SS Both
From Our Contribution
 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | SS Both |
| Owner | Owned by the Koninklijke Paketvaart-Maatschappij (Dutch for Royal Packet Navigation Company) |
| Builder | Nederlandsche Scheepsbouw Mij. N. V., Amsterdam |
| Completed | 1931 |
| In service | 1931 |
| Out of service | 16 Apr 1958 |
| Fate | war loss |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | passenger/cargo |
| Tonnage | 2,608 tons |
| Length | 91.3 m |
| Beam | 11.0 m |
| Depth | 5.9 m |
| Propulsion | Coal fired |
| Speed | 12 knots |
| Capacity | 750 troops |
Contents
Remarks
Owned by the Koninklijke Paketvaart-Maatschappij (Dutch for Royal Packet Navigation Company), better known as KPM Line. The company was a dominant small ship operator in the Indonesia archipelago during the last 50 years of Dutch colonial rule. Following the fall of the Dutch East Indies to Japan, many of these small ships were chartered by the US Army.
The SS Both helped transport the Australian troops of "Gull Force" to Ambon in December 1941, and later took part in the Operation Lilliput supply convoys to New Guinea in 1943. During 1942 she came under quarantine jurisdiction at Fremantle, but little detail is available as to why.
On April 16th 1958, the Dutch steamer BOTH, built in 1931, damaged and unable to proceed at Padang, could not escape to Singapore and was lost at Padang during Indonesian hostilities.