four As the severity of the disaster was realised, a naval task force was established to render aid to the people of Darwin; In 1979, the Australian and New Zealand Governments, at the request of Pacific Island nations, sent defence representatives into the South-West Pacific region to assess surveillance and maritime patrol requirements. Refitted, she received new anti-aircraft guns, six American 20 mm Oerlikon. Fortunately the rest of the ships were dispersed at sea and escaped it.The RAN from 1920 knew a decade of reduction in size due to a political apathy and the economic collapse and its consequences in 1929. These were contact mines launched from the stern of the ship. Back to South-West Pacific she remained in home waters as war broke out and until mid-1940.She was sent to the eastern Atlantic searching for German ships and for HMAS Australia took part in the battle of the Coral Sea, Savo Island, Guadalcanal and Leyte Gulf, and New Guinea. She also patrolled around New Guinea and sailed to Garden Island in May-June 1942. Construction took place between 1940 and 1942. This was corrected on the next Arethusa class light cruisers. The same years, RAN ships still integrated in the grand fleet was hit hard by the flu pandemic.