MS Gorgon
From Our Contribution
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| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | MS Gorgon |
| Owner | Ocean Steam Ship Co. Ltd. - A. Holt & Co. & West Australian S.N. Co. Ltd - Bethell Gwyn & Co., Liverpool |
| Builder | Caledon Shipbuilding & Engineering Co. |
| Yard number | 344 |
| Launched | 22 Aug 1933 |
| Completed | October 1933 |
| In service | 1933 |
| Out of service | 1964 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Passenger/cargo |
| Tonnage | 3,633 tons |
| Length | 320.3 ft (97.1m) |
| Beam | 51.2 ft (15.60m) |
| Depth | 21.6 ft (6.55m) |
| Propulsion | Single screw |
Contents
- 1 Remarks
- 2 Soldiers carried
- 2.1 Townsville to Lae, New Guinea 20 - 26 Dec 1943
- 2.2 Townsville to Merauke, Dutch New Guinea 23 - 27 March 1944
- 2.3 Townsville to Lae, New Guinea 16 - 22 May 1944
- 2.4 Townsville to Lae, New Guinea 14 - 18 August 1944
- 2.5 Brisbane to Aitape, Papua, New Guinea 4 - 10 October 1944
- 2.6 Wewak, New Guinea to Sydney 20 August - 4 September 1945
Remarks
Built for the Holt Blue Funnel Line to operate for the West Australian Steam Navigation Company on their north west, Java and Singapore route. She continued this service until Singapore fell on 15 Feb 1942. One of a group of 46 ships that were the last to leave Singapore Harbour before the surrender. Of these only 6 made it to Australia safely, MS Gorgon being one of them. The death toll was horrendous and most of the survivors of the ships which were sunk spent the rest of the war in the privation and horrors of Japanese internment camps in Sumatra where up to 30 percent died in some camps.
During the second half of the war she served as a naval-requisitioned support vessel running between Australian east coast ports and the islands north of Australia, principally New Guinea. In April 1943 the SS Gorgon was bombed and damaged in Milne Bay, with 4 of her crew killed. While she sank, it was in shallow watewr and was able to be refloated and resumed her voyages from Austraalia to New Guinea ports.
Sold for scrap, it arrived at Hong Kong on 10 Aug 1964 for breaking by Leung Yau Company. in 1964