HMT Nieuw Zeeland
From Our Contribution
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| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | SS Nieuw Zeeland |
| Builder | Rotterdamsche DD Mij. |
| Yard number | 142c |
| Launched | 6 Jan 1928 |
| Completed | 12 Apr 1928 |
| In service | 1928 |
| Out of service | 11 Nov 1942 |
| Fate | Torpedoed and sunk |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Passenger Liner |
| Tonnage | 10,906 tons |
| Length | 527 ft (160.60m) |
| Beam | 62.30 ft (19.00m) |
| Propulsion | single screw |
| Speed | 15.5 knots (28.71 km/h) |
| Capacity | 123 x 1st class and 50 x 3rd class passengers with crew of 243. 1,000 troops. |
Remarks
Built for KPM (Koninklijke Paketvaart Mij), she was used on the Malaya-Singapore-Dutch East Indies- Australia route prior to WW2. In 1940 she was converted into a troopship in Singapore, designed to take 1,000 troops, with a crew of 243. For the duration of the war she was run by the Royal Navy, with a Dutch crew.
Primarily used in convoys ferrying troops between the UK and Middle East ports, in 1942 she was used to land troops in North Africa during 'Operation Torch'. Having landed her troops successfully, she turned for home , sailing on the Mediterranean when on 11 Nov 1942 she was torpedoed by U Boat U407. She sank quickly with the loss of 15 lives.
Soldiers carried
Colombo to El Kantara 16 January - 2 February 1941
2/28th Battalion boarded on 12 Jan 1941