Former HMS Amphion entered Australian service as Perth in June 1939 and accumulated battle honours from the Atlantic to the Pacific. At Cape Matapan, a sailor's account describes Perth and the other cruisers trying to draw an Italian force toward Admiral Cunningham's battle fleet. The ship repeatedly moved in and out of six-inch range while eight-inch shells straddled her, then encountered Vittorio Veneto and its fifteen-inch guns. Engineers drove Perth at about 33.5 knots while smoke obscured the retreat, even tying down a safety valve to extract maximum performance. The episode shows how a light cruiser could accept severe tactical risk, maintain contact, and shape a much larger fleet engagement. The first-person details also convey the strain hidden behind the abstract phrase "cruiser's manoeuvre."
Chapter · 24:03-30:32
HMAS Perth as bait at Cape Matapan
At Cape Matapan, HMAS Perth used speed, smoke, and contact reporting to draw heavier Italian ships toward the British battle fleet.