HMAS Yarra I
YARRA departed Portsmouth on 19th September 1910, commissioned in the Royal Navy for the voyage to Australia and proceeding via Suez in company of her sister ship PARRAMATTA and escorted by HMS GIBRALTAR arrived at Broome, Western Australia, on 15th November, where the two destroyers passed to the control of the Australian Commonwealth Naval Board.
In the period 1911 14 YARRA served in Australian waters forming with sister ships PARRAMATTA and WARREGO (commissioned 1st June 1912) the destroyer component of the Australian Fleet.
During the opening phases of World War I, YARRA operated with the Fleet (Vice Admiral Sir George E. Patey) in the search for and as a counter to Admiral von Spee's Pacific Squadron. Late in 1914 she took part in the capture of German possessions in the South West Pacific.
Some of her complement with sailors from HMAS PARRAMATTA were landed at Kabakaul (New Britain) to take part in operations ashore against the German forces. YARRA was present at the formal surrender of German New Guinea to the Australian forces at Rabaul on 13th September 1914. YARRA remained in New Guinea waters after the departure of the Fleet (AUSTRALIA, MELBOURNE and SYDNEY) on 17th September 1914 and in company of PARRAMATTA and WARREGO supported consolidation of the Australian occupation of the former German territories in the area.
In December 1914 all three destroyers proceeded up the Sepik River and in January 1915 visited Morobe, Finsch Harbour and other points on the coast, cruising also to neighbouring island groups including the Admiralties.
On 5th February 1915 the destroyers finally left Rabaul to return to Australia. For several months after the return from New Guinea, the Australian Destroyer Flotilla (Commander C. Cumberlege, RN, in WARREGO) remained in Australian waters. On 27th April 1915 the Flotilla left Williamstown on a three month 'familiarisation' cruise of the eastern Australian coast line which included visits to Jervis Bay, Sydney, the Barrier Reef and Queensland ports.
On 23rd August 1915 the destroyers returned to Sydney for refit. On 19th October 1915 the Flotilla left Sydney to serve on 'blockade' duty in Malayan, East Indian, Indo China, Borneo and Philippine waters. Based on Singapore and Sandakan (Borneo) YARRA served on 'Far East Patrol' until 8th May 1916 when she departed Sandakan to return to Australia. At the close of June 1916 YARRA was assigned to Australian coastal patrol duty O PARRAMATTA having returned from 'Far East Patrol' in mid July, joined YARRA at Melbourne on 31st August 1916 on completion of her refit at Sydney.
WARREGO returned to Australia at the end of September 1916 and after long refit began coastal patrol duty in late January 1917. In May 1917 following a request made by Admiralty the Australian Government agreed to the transfer of the Australian Destroyer Flotilla to the Mediterranean. Consequently YARRA, PARRAMATTA and WARREGO were withdrawn from coastal patrol to refit at Sydney and their Australian built sister ships HUON (completed February 1916) TORRENS (completed July 1916) and SWAN (completed August 1916) then serving on Far East Patrol were ordered to refit at Singapore.
The Australian based destroyers left Sydney on 9th June 1917 and proceeding north about to the Cocos Islands were joined there by the 2nd Division from Singapore on 7th July and Commander W.H.F. Warren, RAN (PARRAMATTA) took command of the Flotilla.
Following a period of training based on Malta, the Australian Flotilla was sent to Brindisi on the 'heel' of Italy for anti submarine patrol duty. On this work it was the destroyers' responsibility (in cooperation with British and French destroyers), to prevent the passage of enemy submarines through the Adriatic Narrows into the Mediterranean and to give safe transit to the passage of Italian transports to and from Albania.
The Australian destroyers commenced Adriatic Patrol duty in mid October 1917. During the early period of their tour of duty the enemy whose submarines were based on Pola at the head of the Adriatic was fairly active and detection and the subsequent hunt was a common occurrence. Later, however, the enemy effort diminished and eventually the patrol became 'routine uneventful steaming' HUON, PARRAMATTA and YARRA were fitted with captive observer balloons whose object was to detect the lurking submarine while another destroyer stood by ready to act as 'killer'.
In April 1918 the Australian destroyers became part of the British 5th Destroyer Flotilla (Captain G.E. Chetwode, CB, CBE). As a result Commander A.G.H. Bond, RN, who had succeeded Commander Warren (drowned in Brindisi Harbour) became in command of a Flotilla for personnel, pay, medical treatment and 'good organisation and conduct of the vessels' only.
Adriatic operations ended for YARRA on 17th October 1918 (a year almost to the day after her first patrol) when with TORRENS and the British destroyers of the 5th Flotilla she left Brindisi for Mudros and thence with the Allied Fleet passed through the Dardanelles into the Sea of Marmora to Ismid. From Ismid, YARRA was sent to the Black Sea where she visited (December 1918) Batum, Novorossiisk and Sebastapol.
On 28th December 1918 she departed Ismid in company of MUON, SWAN and PARRAMATTA to proceed to Malta and thence to Plymouth where she arrived on 8th January 1919.
On 6th March 1919 she departed Plymouth for Australia in company of MELBOURNE, HUON, PARRAMATTA and WARREGO joined by SWAN and TORRENS at Malta. The ships reached Darwin on 26th April, PARRAMATTA and YARRA under tow having exhausted their fuel.
The remainder of YARRA's sea going service was spent in Australian waters used as required for RANR training.
On 30th September 1929 she was transferred to the control of Cockatoo Dockyard for breaking up.