Museum marks 75 years since battle for Australia

THE current exhibition in the Carnegie Gallery at the Maritime Museum of Tasmania — The Turning Tide: Australia’s War at Sea in 1942 — is well worth a visit in the school holidays.

The exhibition documents the war in the Pacific in 1942 and also examines the contribution of Tasmanians to the war effort.

A feature of the exhibition are large models of American and Japanese aircraft carriers, complete with planes.

It also explains the origin of the Australian-American Association. Japan had launched a ruthless attack on Pearl Harbor to knock out the US Pacific Fleet on December 7, 1941. The aim was to conquer all of southeast Asia, China and the Pacific islands but Australia needed to be dealt with first.

Darwin was bombed on February 19, 1942, as was the town of Broome, Western Australia, on March 3.

Next, the US and Australia joined forces in the Coral Sea, east of Cairns, to take on the Japanese invasion fleet.

The Battle of the Coral Sea from May 4-8, 1942, changed the course of history and forged a strong and enduring friendship between Australia and America.

The exhibition is well-timed as it features HMAS Hobart, one of the ships that was instrumental in bringing about the withdrawal of the Japanese ships at the Coral Sea battle.

The third ship to be named HMAS Hobart was commissioned in Sydney on Saturday.

The Maritime Museum is open daily from 9am-5pm. The exhibition runs until November 5. www.maritimetas.org