MV Duntroon

Last updated

StateLibQld 1 142755 Duntroon (ship).jpg
Duntroon
History
NameDuntroon
OwnerMelbourne Steamship Company
Port of registry Melbourne
Builder Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson, Walker
Yard number1460
Launched4 April 1935
CompletedAugust 1935
In service1935
Out of service1942
Identification
FateRequisitioned by Army
History
Flag of Australia (converted).svgAustralia
In service1942
Out of service1949
FateReturned to civilian service
Notes
  • Army control 1942–46
  • Chartered by RAN 1946–49
History
Name
  • Duntroon (Melbourne Steamship Company)
  • Tong Hoo (Kie Hock Shipping Co.)
  • Lydia (Africa Shipping Co.)
In service
  • 1950–60 (Melbourne Steamship Company)
  • 1961–66 (Kie Hock Shipping Co.)
  • 1966–67 (Africa Shipping Co.)
FateScrapped 1968
General characteristics
Type passenger ship
Tonnage10,346  GRT, 6,137  NRT
Length455.0 ft (138.7 m)
Beam65.2 ft (19.9 m)
Depth30.2 ft (9.2 m)
Installed power1,288 NHP
Propulsion
  • 2 × 6-cylinder diesel engines
  • 2 × screws
Capacity373 passengers
Sensors and
processing systems

MV Duntroon was a passenger motor ship built for the Melbourne Steamship Company, that saw military service as a troopship between 1942 and 1949. She was built by Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson, Walker, Newcastle upon Tyne, and entered service in 1939.

Contents

At the start of World War II, Duntroon was requisitioned for conversion into an armed merchant cruiser, but was returned as unsuitable. In November 1940, Duntroon collided with and sank the auxiliary minesweeper HMAS Goorangai; the RAN's first loss of the war. In February 1942, Duntroon was requisitioned by the Australian Army for use as a troopship. The ship was involved in a second fatal collision in November 1943, sinking the destroyer USS Perkins. Her army service continued until 1946, when she was chartered by the RAN for transport duties with the British Commonwealth Occupation Force.

Duntroon was returned to her civilian owners in 1950. In 1961, the ship was sold to Kie Hock Shipping Co. and renamed Tong Hoo. She was sold again in 1966 to Africa Shipping Co. and renamed Lydia. The ship was laid up in Singapore in 1967, and sailed to Taiwan for scrapping in 1968.

Building

Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson built the ship at Wallsend in 1935 for the Melbourne Steamship Company of Australia. [1] She was launched on 4 April 1935 and completed in August. [2] She was designed for the East – West Australian coastal passenger service, from Melbourne to Adelaide and Fremantle. [3]

Duntroon had twin screws. Each was driven by a six-cylinder, two-stroke, double-acting diesel engine. The combined power output of the two engines was 1,288 nominal horsepower. [4]

Operational history

Melbourne Steamship Company

Duntroon operated as a passenger transport until the start of World War II, when she was requisitioned for conversion into an armed merchant cruiser on 12 October 1939. [5] [6] The ship was found to be unsuitable for the role, and was returned to her owners on 3 November. [5] [6]

On the evening of 20 November 1940, Duntroon departed from Melbourne to begin a voyage to Port Adelaide and Fremantle. [3] [7] At 20:37, while attempting to exit Port Phillip Bay, Duntroon collided with the blacked-out auxiliary minesweeper HMAS Goorangai, which was sailing to Portsea to anchor for the night. [7] The smaller ship was cut in two, and all 24 aboard were killed: the first RAN losses of World War II. [7] Duntroon attempted to recover survivors, but was only successful in finding six bodies. [7] The ship returned to Melbourne for bow repairs, which were completed on 18 December. Duntroon's captain was later exonerated of any blame for the accident. [3]

During late December 1941 and early January 1942, Duntroon was used to relocate captured officers from the German auxiliary cruiser Kormoran from Fremantle to Murchison, Victoria. [8]

