MV Koolama (1937)
Koolama docked at low tide at Broome, c. 1940
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History | |
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Australia | |
Name | Koolama |
Owner | Government of Western Australia |
Operator | Western Australia State Shipping Service |
Port of registry | Fremantle |
Builder | Harland & Wolff Ltd., Govan |
Yard number | 1003 |
Launched | 16 December 1937 |
In service | 23 May 1938 |
Identification | Official number: 140184 |
Fate | Bombed and sunk, February/March 1942 |
General characteristics [1] | |
Type | Cargo/passenger motor ship |
Tonnage | |
Length | 348 ft (106 m) o/a |
Beam | 52 ft 2 in (15.90 m) |
Depth | 18 ft 6 in (5.64 m) |
Propulsion | 2 × Burmeister & Wain 808 nhp oil-fuelled engines, 2 shafts |
Armament |
MV Koolama was an Australian
General description
Koolama was built in 1937, by
Service history
The ship's master, Captain Jack Eggleston, his officers, and crew travelled to Glasgow in early 1938 to take delivery of the ship,[4] and after successful sea trials she sailed for Australia on 7 April.[5] The ship entered service on 23 May, sailing north from Fremantle to Darwin, calling at various ports in between.[6]
War service and the "Koolama incident"
In January 1942, following the outbreak of
On 10 February 1942, Koolama – still under Captain Eggleston – sailed from Fremantle, bound for Darwin with Australian Army personnel and equipment, as well as some convicts on work release and regular civilian passengers. Although the soldiers on board were armed only with rifles, the ship carried a 50 mm (1.97 in) gun on its rear poop deck, which was intended for use against submarines and could not be aimed above level for anti-aircraft purposes. Koolama varied Vickers 0.303-inch machine guns mounted on each side of the bridge.
At 11.30 am on 20 February 1942, a day after the
. Three or four bombs landed near the ship and caused no damage. Eggleston reported the attack by radio and continued towards Darwin.At 1.30pm, three Kawanishis – led by Lieutenant Commander Tsunaki Yonehara – attacked the ship again, over a period of 30 minutes. Three bombs hit the ship.[2][7][8][9] One 60 kg (132 lb) bomb, dropped from a height of 800 m (2,625 ft), went through wooden decking, struck a civilian passenger, Raymond Theodore "Bluey" Plummer, glancing blows to his head, arm and foot, before falling into an engine room and exploding.[10] Plummer was facing down and a tailfin on the bomb struck the back of his head, peeling away the scalp as far as his nose, along with a piece of his skull.[11] Although Plummer's brain was partly exposed, he remained alive, albeit unconscious. The bomb also caused injuries to his arm and foot. Two other passengers were also injured.
Koolama was severely damaged. Later that afternoon, with the ship taking water at the stern, and its steering and
Eggleston and his first officer, Ken Reynolds – who was also a qualified ship's master – disagreed regarding the best course of action. The captain wanted to refloat Koolama, using the high tide, and head back to the small port of Wyndham; he believed that the ship could pump out enough water to survive 48 hours at sea, and could be steered with its engines. However, Reynolds believed that Koolama should be abandoned. The crew split into two factions along these lines. Because of this, some people later accused Reynolds of mutiny.
While they waited for assistance, the crew undertook some repairs to the stern.
On 25 February, a
By 1 March, all possible on-site repairs has been completed and the badly damaged Koolama, with Eggleston, 18 crew members, three civilian passengers and two military personnel, was refloated and set off for Wyndham. The bomb damage, including blown rivets, was worsened by the stress of movement, and as Koolama approached the port on the morning of 2 March, about 24 hours after leaving Rulhieres Bay, its pumps could no longer keep up with the inflow of water.[12]
By 7pm, Eggleston and his party had unloaded most of the cargo, including army vehicles and other military equipment.
Aftermath
Meanwhile, some of the crew and passengers at Rulhieres Bay were rescued by flying boat, and arrived in Broome on 3 March 1942, just after a devastating air raid on the town. A further 19 men had to wait for the return of the mission lugger.
On 5 March, Plummer was flown from Drysdale River to Darwin, for more intensive medical treatment.[16] He underwent more than 40 operations resulting from his injuries, but lived until the early 1980s.[17]
One man had died while walking to Drysdale River and he was buried at the mission.[16] He was the only fatality resulting from the attacks on the Koolama.
Later in 1942, a Marine Board of Inquiry exonerated all the crew members of any wrongdoing. Both Eggleston and Reynolds had long careers, including positions as Marine Superintendents, with the State Shipping Service.
In 1947, an attempt to refloat Koolama was unsuccessful. The hull was raised the following year, only to clear Wyndham harbour. It was towed out to sea and scuttled.
Documentary
- 2003 - Malice or Mutiny: The Koolama Incident (dir. Ingo Helbig)
References
- )
- ^ a b Loane (2004).
- ^ Parsons, Ronald; Plunkett, Geoff (1998). "Scuttled and Abandoned Ships in Australian Waters" (PDF). Environment.gov.au (2nd ed.). Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 September 2007. Retrieved 17 April 2007.
- ^ "The Koolama : New State Ship Expected at Fremantle in May". Northern Times. Carnarvon, Western Australia: 3. 5 February 1938.
- ^ "New State Ship". Northern Times. Carnarvon, Western Australia: 2. 6 April 1938.
- ^ "New State Ship Commences Maiden Voyage". Northern Times. Carnarvon, Western Australia: 4. 20 May 1938.
- ^ Helbig, (2003)
- ^ a b George Negus Tonight. 3 November 2003. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Malice or Mutiny: The Koolama Incident.
- ^ "MV Koolama". The People's Voice. Archived from the original on 7 September 2006. Retrieved 24 September 2006.
- ^ Loane (2004), pp. 36, 47, 56, 90.
- ^ Loane (2004), p. 69.
- ^ Loane (2004), p. 126.
- ^ Loane (2004), p. 127.
- ^ a b Loane (2004), p. 128.
- ^ Loane (2004), p. 129.
- ^ a b "Kalumburu". The People's Voice. Archived from the original on 7 September 2006. Retrieved 24 September 2006.
- ^ Loane (2004), p. 206.
Bibliography
- Clarke, R. G. (1998). "Question 37/97". Warship International. XXXV (4): 414–415. ISSN 0043-0374.
- Helbig, Ingo (2003). Malice or Mutiny: The Koolama Incident (documentary film; Storyteller Productions: Willetton, WA)
- Loane, Bill (2004). The Koolama Incident. Kenthurst, NSW: Rosenberg Publishing. ISBN 9781877058196.
- Perez, Eugene (1981). The Kalumburu War Diary. Perth, WA: Artlook Books.
External links
- "Koolama I". Australian National Shipwreck Database. 2013.