HMAS Berrima
 Berrima under construction in 1913
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| History | |
|---|---|
 Australia | |
| Owner | P & O |
| Builder | Caird & Company, Greenock |
| Launched | 13 September 1913 |
| Acquired | August 1914 by RAN |
| Commissioned | 17 August 1914 |
| Decommissioned | 20 October 1914 |
| Honours and awards | |
| Fate | converted to troop ship, later damaged |
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | Berrima |
| Operator | P & O |
| Acquired | 1914 |
| In service | 24 March 1920 |
| Fate | Sold for breaking up 1930 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage | 11,137 GRT |
| Length | 500 ft 2 in (152.45 m) |
| Beam | 62 ft 3 in (18.97 m) |
| Draught | 38 ft (12 m) |
| Propulsion | 2 × 4-cylinder quadruple expansion steam engines, 9,000 indicated horsepower (6,700 kW), twin screws |
| Speed | 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph) |
| Capacity |
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| Armament | 4 × 4 in (102 mm) guns |
HMAS Berrima was a
Construction and early career
The P&O passenger liner SS Berrima was built by
Berrima was launched on 20 September 1913, and delivered to P&O on 5 December.[3] The liner sailed from London later that month on her maiden voyage, calling at Cape Town, Adelaide, and Melbourne before reaching Sydney.[3]
Military service
In August 1914, the ship was requisitioned for military service.[4] Berrima was taken to Cockatoo Island Dockyard on 12 August for refitting, but instead of being converted into a troop transport as originally planned, the ship underwent a six-day conversion for naval service.[5] The modifications included converting holds into accommodation for 1,500 officers and soldiers, establishing a hospital was on the upper deck, and fitting four 4-inch (102 mm) BL naval guns and magazines, two on the forecastle, two on the poop deck.[5] On 17 August, the ship was commissioned as the auxiliary cruiser HMAS Berrima, under the command of Commander J.B. Stevenson.[6][7] The ship's civilian officer complement were inducted into the Royal Australian Naval Reserve, and the crew was supplemented by Royal Navy and RAN sailors.[4]
Berrima left Sydney on 19 August 1914 carrying men of the
In her new role, His Majesty's Australian Troop Transport (HMATT) Berrima sailed for the Middle East in December 1914 as part of the second troop convoy, carrying Australian and New Zealand troops and towing the submarine AE2.[10][11] Berrima continued to work under the liner requisition scheme until 18 February 1917, when she was torpedoed in the English Channel off Portland with the loss of four lives.[12][3] After the rest of the crew were evacuated by the destroyer HMS Forester, then towed into Portland Harbour, beached (due to the lack of drydock facilities), and repaired.[12][3] The Commonwealth relinquished control on 10 October 1917.[7] After being repaired she was requisitioned by the Shipping Controller for use as the Atlantic stores and munitions ferry service.[3]
Post-war career and fate
On 1 February 1920, while homeward bound, Berrima was stranded off
On 16 July 1930, she was sold for £29,000 to Japanese shipbreakers Asakichi Kitagawa, for breaking up in Osaka.[3]
Commemoration
Australian rules footballer Bob Quinn was given the middle name "Berrima" in honour of the ship.[13]
Notes
- ^ a b "Navy Marks 109th Birthday With Historic Changes To Battle Honours". Royal Australian Navy. 1 March 2010. Archived from the original on 13 June 2011. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
- ^ a b "Royal Australian Navy Ship/Unit Battle Honours" (PDF). Royal Australian Navy. 1 March 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 June 2011. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Cameron, Stuart. "SS Berrima". Clyde Built Database. Archived from the original on 15 November 2004. Retrieved 22 February 2014.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ a b c Bastock 1975, p. 66.
- ^ a b Plowman 2003, p. 37.
- ^ a b Jose 1941, p. 75.
- ^ a b c Straczek 1996, p. 31.
- ^ Jose 1941, pp. 81–94, 102.
- ^ Jose 1941, pp. 104, 130–131.
- ^ Stevens 2001, p. 44.
- ^ Jose 1941, p. 239.
- ^ a b Jose 1941, p. 420.
- ^ Porter 2008, p. 3.
References
- Bastock, John (1975). Australia's Ships of War. Sydney: Angus and Robertson. ISBN 0-207-12927-4.
- Jose, Arthur (1941). The Royal Australian Navy, 1914–1918. Official History of Australia in the War of 1914–1918. Vol. I (9th ed.). Canberra: Australian War Memorial. OCLC 271462423.
- Plowman, Peter (2003). Across the Sea to War. Rosenberg Publishing. ISBN 1922013137.
- Porter, A. (28 April 2008). "Bob Quinn – A Legend who Stuck by his Mates". The Independent Weekly: 3. Archived from the original on 27 February 2014. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
- Stevens, David (2001). The Royal Australian Navy. The Australian Centenary History of Defence. Vol. III. South Melbourne, Victoria: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-555542-2.
- Straczek, J.H. (1996). Royal Australian Navy: A-Z Ships, Aircraft and Shore Establishments. Sydney: Navy Public Affairs. ISBN 1876043784.
Further reading
- Dittmar, F.J.; Colledge, J.J. (1972). British Warships 1914–1919. London: Ian Allan. ISBN 0-7110-0380-7.
- Kerr, LCDR Glenn (27 May 2002). "Naval Reservists in WWI – First to Fight, First to Fall" (PDF). Navy Reserve News. Hawthorne, Victoria. 9 (5): 13. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 July 2007. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
External links
- His Majesty's Australian Transports HMAT Ships, Transporting the 1st AIF - Australian Light Horse Studies Centre
- SS Berrima - Australian War Memorial
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Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1920 | |
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