Military service

In February 1942, Duntroon was requisitioned by the Australian Army. [5] Duntroon was one of two Australian transports, the other being Katoomba, that were substituted for SS Mariposa to transport a U.S. Army fighter group's ground troops and equipment to India. The troops and crated P-40 pursuit aircraft had arrived in a convoy from San Francisco escorted by USS Phoenix, with Mariposa and the United States Army Transport Willard A. Holbrook intended to continue on to India; however, Mariposa was withdrawn and the Australian transports substituted. Phoenix, with Duntroon, Katoomba, and Holbrook, departed Melbourne on 12 February as convoy MS.5 bound for Colombo, Ceylon by way of Fremantle. There, USS Langley and Sea Witch joined with a cargo of aircraft for Java, and the convoy departed Fremantle on 22 February. Langley and Sea Witch left the convoy to proceed independently to Java on 23 February, while the remaining ships continued under Phoenix's escort until that cruiser was relieved by HMS Enterprise on 28 February, about 300 miles west of Cocos Island. The convoy arrived at Colombo on 5 March. [9]

Duntroon transported elements of the Second Australian Imperial Force such as the 2/16th Battalion and others from the Middle East and some Asian theatres of war back to Australia [10] [11] [12] [13] before commencing operations in the South West Pacific and Far East. This included strategic transportation of battalion-strength bodies of troops (such as the 57th/60th Battalion), [14] equipment and supplies from Australia to the South West Pacific theatre of war, and movement of troops around the islands of that region. [15]

Duntroon was involved in a second collision in November 1943, this time with United States Navy destroyer USS Perkins. The destroyer was sailing from Milne Bay to Buna when she was rammed portside amidships and cut in two by Duntroon just before 02:00 on 29 November, 2 nautical miles (3.7 km; 2.3 mi) from Ipoteto Island (S9.6301, E150.0219). [16] Nine Americans were killed, and one injured. [5] A court of inquiry, held in San Francisco the following month, later held the captain of Perkins accountable for the incident, along with his executive officer and officer-of-the-deck. [5]

After being repaired, Duntroon returned to service, and between 24 and 28 December 1944, she transported the 58th/59th Battalion from Julago, Queensland to Torokina, Bougainville. [17]

After the war's end, in 1946, Duntroon was used to transport prisoner of war reception units (medical teams, etc.) to Singapore to safely collect and recuperate former prisoners of war before repatriating the prisoners back to Australia. [18]

Throughout her wartime career she transported over 170,000 troops. [5] The ship left Army service in April 1946, but was chartered by the RAN three months later. [19] While in RAN service, Duntroon was used to transport personnel of the British Commonwealth Occupation Force between Japan and Australia until late 1948. [19] [20]

Return to civilian service

Duntroon was returned to her owners in 1946, and resumed coastal passenger and cruising services in January, 1947, sailing from Sydney to Fremantle via Melbourne and Adelaide. One of her engines broke down off Cape Leeuwin WA during this voyage slowing her down to 6 knots. On 23 October 1950, she was damaged by fire while berthed in the Yarra River. [19] In 1960, Duntroon was sold to the Grosvenor Shipping Co. and was towed to Hong Kong by the tug Ajax. The ship's bell was removed; this was later installed on the parade ground of the Royal Military College Duntroon, in Canberra. [21] She was resold to Kie Hock Shipping Co. in 1961 and was renamed Tong Hoo and used on the Hong Kong–Indonesia passenger service. [5] Tong Hoo was sold in 1966 to the Africa Shipping Co., renamed Lydia and used for the India – Pakistan – East Africa route.[ citation needed ]

Fate

In 1967 she was laid up at Singapore.[ citation needed ] On 22 September 1968 she arrived at Kaohsiung, Taiwan to be scrapped. [2]

Related Research Articles

USS <i>Phoenix</i> (CL-46) 1938 Brooklyn-class light cruiser of the US Navy

USS Phoenix (CL-46), was a light cruiser of the Brooklyn-class cruiser family. She was the third Phoenix of the United States Navy. After World War II the ship was transferred to Argentina in 1951 and was named General Belgrano in 1956. General Belgrano was sunk during the Falklands War in 1982 by the British submarine HMS Conqueror

HMS <i>Cheshire</i> UK passenger liner, armed merchant cruiser, and troopship

HMS Cheshire was a passenger ship that was built in Scotland in 1927 and scrapped in Wales in 1957. She belonged to Bibby Line, which ran passenger and cargo services between Rangoon in Burma and various ports in Great Britain, via the Suez Canal and Gibraltar. The Admiralty requisitioned her in 1939 and had her converted into an armed merchant cruiser (AMC). She was converted into a troopship in 1943, and returned to civilian service in 1948.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Troopship</span> Ship used to carry soldiers

A troopship is a ship used to carry soldiers, either in peacetime or wartime. Troopships were often drafted from commercial shipping fleets, and were unable to land troops directly on shore, typically loading and unloading at a seaport or onto smaller vessels, either tenders or barges.

