The stories we carry

Four years ago, LEUT Tahlia Merigan interviewed the last surviving member of HMAS Canberra I.

Des Jones was 99 when he recounted the night his ship was lost during the Battle of Savo Island, describing events from 80 years earlier as though they had happened yesterday.

Just before 2am on August 9, 1942, Canberra I was screening allied forces landing on Guadalcanal when she was met with overwhelming force during the Battle of Savo Island.

In less than two minutes, the heavy cruiser was struck by torpedoes and more than 20 rounds of shellfire.

On August 9, LEUT Merigan found herself in Solomon Islands for the 84th anniversary of the battle, close to the waters where the story Mr Jones had shared with her unfolded.

This time, he was no longer there to tell it.

Mr Jones died in 2025, aged 102, closing the final living link to Canberra I’s ship’s company.

“Des was one of the first people I interviewed when I joined Navy as a public affairs officer, and it was actually my first story for Navy News,” LEUT Merigan said.

“At the time, I don’t think I fully appreciated how special it was to sit down with the last surviving member of Canberra I and have him trust me to tell his story.

“He was 99, but he spoke about that night so clearly. There were little details about his mates and what happened that had stayed with him for 80 years.”

Eighty-four members of her ship’s company lost their lives and a further 109 were wounded.

Speaking at the anniversary service, Australian Defence Adviser to Solomon Islands CAPT Emma Griffiths said the commemoration was about more than remembering the loss of a ship.

“When we gather here each year, we do not simply remember a ship,” CAPT Griffiths said.

“We remember the people who gave that ship life: the officers, sailors and support staff who stood watch, worked together, shared hardships, built friendships, all while serving away from their families.”

Mr Jones was 19 when Canberra I was lost.

He had finished his watch in the boiler room at midnight and was part of a fire party near the sickbay when the attack began.

In his 2022 interview, Mr Jones recalled seeing his mate Georgie struck by shrapnel and dragging him into the sickbay.

Canberra I was left without power and unable to fight. When attempts to restore steam failed, the order was given to abandon ship.

Mr Jones entered the water and swam to a Carley float, where he waited with other survivors.

Canberra I could not be saved and was later scuttled.

For decades afterwards, Mr Jones continued to share the story of his ship and the sailors who served alongside him.

His story would not be LEUT Merigan’s last connection to the Canberra name.

The following year, she was involved in the commissioning of USS Canberra in Sydney – the first US Navy warship to be commissioned in Australia.

The US Navy first adopted the Canberra name in honour of the Australian cruiser after the Battle of Savo Island, creating a connection between the two navies that continues today.

For LEUT Merigan, standing in Solomon Islands brought that history back to where it began.

“Four years later, to be standing in Solomon Islands, looking out towards the waters where everything Des had told me actually happened, was pretty surreal,” she said.

“I’d heard the story from him, I’d written about it and I’d been involved in the commissioning of USS Canberra, but being here made it feel much more real.”

CAPT Griffiths said the anniversary also highlighted the shared wartime history of Australia and Solomon Islands.

“The service of the Solomon Scouts, and the partnership they formed with the Australian Coastwatchers, remains one of the most remarkable examples of cooperation during the war,” CAPT Griffiths said.

“Their local knowledge, skill and commitment saved lives and contributed significantly to allied operations throughout the campaign.”

For the Australian personnel gathered in Honiara 84 years later, the commemoration provided an opportunity to reflect on the people behind that history.

“Commemorations like this remind us that behind every name recorded in history was an individual, someone with hopes, ambitions and loved ones left behind,” CAPT Griffiths said.

That connection now carries additional significance.

For decades, Mr Jones could describe Canberra I’s final night himself.

Now those memories survive through the interviews, photographs and stories recorded before his death.

For LEUT Merigan, returning to his story from Solomon Islands was a reminder of the responsibility that comes with recording the experiences of those who served before.

“When I wrote that first story, I was just focused on doing a good job and getting Des’s story right,” she said.

“I never imagined that four years later I’d be here, so close to where Canberra I was lost, and Des would no longer be with us.

“It’s made me appreciate how privileged we are in public affairs to sit down with people like Des and record their stories while we still can.

“Eventually those firsthand voices are gone, and what we capture becomes part of how they’re remembered.”

Eighty-four years after Canberra I was lost, her ship’s company can no longer tell their stories themselves.

Others now carry them forward.