SS Taroona
Encyclopedia
SS Taroona was an Austrialian transport ship, built in Linthouse
, a district of Glasgow
, in 1934 by Alexander Stephen & Sons for the Tasmanian Steamers Pty Ltd.
She was a steam turbine ship with a service speed of 18 knots but ran at 16 knots. When completed she weighed 4,286 tons; she commenced her run on Bass Strait
in 1935 for the Tasmanian Steamers Pty Ltd. She served the Melbourne
– Beauty Point
– Melbourne
– Devonport
– Burnie then back to Melbourne
route.
She was requisitioned for service as a troop ship in World War II
by New Zealand
. She carried troops from Auckland
, New Zealand
to Suva
in January 1942, and in March 1942. On her return to the Bass Strait
run she was almost immediately again requisitioned this time by Australia
and taken over as a fast troop carrier. During her first trip to Port Moresby
she carried 480 troops and supplies; on leaving Moresby
she ran aground on a reef at the entrance where she remained for three days, helpless hard and fast aground. All attempts to refloat her using both engines and the assistance of navy vessels proved useless. The situation became serious when on several occasions Japanese bombers swept in to attack the Seven Mile aerodrome outside Port Moresby. Why they failed to attack Taroona remains a mystery. Finally now aided by three naval vessels, she shook herself free.
In the war Taroona assisted in many operations which helped a great deal in defeating the Japanese
. In her war time career she travelled 204,535 miles and carried 93,432 troops and although frequently under fire during her ninety-four trips she remained unscathed.
Taroona arrived in Sydney
4 February 1946, ending her career as an Australian troop carrier. She was handed back to Tasmanian Steamers and joined the Nairana who had maintained a very busy schedule during Taroona’s absence including transporting troops from Tasmania to Melbourne.
In 1959, Taroona finished her dedication to Australia, being replaced by a ship more suitable for the times as motor cars where becoming very popular and Taroona could only take 30 which had to be winched aboard. Her replacement was the Princess of Tasmania, owned by Australian National Line
and Tasmanian Steamers ceased to be.
Taroona was sold to Typaldos line, renamed Hellas and immediately taken over by her new crew and departed Australia for Greece. She was converted to a cruise ship and operated cruises around the Mediterranean until 1966 when she was laid up in Perama
bay for the winter but never worked again after the sank in big seas and the Typaldos line was found guilty. Subsequently all their ships where sold except SS Hellas and . Hellas remained laid-up at Elefsina bay until May 1989 when she was towed out of the bay to Aliağa
in Turkey
and scrapped.
(Taroona is a place in south east Tasmania
, but the root of the name comes from an Aboriginal
word meaning seashell.)
Linthouse
Linthouse is a district in the Scottish city of Glasgow. It is situated south of the River Clyde. It is immediately west of Govan, and although it is often referred to locally as 'Govan' due to its closeness, it is in fact a distinct area .Linthouse was home to the shipbuilder...
, a district of Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, in 1934 by Alexander Stephen & Sons for the Tasmanian Steamers Pty Ltd.
Tasmanian Steamers Pty Ltd.
Tasmanian Steamers Proprietary Limited was a company which operated passenger ferries across Bass Strait between 1921 to 1959. It was jointly owned by the Union Steam Ship Company and Huddart Parker and was formed on 22 December 1921....
She was a steam turbine ship with a service speed of 18 knots but ran at 16 knots. When completed she weighed 4,286 tons; she commenced her run on Bass Strait
Bass Strait
Bass Strait is a sea strait separating Tasmania from the south of the Australian mainland, specifically the state of Victoria.-Extent:The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Bass Strait as follows:...
in 1935 for the Tasmanian Steamers Pty Ltd. She served the Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
– Beauty Point
Beauty Point, Tasmania
Beauty Point is a town by the Tamar River, in the north-east of Tasmania, Australia. It lies 45km north of Launceston, on the West Tamar Highway and at the 2006 census, had a population of 1,116. It is part of the Municipality of West Tamar Council....
– Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
– Devonport
Devonport, Tasmania
-Sport:The Devonport Football Club is an Australian Rules team competing in the Tasmanian Statewide League. The Devonport Rugby Club is a Rugby Union team competing in the Tasmanian Rugby Union Statewide League...