HMAS <i>Kanimbla</i> (C78)

HMAS Kanimbla was a passenger ship converted for use as an armed merchant cruiser and landing ship infantry during World War II. Built during the mid-1930s as the passenger liner MV Kanimbla for McIlwraith, McEacharn & Co, the ship operated in Australian waters until 1939, when she was requisitioned for military service, converted into an armed merchant cruiser, and commissioned in the Royal Navy as HMS Kanimbla.

HMAS <i>Manoora</i> (F48)

HMAS Manoora was an ocean liner that served in the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) during World War II. She was built in Scotland in 1935 for the Cairns to Fremantle coastal passenger run for the Adelaide Steamship Company. She was requisitioned by the RAN for naval service in 1939. Manoora was initially converted into an armed merchant cruiser (AMC), operating primarily in Australian, New Guinea, and Pacific waters, with deployments to Singapore and the Bay of Bengal.

HMAS <i>Westralia</i> (F95)

HMAS Westralia (F95/C61) was an auxiliary cruiser of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Built by Scottish shipbuilder Harland and Wolff and completed in 1929, Westralia was operated by the Huddart Parker company until 1939, when she was requisitioned for service with the RAN as an Armed Merchant Cruiser (AMC). Fitted with guns and commissioned in early 1940, Westralia was initially used to escort convoys in the Pacific and Indian oceans. In November 1940, the largest mutiny in RAN history occurred aboard the ship, with 104 men charged.

SS <i>Zealandia</i> (1910) Australian cargo and passenger steamship sunk in the bombing of Darwin

SS Zealandia, nicknamed "Z", was an Australian cargo and passenger steamship. She served as a troopship in both World War I and World War II. Zealandia transported the Australian 8th Division. Her crew were the last Allied personnel to see HMAS Sydney, which was lost with all hands in 1941. Zealandia was sunk in the air raids on Darwin of 19 February 1942.

SS <i>Mariposa</i> (1931) 1931 passenger liner

SS Mariposa was an ocean liner launched in 1931, one of four ships in the Matson Lines "White Fleet", which included SS Monterey, SS Malolo, and SS Lurline. She was later renamed SS Homeric.

HMAS <i>Berrima</i> Passenger liner (1913–1930)

HMAS Berrima was a passenger liner which served in the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) during World War I as an armed merchantman and troop transport. Launched in 1913 as the P&O liner SS Berrima, the ship initially carried immigrants from the United Kingdom to Australia via Cape Town. In August 1914, Berrima was requisitioned for military use, refitted and armed, and commissioned into the RAN as an auxiliary cruiser. The ship transported two battalions of the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force to the German New Guinea colonies in September.

RMS <i>Empress of Asia</i> Canadian ocean liner

RMS Empress of Asia was an ocean liner built in 1912–1913 by Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering at Govan on the Clyde in Scotland for Canadian Pacific Steamships.

USS <i>Hugh L. Scott</i> US Passenger and Cargo Liner & Naval troopship

USS Hugh L. Scott (AP-43) was a Hugh L. Scott-class transport ship. She was built in 1921 and spent 20 years in merchant service as a passenger and cargo liner. In July 1941 the ship was delivered to the United States Department of War for Army service as the United States Army Transport Hugh L. Scott operating in the Pacific. In August 1942 the ship was transferred to the United States Navy for conversion to an attack transport, served as a troopship in Operation Torch in November 1942, and was sunk by a U-boat four days later. 59 crewmen and soldiers died during the sinking.

SS <i>Monterey</i> 1931 ocean liner

SS Monterey was a luxury ocean liner launched on 10 October 1931. The ship was completed April 1932 and is shown in registers as a 1932 ship. Monterey was the third of the four ships of the Matson Lines "White Fleet", which were designed by William Francis Gibbs and also included SS Malolo, SS Mariposa and SS Lurline. Monterey was identical to Mariposa and very similar to Lurline. During World War II Monterey was used as a troopship operated by Matson as agents of the War Shipping Administration (WSA). Monterey was a large, fast transport capable of sailing independently and was allocated to serving Army troop transport requirements. The ship was involved in an attack on a convoy near Cape Bougaroun.

