SS Port Darwin
From Our Contribution
 | |
 c1919 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | SS Port Darwin |
| Owner | Commonwealth & Dominion Line Ltd. (Port Line) |
| Builder | Workman Clark & Co Ltd, Belfast |
| Launched | 1918 |
| Completed | 1918 |
| In service | 1918 |
| Out of service | 1949 |
| Fate | scrapped 1949 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | refrigerated cargo |
| Tonnage | 8,179 tons |
| Length | 480 ft 4 in (146.41m) |
| Beam | 60 ft 3 in (18.36m) |
| Depth | draught 32 ft 3in (9.83m) |
| Propulsion | twin screw |
| Speed | 14 knots (25.93 km/h) |
Remarks
Very little is known about this ship. I would appreciate any information to enable appropriate respect to be paid to this ship for its contribution to Australian service in the wars.
SS Port Darwin departed Sydney for the UK on 30 Apr 1918 carrying 493 AIF personnel. Following a pause at Albany in Western Australia she departed with only 233 AIF Personnel. On 14 Sep 1918 she again departed Sydney for the UK, this time with 389 AIF, 22 RAN, 1 Imperial staff and 2 New Zealand Chaplains. In Albany she picked up 12 AIF personnel and 1 Clerk for AIF
Suez to Fremantle via Southampton (?) 12 July - 17 August 1918
Soldiers carried
England to Fremantle 11 January - 4 March 1918
Albany to Portsmouth via Port Suez and Alexandria 8 May - 16 July 1918
- Rolf Montgomery Allom disembarked Taranto Italy 10 Jul 1918
- Allahbuse Jan Butt
- Oliver John Dowell
- Leslie Norman Elkington embarked Suez 9 Jul 1918 for Southampton
- Frederick George Gibbs disembarked Port Suez 9 Jun 1918
- Ernest Taylor disembarked Port Suez 9 Jun1918, re-embarked Alexandria, disembarked Faenza (Italy) 10 Jul 1918
- George Charles Unwin disembarked Port Suez 9 Jun1918, re-embarked Alexandria for Southampton
- Joseph Watson disembarked Port Suez 9 Jun 1918, re-embarked Alexandria for Southampton
Suez to Sydney 12 Jul - 17 August 1918
Sydney to Bombay 17 - 28 October 1918
Notes
The SS Port Darwin was obviously used to transport Australian servicemen home during 1919 as the following photo shows.
A correspondent has advised that a British Newspaper reported that the ship, along with others was attacked by German bombers in early February 1940 at Scarborough in Yorkshire. While it reports that bombs were dropped it is unknown if any actually hit the ship. It was assumed to have sunk due to the overall tonnage sunk was quoted as 15,000 tons with only two other ships being attacked and one being named as a 3000 ton ship. Regardless it seems the ship must have survived or been refloated as it survived to be sent to the wreckers in 1949