A 4-inch gun from the USS Peary now stands as a memorial, pointing toward the site where the ship lies wrecked beneath Darwin Harbour. It honours the 91 crew members who lost their lives when the ship was sunk by Japanese forces during the bombing of Darwin on 19 February 1942 – the United States Navy’s greatest loss of life in Australian waters.

The wreck of the U.S.S. Peary is heritage-listed, along with several other World War II shipwrecks that remain as powerful reminders of the first Japanese air raid on Darwin and Australia. This attack was driven by Darwin’s strategic importance in the rapidly evolving geopolitical landscape of the Pacific and Southeast Asia between December 1941 and February 1942.

These wrecks serve not only as memorials to those who died defending Darwin but also as significant artefacts of Australia’s maritime history. They offer valuable insight into the types of vessels and defence equipment used during World War II, preserving the legacy of those who served.