#22598 Petty Officer, H.M.A.S. Vampire RAN
Died in the Bay of Bengal
"At 10:35am on 9 April, off Batticaloa, Ceylon, enemy aircraft were sighted from Hermes on the starboard quarter diving out of the sun at about 10,000 feet. Hermes opened fire with every gun that would bear (she was carrying no aircraft) but in the face of the skillful and relentless Japanese dive bomber attack she was helpless. The end came suddenly twenty minutes later and she went down with one 4-inch gun still firing.
Immediately the carrier vanished the dive bombers turned their attention to Vampire. Attacked by at least 15 enemy aircraft the destroyer fought back shooting down one of the Japanese aircraft, and damaging others, before she was hit by several bombs and broke in half; sinking in less than ten minutes. Nineteen officers and 288 ratings in Hermes were killed and in Vampire Commander Moran and eight ratings were killed or died of wounds. Some 600 men were rescued by the hospital ship Vita, others were picked up by local fishing vessels and a few men were even able to swim ashore." - https://www.navy.gov.au/hmas-vampire-i
Son of Louis and Nathalian Wilamena Gyss; husband of Doris May Gyss, of Royal Park, South Australia.
Died in the Bay of Bengal
"At 10:35am on 9 April, off Batticaloa, Ceylon, enemy aircraft were sighted from Hermes on the starboard quarter diving out of the sun at about 10,000 feet. Hermes opened fire with every gun that would bear (she was carrying no aircraft) but in the face of the skillful and relentless Japanese dive bomber attack she was helpless. The end came suddenly twenty minutes later and she went down with one 4-inch gun still firing.
Immediately the carrier vanished the dive bombers turned their attention to Vampire. Attacked by at least 15 enemy aircraft the destroyer fought back shooting down one of the Japanese aircraft, and damaging others, before she was hit by several bombs and broke in half; sinking in less than ten minutes. Nineteen officers and 288 ratings in Hermes were killed and in Vampire Commander Moran and eight ratings were killed or died of wounds. Some 600 men were rescued by the hospital ship Vita, others were picked up by local fishing vessels and a few men were even able to swim ashore." - https://www.navy.gov.au/hmas-vampire-i
Son of Louis and Nathalian Wilamena Gyss; husband of Doris May Gyss, of Royal Park, South Australia.
#22598 Petty Officer, H.M.A.S. Vampire RAN
Died in the Bay of Bengal
"At 10:35am on 9 April, off Batticaloa, Ceylon, enemy aircraft were sighted from Hermes on the starboard quarter diving out of the sun at about 10,000 feet. Hermes opened fire with every gun that would bear (she was carrying no aircraft) but in the face of the skillful and relentless Japanese dive bomber attack she was helpless. The end came suddenly twenty minutes later and she went down with one 4-inch gun still firing.
Immediately the carrier vanished the dive bombers turned their attention to Vampire. Attacked by at least 15 enemy aircraft the destroyer fought back shooting down one of the Japanese aircraft, and damaging others, before she was hit by several bombs and broke in half; sinking in less than ten minutes. Nineteen officers and 288 ratings in Hermes were killed and in Vampire Commander Moran and eight ratings were killed or died of wounds. Some 600 men were rescued by the hospital ship Vita, others were picked up by local fishing vessels and a few men were even able to swim ashore." - https://www.navy.gov.au/hmas-vampire-i
Son of Louis and Nathalian Wilamena Gyss; husband of Doris May Gyss, of Royal Park, South Australia.
Died in the Bay of Bengal
"At 10:35am on 9 April, off Batticaloa, Ceylon, enemy aircraft were sighted from Hermes on the starboard quarter diving out of the sun at about 10,000 feet. Hermes opened fire with every gun that would bear (she was carrying no aircraft) but in the face of the skillful and relentless Japanese dive bomber attack she was helpless. The end came suddenly twenty minutes later and she went down with one 4-inch gun still firing.
Immediately the carrier vanished the dive bombers turned their attention to Vampire. Attacked by at least 15 enemy aircraft the destroyer fought back shooting down one of the Japanese aircraft, and damaging others, before she was hit by several bombs and broke in half; sinking in less than ten minutes. Nineteen officers and 288 ratings in Hermes were killed and in Vampire Commander Moran and eight ratings were killed or died of wounds. Some 600 men were rescued by the hospital ship Vita, others were picked up by local fishing vessels and a few men were even able to swim ashore." - https://www.navy.gov.au/hmas-vampire-i
Son of Louis and Nathalian Wilamena Gyss; husband of Doris May Gyss, of Royal Park, South Australia.
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