Misplaced Pages

History
Australia
Name	Westralia
Owner	Huddart Parker (1897–1927) WR Carpenter (1927–42)
Builder	Sir J Laing & Sons, Sunderland
Yard number	553
Launched	23 September 1896
Completed	January 1897
Identification	UK official number 106415
Fate	Sunk in air raids on Rabaul, 20 January 1942
General characteristics
Tonnage	2,884 GRT, 1 819 NRT
Length	327 ft (100 m)
Beam	41 ft (12 m)
Draught	20 ft (6.1 m)
Installed power	412 NHP
Propulsion	triple expansion steam engine, single screw
Speed	14 knots (26 km/h)

SS Westralia was a 2,884 GRT cargo and passenger ship. She served as a troopship in the First World War and was later converted into a hulk. She was sunk in the air raids on Rabaul on 20 January 1942.

Sir J Laing & Sons, Sunderland, built her in 1897 for the Melbourne-based Huddart Parker line. She worked along the Australian coast and the trans-Tasman route.

In 1917, she was used a troopship, transporting the New Zealand 27th and 28th Main Regiment. She then resumed commercial service with Huddart Parker.

W. R. Carpenter and Company of Sydney bought her in 1927, had her engines removed and towed her to Rabaul for use as coal hulk, arriving in 1929. In the Rabaul air raids on 20 January 1942 she was bombed and sunk in Simpson Harbour.

Citiations

1. "New Zealand Transport Ships". Retrieved 29 March 2010.
2. Gamble 2006, p. 76.

References

• Gamble, Bruce (2006). Darkest Hour: The True Story of Lark Force at Rabaul: Australia's Worst Military Disaster of World War II. St Paul, MN: Zenith Press. ISBN 0-7603-2349-6.

v t e Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in January 1942
Shipwrecks	1 Jan: Malama 2 Jan: Mercedes, Ruth Alexander 3 Jan: USS Iona 8 Jan: Tornator 9 Jan: HMS Vimiera 11 Jan: USAT Liberty 12 Jan: Cyclops, HNLMS Prins van Oranje, U-374 14 Jan: Chepo 15 Jan: Empire Bay, U-93, U-577 17 Jan: HMS Gurkha, I-60, HMS Matabele 18 Jan: Bantam, Hai-Kan No. 6 19 Jan: Lady Hawkins 20 Jan: Eidsvold, I-124, Banshu Maru No. 52, USS S-36, Westralia 23 Jan: Navemar, USS Neches 24 Jan: Empire Wildebeeste, Nana Maru, USS S-26 25 Jan: Z8 Bruno Heinemann 26 Jan: Refast, HMAS Sirocco 27 Jan: Harpa, I-73, HMS Thanet 30 Jan: USCGC Alexander Hamilton, USC&GS Research 31 Jan: HMS Belmont, HMS Culver, Spreewald Unknown date: HMS Triumph
Other incidents	3 Jan: I-58, Krasny Kavkaz 6 Jan Sinkyo Maru 7 Jan: V 5104 Orkan 10 Jan: U-374 16 Jan: Empire Chief 21 Jan: Enrico Cosenz 22 Jan: Boyky, Molotov, Shch-214
1941 1942 1943 December 1941 February 1942

• 1896 ships
• Coal hulks
• Iron and steel steamships of Australia
• Maritime incidents in January 1942
• Passenger ships of Australia
• Shipwrecks of Papua New Guinea
• Ships sunk by Japanese aircraft
• Troop ships of Australia
• Ships built on the River Wear
• World War I passenger ships
• World War II shipwrecks in the Pacific Ocean