How Canberra and Bataan commemorated an alliance

Why were USS Canberra and HMAS Bataan named as they were?

They commemorated Allied wartime experience: an American cruiser honoured HMAS Canberra, while an Australian destroyer carried the name Bataan and later served with USS Bataan.

USS Canberra was named for the Australian cruiser HMAS Canberra, which had been lost in battle. A reciprocal Australian gesture involving General Douglas MacArthur produced the name Bataan. USS Bataan, an American carrier, and HMAS Bataan, an Australian destroyer, later served alongside one another. The pairing shows how ship names preserved alliance memory and shared wartime experience.