– Burnie then back to Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
route.
She was requisitioned for service as a troop ship in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
by New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. She carried troops from Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
to Suva
Suva
Suva features a tropical rainforest climate under the Koppen climate classification. The city sees a copious amount of precipitation during the course of the year. Suva averages 3,000 mm of precipitation annually with its driest month, July averaging 125 mm of rain per year. In fact,...
in January 1942, and in March 1942. On her return to the Bass Strait
Bass Strait
Bass Strait is a sea strait separating Tasmania from the south of the Australian mainland, specifically the state of Victoria.-Extent:The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Bass Strait as follows:...
run she was almost immediately again requisitioned this time by Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and taken over as a fast troop carrier. During her first trip to Port Moresby
Port Moresby
Port Moresby , or Pot Mosbi in Tok Pisin, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea . It is located on the shores of the Gulf of Papua, on the southeastern coast of the island of New Guinea, which made it a prime objective for conquest by the Imperial Japanese forces during 1942–43...
she carried 480 troops and supplies; on leaving Moresby
Port Moresby
Port Moresby , or Pot Mosbi in Tok Pisin, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea . It is located on the shores of the Gulf of Papua, on the southeastern coast of the island of New Guinea, which made it a prime objective for conquest by the Imperial Japanese forces during 1942–43...
she ran aground on a reef at the entrance where she remained for three days, helpless hard and fast aground. All attempts to refloat her using both engines and the assistance of navy vessels proved useless. The situation became serious when on several occasions Japanese bombers swept in to attack the Seven Mile aerodrome outside Port Moresby. Why they failed to attack Taroona remains a mystery. Finally now aided by three naval vessels, she shook herself free.
In the war Taroona assisted in many operations which helped a great deal in defeating the Japanese
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
. In her war time career she travelled 204,535 miles and carried 93,432 troops and although frequently under fire during her ninety-four trips she remained unscathed.
Taroona arrived in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
4 February 1946, ending her career as an Australian troop carrier. She was handed back to Tasmanian Steamers and joined the Nairana who had maintained a very busy schedule during Taroona’s absence including transporting troops from Tasmania to Melbourne.
In 1959, Taroona finished her dedication to Australia, being replaced by a ship more suitable for the times as motor cars where becoming very popular and Taroona could only take 30 which had to be winched aboard. Her replacement was the Princess of Tasmania, owned by Australian National Line
Australian National Lines
The Australian National Line was an Australian Government owned overseas and coastal shipping line that operated in Australia between 1956 and 1998, when the container shipping operations and naming rights were bought by French shipping line CMA CGM....
and Tasmanian Steamers ceased to be.
Taroona was sold to Typaldos line, renamed Hellas and immediately taken over by her new crew and departed Australia for Greece. She was converted to a cruise ship and operated cruises around the Mediterranean until 1966 when she was laid up in Perama
Perama
Perama is a port city and a suburb of Piraeus that lies on the southwest edge of the Aegaleo mountains. It creates the western terminus of the Port of Piraeus and there is also a port that provides ferry services to Salamis. The town has only one main road connecting Lambrakis and Ralli Avenues,...
bay for the winter but never worked again after the sank in big seas and the Typaldos line was found guilty. Subsequently all their ships where sold except SS Hellas and . Hellas remained laid-up at Elefsina bay until May 1989 when she was towed out of the bay to Aliağa
Aliaga
Aliaga can refer to:* Aliaga, Aragon, Spain* Aliağa, Turkey* the Filipino municipality of Aliaga, Nueva Ecija on Luzon* a family name, as in the case of the Peruvian writer Felipe Pardo y Aliaga...
in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
and scrapped.
(Taroona is a place in south east Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
, but the root of the name comes from an Aboriginal
Tasmanian Aborigines
The Tasmanian Aborigines were the indigenous people of the island state of Tasmania, Australia. Before British colonisation in 1803, there were an estimated 3,000–15,000 Parlevar. A number of historians point to introduced disease as the major cause of the destruction of the full-blooded...
word meaning seashell.)