USS <i>President Monroe</i>

USS President Monroe (AP-104) was a President Jackson-class attack transport. that served with the US Navy during World War II. She was named after Founding Father and the fifth U.S. president, James Monroe.

USS <i>Henry R. Mallory</i> American transport for the United States Navy

USS Henry R. Mallory (ID-1280) was a transport for the United States Navy during World War I. She was also sometimes referred to as USS H. R. Mallory or as USS Mallory. Before her Navy service she was USAT Henry R. Mallory as a United States Army transport ship. From her 1916 launch, and after her World War I military service, she was known as SS Henry R. Mallory for the Mallory Lines. Pressed into service as a troopship in World War II by the War Shipping Administration, she was torpedoed by the German submarine U-402 in the North Atlantic Ocean and sank with the loss of 272 men—over half of those on board.

HMAS <i>Goorangai</i> Auxiliary minesweeper of the Royal Australian Navy

HMAS Goorangai was a 223-ton auxiliary minesweeper of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). She was built in 1919 for the Government of New South Wales, then sold in 1926 to the fishing company Cam & Sons. The trawler was requisitioned for military service following the outbreak of World War II, converted into a minesweeper, and assigned to Melbourne. She was sunk in an accidental collision with MV Duntroon in 1940, becoming the RAN's first loss of World War II, and the first RAN surface ship to be lost in wartime.

MS <i>Sea Witch</i>

MS Sea Witch was a United States Maritime Commission type C2 cargo ship, the first of four pre-war hulls, built by Tampa Shipbuilding & Engineering Company, Tampa, Florida and delivered in July 1940. The ship was of the basic C2 design, rather than the more numerous C2-S, C2-S-A1, C2-S-B1 types and four C2-T hulls delivered December 1941 through March 1942. Sea Witch was one of the relatively few C2 types built with diesel engines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Pamphlet</span> 1943 World War II convoy operation

Operation Pamphlet, also called Convoy Pamphlet, was a World War II convoy operation conducted during January and February 1943 to transport the 9th Australian Division home from Egypt. The convoy involved five transports, which were protected from Japanese warships by several Allied naval task forces during the trip across the Indian Ocean and along the Australian coast. The division embarked in late January 1943 and the convoy operation began on 4 February. No contact was made between Allied and Japanese ships, and the division arrived in Australian ports during late February with no losses from enemy action.

SS <i>President Taft</i> American ship

SS President Taft was launched as one of the "state" ships, Buckeye State, completed by the United States Shipping Board as cargo passenger ships after originally being laid down as troop transports. Buckeye State had been laid down as Bertrice but was converted and renamed before launching. Originally assigned to the Matson Navigation Company as the Shipping Board's agent, the ship was later renamed President Taft and assigned to Pacific Mail Steamship Company for operation. In 1925 the Shipping Board sold the ship to Dollar Steamship Company. President Taft was operated by Dollar and then its successor American President Lines until requisitioned by the War Department on 17 June 1941.

SS <i>Katoomba</i> Australian interstate passenger liner and troop ship

SS Katoomba was a passenger steamship that was built in Ireland 1913, spent most of her career in Australian ownership and was scrapped in Japan in 1959. McIlwraith, McEacharn & Co owned her for more than three decades, including two periods when she was a troopship. In 1946 the Goulandris brothers bought her for their Greek Line and registered her in Panama. In 1949 she was renamed Columbia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naval Base Melbourne</span> Former United States Navy Base

Naval Base Melbourne was a United States Navy base at Melbourne during World War II. Naval Base Melbourne became the South West Pacific Area Command Headquarters after the 1941 invasion of the Philippines. General Douglas MacArthur, after escaping the Philippines, set up his Headquarters after his arrival on 21 March 1942. MacArthur was appointed Supreme Commander of all Allied Forces in the South West Pacific Area. The US Navy also set up a Headquarters a Melbourne, Allied Naval Forces Southwest Pacific Area under Commander Vice Admiral Herbert F. Leary. MacArthur and Leary used the empty Trustees Executive building at 401 Collins Street, Melbourne for headquarters. The Port of Melbourne had good fleet anchorage and docks. A new naval base was built at Brisbane, Australia, Naval Base Brisbane, and the Headquarters was moved to Brisbane in July 1942.

