HMAT A69 Warilda
From Our Contribution
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| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | HMAT A69 Warilda |
| Builder/Built | 1912 W Beardmore & Co Ltd, Dalmuir |
| Type | Passenger / cargo ship |
| Displacement | 7,713 tons |
| Speed | 14.5 knots |
Contents
Remarks
Built for the Adelaide Steamship Company. Could carry almost 400 passengers in three classes, she was converted into a troopship in August 1914.
Converted again in 1916, this time to be a Hospital Ship and she served as such from 25 Jul 1916 till 3 Aug 1918.
In 1918 sailing between Southampton and Le Havre she was struck by a torpedo that did not explode. Later she was involved in a collision at sea that caused very significant damage.
On 3 August 1918, she was transporting wounded soldiers from Le Havre, France to Southampton when she was torpedoed by the German submarine UC-49. This was despite being marked clearly with the Red Cross; as with a number of other hospital ships torpedoed during the war, Germany claimed the ships were also carrying arms.
The ship sank in about two hours, and of the 801 persons on board, 123 people perished.