Jervis Bay

Jervis Bay , territory (2001 pop. 611), 29 sq mi (75.5 sq km), SE Australia, bordering Jervis Bay, a sheltered inlet of the Pacific Ocean, 10 mi (16.1 km) long and 6 mi (9.7 km) wide. In 1915 the harbor and part of the coast were transferred to the federal government by New South Wales. Jervis Bay, connected by rail with Canberra, 85 mi (137 km) inland, was intended to become the port of the landlocked Australian Capital Territory. When the territory gained self-government in 1988, Jervis Bay was separated and remained a territory under the administration of the federal government. The area around the bay is a popular summer resort.

Jervis Bay, British 14,000-ton armed merchant cruiser sunk by the German pocket-battleship Admiral Scheer on 5 November 1940 (see Map 42) during the first phase of the battle of the Atlantic. The German warship attacked one of the westbound Atlantic convoys, HX84, which Jervis Bay was escorting. The encounter lasted only 22 minutes but the British ship's resistance allowed all but five of the convoy to escape. See also sea power.