Hi all Can anyone give me a bit more detail on his career? He was appointed commander of the Allied Naval Squadron, ANZAC Force. And was present at the Battle of the Coral Sea. Straight after that he was replaced and sent to the UK, where he ended the war as vice admiral, commanding the Chatham Dockyard. The extracts from Wikipedia entry for HMAS Australia, detailing the battle of the Coral Sea, says ”At 07:00 on 7 May, Rear Admiral John Gregory Crace, who was embarked aboard Australia as commander of Task Force 44, was ordered to take his ships (Australia, the cruisers Hobart and USS Chicago, and the destroyers USS Perkins, USS Walke and USS Farragut) to the Jomard Passage, and engage any Japanese ships found en route to Port Moresby, while several US carrier groups engaged a Japanese force headed for the Solomon Islands……… A few minutes later, the ships were attacked by another three heavy bombers, flying at a higher altitude to the first group; the bombing was much less accurate. It was later learned that the three aircraft belonged to the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF). Although USN Vice Admiral Herbert F. Leary made plans to train aircrews in naval vessel recognition in response, USAAF General George Brett refused to implement them or acknowledge that the friendly fire incident had happened…… With no new orders, Crace decided to relocate his ships during the night to a point 220 nautical miles (410 km; 250 mi) from Port Moresby, to better intercept a Japanese invasion force if it came through either the Jomard Passage or the China Strait. Instructions from the American commander of the operation were still not forthcoming, and Crace was forced to rely on intercepted radio messages to track the progress of the main battle. Australia and the rest of the task force remained in their assigned area until 01:00 on 10 May, when Crace ordered them to withdraw south to Cid Harbour on Whitsunday Island; the lack of reports and intelligence concerning either the Americans or Japanese led him to conclude that both forces had withdrawn, and there was no immediate threat to Port Moresby.” On 13 June, Crace was replaced by Rear Admiral Victor Crutchley as commander of Task Force 44 and the flag officer embarked aboard Australia. OK, so the questions I have are, why the sudden fall from grace, and a promotion to a backwater. Does him not being in touch with the US Fleet suggest incompetence on his part, or was he caught up in a political row between the USN and USAAF regarding friendly fire Regards Fatboy Coxy
Hello, His service file has been digitized at the NAA, all 5 pages of it. It does have all his postings and ships. View digital copy NAA is a great place to make further enquiries. | The Australian War Memorial As is the AWM. Regards, Dave
As two years seems to have been a typical term to serve as Commodore/Rear Admiral Commanding the Australian Squadron, I suspect that this may have been a matter of routine and not a fall from grace. Crace had served longer in post than the norm, perhaps because his predecessor, Custance, had relinquished the post early due to ill health. Vice Admiral Richard Hayden Owen Lane-Poole | Royal Australian Navy Rear Admiral Wilfred Neville Custance | Royal Australian Navy Admiral Sir John Gregory Crace | Royal Australian Navy Admiral Sir Victor Alexander Charles Crutchley Vice Admiral Sir John Augustine Collins | Royal Australian Navy Rear Admiral Harold Bruce Farncomb | Royal Australian Navy TNA have some of Crace's records available online with partly obscured previews. AWM also have the RAN official history online in which Crace receives several mentions.