References

  1. ↑ Kludas, Arnold. Great Passenger Ships of the World. Vol. 3. p. [ page needed ]. OCLC   741730989.
  2. 1 2 "Duntroon". Tyne Built Ships. Shipping and Shipbuilding Research Trust. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 Plowman, Peter (2007). Coast to Coast: The Great Australian Coastal Liners. Dural, NSW: Rosenberg Publishing. pp. 124–126. ISBN   978-1-877058-60-8.
  4. ↑ "Steamers & Motorships". Lloyd's Register of Shipping (PDF). Vol. II. London: Lloyd's Register of Shipping. 1936. Retrieved 3 April 2021– via Southampton City Council.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Howarth, Ross (May 1999). "Motor Vessel Duntroon" (PDF). The Duntroon Society (1/1999): 1–2. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 November 2013. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
  6. 1 2 Straczek, J.H. (1996). Royal Australian Navy: A-Z Ships, Aircraft and Shore Establishments. Sydney: Navy Public Affairs. p. 60. ISBN   1876043784.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Goorangai" (PDF). Occasional Papers of the Royal Australian Naval Professional Studies Program. 1 (1). Royal Australian Navy. November 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 February 2012. Retrieved 26 March 2010.
  8. ↑ Olson, Wesley (2000). Bitter Victory: The Death of HMAS Sydney. Nedlands, WA: University of Western Australia Press. p. 111. ISBN   1-876268-49-2. OCLC   45722719.
  9. ↑ Gill, G. Hermon (1957). Royal Australian Navy 1939–1942. Australia in the War of 1939–1945. Series 2 – Navy. Vol. 1. Canberra: Australian War Memorial. pp. 601–602. LCCN   58037940.
  10. ↑ Kenny, Peter Francis (2015). We who proudly served. Xlibris Corporation. pp. (Entry MacDonald, A.B. born 1898.). ISBN   9781503505841.
  11. ↑ "H.M. Transport, Duntroon, at sea 1942-05-20 Captain Lloyd, Master of the Duntroon and Lieutenant Colonel A.B. MacDonald Officer Commanding troops on board". Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  12. ↑ "Adelaide, Australia. 1942-05-22 Scene at Adelaide at the disembarkation from HMT Duntroon of A.I.F troops returning from the Middle East". Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  13. ↑ "On board HM Transport Duntroon, at sea. 1942-04-07. Physical exercises for nursing sisters of 2/1st Australian General Hospital on the deck of the troopship conveying them from Bombay home to Australia after service in the Middle East". Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  14. ↑ Corfield, Robin (1991). Hold hard, cobbers: the story of the 57th and 60th and 57/60th Australian Infantry Battalions 1912-1990. Glenhuntly: 57/60th Battalion (AIF) Association. p. 67. ISBN   0646040979. OCLC   26582026.
  15. ↑ Mallett, Ross A (2007). Australian Army Logistics 1943-1945. Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Thesis). University of New South Wales, Australian Defence Force Academy. p. 117. doi:10.26190/unsworks/18050. hdl:1959.4/38708.
  16. ↑ "Perkins". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Naval Historical Center (United States Navy). Archived from the original on 6 May 2013. Retrieved 26 March 2010.
  17. ↑ Mathews, Russell (1961). Militia Battalion at War: The History of the 58/59th Australian Infantry Battalion in the Second World War. Sydney: 58/59th Battalion Association. p. [ page needed ]. OCLC   222036875.
  18. ↑ "Singapore. 1945-09-18. Members of the 8th Division, ex-POWs of the Japanese, going aboard the Australian vessel MV Duntroon, for their journey home to Australia". Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  19. 1 2 3 Plowman, Peter (2007). Coast to Coast: The Great Australian Coastal Liners. Dural, NSW: Rosenberg Publishing. pp. 149–152. ISBN   978-1-877058-60-8.
  20. ↑ "Kure, Japan. 1946-04-09. Troops disembarking from MV Duntroon". Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  21. ↑ Coulthard-Clark, Chris (1986). Duntroon: The Royal Military College of Australia, 1911–1986. Sydney: Allen & Unwin. p. 240. ISBN   978-0-86861-883-8. OCLC   15053240.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.