After Canberra was sunk at Savo Island, President Roosevelt directed that a United States warship be named in her honour. The decision produced the Baltimore-class USS Canberra. Britain had already intended to transfer the London-subclass cruiser Shropshire to Australia and rename her Canberra. Royal Australian Navy policy against duplicating a cruiser name in the United States Navy left the transferred ship as Shropshire instead. The later destroyer Bataan shared a name with an American carrier, so the practical concern appears to have been confusion between two cruisers rather than an absolute ban. Many Canberra survivors joined Shropshire, which retained their experience and part of the lost cruiser’s identity within the Australian fleet.
Notable Point · 57:21-1:00:49
Canberra’s loss and the transfer of Shropshire
The loss of HMAS Canberra produced both an American namesake and a British cruiser transfer that kept her crew’s connection alive.