SS Canberra

SS Canberra

History
Name	SS Canberra
Owner	Australian Steamships Ltd. - Howard Smith & Co. Ltd., Melbourne
Builder	Alexander Stephen & Sons Ltd., Govan
Yard number	452
Launched	9 Nov 1912
Completed	1913
In service	17 Mar 1913
Out of service	Nov 1959
Fate	broken up
General characteristics
Type	Passenger ship
Tonnage	7,707 tons
Length	410 0 ft (124.97m)
Beam	57.2 ft (17.42m)
Depth	38.4 ft (11.68m)
Propulsion	twin screw
Speed	15 knots (27.78 km/h)
Capacity	1913 - 170 x 1st; 180 x 2nd; 60 x 3rd class. 1,080 troops

Remarks

Owned by the Australian Steamships Ltd (Howard Smith), Melbourne and used on the Melbourne - north Queensland run. Requisitioned in October 1917 as a troopship, Returned to her owners in 1920 before again being requisitioned 1941 - 1947. A coal burner she was named "hungry-mary" by her stokers. In March 1943 she was heavily strafed by Japanese aircraft when off Cape York.

During 1947 she was sold to Goulandris Bros of Greece and employed on trans Atlantic migrant trade. Renamed Espana when sold to the Dominican Republic' Navy Department. Scrapped in October 1959.

Soldiers carried

Fremantle to Port Suez, Egypt 24 November 1917 - 21 December 1917

• John James Thorpe
• Thomas Charles Howard z
• Grace Lauritta Lauritz disembarked 11 December 1917 in Bombay
• Aubrey Turner

Townsville to Port Moresby 2 - 5 August 1943

• Eric Anderson
• Francis Malarkey

Port Moresby to Townsville 15 -18 February 1944

• Eric Anderson
• Ralph Godfrey

Port Moresby to Townsville 13 - 17 March 1944

• Harold Herman Hilbert
• John William Alexander