SS Suva
From Our Contribution
 photo AWM 303989 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | SS Suva |
| Owner | WR Carpenter & Co LTD |
| Completed | 1938 |
| In service | 1938 |
| Fate | unknown |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | passenger/cargo |
| Tonnage | 4,873 tons |
| Depth | draught 25'6½" (7.79m) |
| Speed | 11.5 knots (21.3 km/h) |
Contents
Remarks
The SS Suva's normal run was from London and other European ports to Fiji and New Guinea. Record cards that list every shipping movement to and from Australian ports during WW2 indicate that until early 1944 she was primarily carrying cargo between Australian ports, but during the later part of 1944 and in 1945 she was used to carry troops and cargo between Australia and New Guinea and Dutch East Indies ports. She was requisitioned in April 1943 and made four trips to Darwin from Australian ports.
Soldiers carried
Lae, Papua & New Guinea to Sydney 15 - 22 January 1946
Troops disembarked in Sydney on 23 Jan 1946
Notes
At the old quarantine station at Woodman Point south of Fremantle there are the graves of four crew members from the SS Suva. Their dates of death were 30 Mar 1943, 5 Apr 1943, 9 Apr 1943, and 11 Apr 1943. SS SUva had arrived in Fremantle from India (Karachi, Mumbai and Kochi) on 25 March and didn't sail until 19 April 1943 so it is likely it arrived with her crew infected and had a period of quarantine.