Captain Emile Frank Verlaine Dechaineux DSC MiD U.S. Legion of Merit
 Emile
Frank Verlaine Dechaineux was born in Launceston, Tasmania, to a
Belgian-born father, Florent Dechaineux, and an Australian
mother. He entered the Royal Australian Naval College,
Jervis Bay at the age of 14, graduated three years later,
and was promoted to midshipman in 1920. In the first half of
the 20th century, the RAN worked very closely with the
British Royal Navy (RN), frequently exchanging personnel. Dechaineux spent much of the 1920s training with the RN as a
torpedo officer and naval air observer.
In September 1932 Dechaineux achieved the rank of Lieutenant
Commander. In 1935 he was appointed Squadron Torpedo
Officer, on board HMAS Canberra. The following year he
married Mary Harbottle. In 1937, Dechaineux returned to the
UK to attend the Royal Naval College and in June he was
promoted to Commander.
At the outbreak of World War II, Dechaineux was attached to
the RN Tactical and Minesweeping divisions until April 1940. Then, as the commander of the destroyer HMS
Vivacious, he
made five trips to assist Operation Dynamo, the evacuation
of Dunkirk.
On 26 May the ship was allocated to Dynamo. At first,
deployed from Dover, on 27 May the ship patrolled the
beaches off Dunkirk, providing general anti-aircraft cover
and protecting against fast E-boat attacks while scores of
vessels crossed the mercifully semi-calm Channel in
evacuation. The pleasure steamer Mona’s Isle, for example,
now fitted out as an armed boarding vessel, was amongst the
many. But her machineguns were no match for the attacking
aircraft and occasional ship of the enemy: she was bombed as
she reached the open sea outside Britain, and 40 on board
were killed. This was the new and dangerous world of
Dechaineux in action for the first time.
The next day the destroyer made two trips from Dunkirk to
Dover, bringing out 326 men in the first trip and 359 in the
second; one can only imagine the crowding of every interior
space and her weather deck by so many men. Two days later
another 537 men were safely landed in the British port. On
31 May the vessel came under fire from shore batteries off
Bray and sustained 15 casualties. Dechaineux received a
minor wound to his forehead and a piece of shrapnel tore the
back of his trousers. In a letter to his wife he remarked
...
... "I
am very grateful that the ship was heading away from the
gunfire, rather than towards it!”
On 1 June another 427 men
were brought back to Dover.
On 3 June the destroyer was directed to take part in
Operation OK, which sank blockships, to provide a temporary
wharfage point, in Dunkirk Harbour. Vivacious safely brought
the crews of these ships back across the Channel. Altogether
the destroyer brought out a total of 1,649 passengers from
Dunkirk during five voyages. The evacuation lasted nine
days, and safely brought hundreds of thousands of men back
to Britain. Four years later, many would return for the
D-Day landings. Dechaineux had proved his worth during his
baptism of fire, not only by commanding the ship through
battle, but also through the effective leadership of his
men. He was destined for greater things.
HMS Eglinton
On 25 September 1940 he was given command of the brand new
Hunt-class escort destroyer, HMS Eglington.
After working up to satisfactory operational capability in
Scapa Flow – the ship was assigned to the demanding and
dangerous task of escorting convoys on the East Coast of
Britain where they were liable to attack from aircraft,
submarines and surface ships, including the feared German
fast gun- and Torpedo-armed Schnellboote,
designated by the British as 'E-boats', and the danger of
mines. Not just merchant ships were at risk: her
sister ship was sunk by a U-boat torpedo, but Eglinton
had marked success in protecting convoys against the E-boat
attacked during Dechaineux's more than a year in command.
In 1941, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross ...
... for outstanding
zeal and devotion to duty.
Dechaineux returned to Australia later in 1941, as Director
of Operations at the Navy Office in Melbourne. In June 1943,
following the outbreak of war with Japan, he was given
command of the tactical (destroyer) component of RAN-US Navy
Task Force 74. From his immediate command, HMAS Warramunga,
Dechaineux commanded operations in waters around Australia
and New Guinea, including support for amphibious landings,
such as those in the Admiralty Islands. He was promoted to
Captain on 31 December 1943.
Dechaineux (second right) on
the bridge of HMAS Australia in September 1944.
On 9 March 1944, Dechaineux was given command of the heavy
cruiser HMAS Australia, the flagship of both the
 RAN and
Task Force 74, under the overall force commander Commodore
John Collins. The Australia supported Allied landings at
Hollandia in Dutch New Guinea and on the islands of Biak,
Noemfoor and Morotai.
On 21 October 1944, HMAS Australia was supporting the
landings in Leyte Gulf. Off Leyte Island, gunners from
Australia and HMAS Shropshire fired at and hit a Japanese
aircraft. Initially, the plane flew away from the ships, but
it subsequently turned and dived into Australia. The plane
struck the superstructure of the Australia above the bridge. Although the 200kg (440 pound) bomb carried by the plane
failed to explode, burning fuel and debris were spewed over
a large area. Dechaineux was disembowelled by shrapnel and
died a few hours later. He was buried at sea that night. Another 30 crew members died as a result of the attack;
among the wounded was Commodore Collins.
The Western Australian (Perth, W.A.) 23-1-1948
An Officer of the Legion Of Merit - A Posthumous
Award.
Captain of HMAS Australia
HOBART, January 22, 1948
Mrs. Mary Dechaineux, of Hobart, today received from Captain
L. R. Chambers, acting for Rear-Admiral C. E. van Hook,
Commander of the U.S. Naval Forces in Australia, the Legion
of Merit, Degree of Officer, awarded to her husband, the
late Captain Emile Frank V. Dechaineux, DSC, who was
'fatally wounded' during the American invasion of the
Philippines. The presentation took place aboard the
U.S.S. Birmingham, which is at present in Hobart. The
citation read ...
... "For exceptionally - meritorious conduct in the performance
of outstanding services to the Government of the United
States as commanding officer of H.M.A.S. Australia from
March 9, 1944, until his death in action with the enemy. Directing his command with superb seamanship and great
professional skill, Captain Dechianeux participated in vital
and hazardous operations during this period of intensive
hostilities against enemy Japanese forces, fighting his ship
valiantly in support of our landing in the Philippines
despite - severe opposition, until the Australia was
subjected to a hostile suicide dive bombing attack in which
he sustained wounds which later proved fatal. His splendid
devotion to duty reflects the highest credit upon Captain
Dechaineux and the Royal Australian Navy. He gallantly gave
his life in the service of his country."
No award for Dechaineux was proposed by the Australian Naval
Board.
In 1990 the Australian government announced that a new
Collins-class submarine would be named HMAS Dechaineux in
his memory. It was launched in 1998 in the presence of
Dechaineux's widow, Mary Purbrick, and his son, former RAN
Commodore Peter Dechaineux.
HMAS Dechaineux,
diesel-electric guided missile submarine.
Sources:
Wikipedia
Australians at Rest in the U.K. - WWII
Bravo Zulu Vol 1 - Ian Pfennigwerth
Australian War Memorial
The West Australian
Compiled by Laurie Pegler
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