01/12/2025
83 years ago, on 1 December 1942, HMAS Armidale was attacked and sunk by J*panese aircraft.
Of the 149 crew, only 49 survived the sinking and the harrowing days that followed.
Among those lost was Ordinary Seaman Edward “Teddy” Sheean, an 18-year-old from Latrobe, Tasmania, who had joined the Royal Australian Navy only a year and a half earlier.
During the attack, Teddy displayed extraordinary courage. After being hit twice while attempting to abandon ship, he turned back climbing to his Oerlikon gun, strapping himself in, and firing at the attacking aircraft to protect his shipmates. He continued firing as the Armidale slipped beneath the waves.
For his actions he was posthumously Mentioned in Dispatches. In 2020, his bravery was finally recognised with the awarding of the Victoria Cross, the first VC ever awarded to a member of the Royal Australian Navy.
As Ordinary Seaman Russel Caro recalled:
“During the attack a plane had been brought down and for this the credit went to Ordinary Seaman Teddy Sheean. Teddy died, but none of us who survived, I am sure, will ever forget his gallant deed … When the order ‘Abandon ship’ was given, he made for the side, only to be hit twice by the bullets of an attacking Zero. None of us will ever know what made him do it, but he went back to his gun, strapped himself in, and brought down a J*p plane, still firing as he disappeared beneath the waves.”
Today, Tasmania remembers one of its greatest sons.
Teddy Sheean VC a true Tasmanian hero, and a legend of the Royal Australian Navy.
Lest we forget
