HMAT Wandilla
Encyclopedia
The SS Wandilla 7785 tons, was built in 1912 by William Beardmore and Company
, Glasgow
for the Adelaide Steamship Company
.
and SS Willochra
.
During World War I
, several Adelaide Steamship Company ships were requisitioned by the Australian government, as were several other privately owned ships; Grantala and Warilda as hospital ships and Wandilla and Willochra as troopships.
His Majesty's Australian Transport Wandilla transported many Australian soldiers to Europe, including:
She was manned by Australian officers and (during part of her service) Australian crews. Commonwealth control ended 24 January 1917.
After being returned to her owners, she continued plying the coastal passenger-cargo service until she was sold to the Bermuda & West Indies SS Company in 1921 and renamed Fort St. George. She was modified by replacing her cargo holds with water tanks to supply fresh water to the hotels in Bermuda. She was also modified to accommodate 380 1st class and 50 2nd class passengers. She collided with White Star Line
’s in 1924 while in New York
and was out of service for a period of time for repairs. She was sold in 1935 to Lloyd Triestino, Trieste
and renamed Cesarea before being renamed Arno in 1938.
during the Second World War, she was sunk by aerial torpedoes from the Royal Air Force on 10 September 1940 at 33.14N 23.23E, about 40 miles NE of Ras el Tin, near Tobruk
.
William Beardmore and Company
William Beardmore and Company was a Scottish engineering and shipbuilding conglomerate based in Glasgow and the surrounding Clydeside area. It was active between about 1890 and 1930 and at its peak employed about 40,000 people...
, 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...
for the Adelaide Steamship Company
Adelaide Steamship Company
The Adelaide Steamship Company was formed by a group of South Australian businessmen in 1875. Their aim was to control the transport of goods between Adelaide and Melbourne and profit from the need for an efficient and comfortable passenger service...
.
Design and construction
Built in 1912, by William Beardmore and Company, Glasgow together with her sister ships SS WarildaHMAT Warilda
HMAT Warilda was a 7713 ton vessel, built by William Beardmore and Company in Glasgow as the SS Warilda for the Adelaide Steamship Company...
and SS Willochra
RMS Fort Victoria
Fort Victoria was a 7,784 GRT cruise ship which was built in 1912 as Willochra. During the First World War she was requisitioned for use as a troopship. In 1920 she was sold and renamed Fort Victoria, serving until lost in a collision in 1929.-History:Willochra was built by William Beardmore & Co...
.
Operational service
She was used on the Fremantle - Sydney passenger-cargo service until she was requisitioned as a troop transport vessel in May 1915 and later converted into a hospital ship in July 1916. While serving as a hospital ship, she was torpedoed by a U-boat in February 1918, the torpedo failing to explode. Returned to Adelaide Steamship Co in 1919 as the Company believed there was no future in coastal passenger services at the time. 1921 sold to Burmuda & West Indies SS Co (Furness-Withy) and renamed Fort St George. 1935 Lloyd Triestino acquired and renamed Cesarea. Renamed Arno 1938. Converted into a hospital ship by the Italian forces during WW2. Torpedoed and sunk 40 miles off Tobruk September 10th 1942During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, several Adelaide Steamship Company ships were requisitioned by the Australian government, as were several other privately owned ships; Grantala and Warilda as hospital ships and Wandilla and Willochra as troopships.
His Majesty's Australian Transport Wandilla transported many Australian soldiers to Europe, including:
- Lyall HowardLyall HowardLyall Falconer Howard was a World War I veteran, engineer and business owner, and the father of former Australian Prime Minister, John Howard. He was born and raised near Maclean in the Clarence River region of northern New South Wales...
(father of former Australian Prime Minister, John HowardJohn HowardJohn Winston Howard AC, SSI, was the 25th Prime Minister of Australia, from 11 March 1996 to 3 December 2007. He was the second-longest serving Australian Prime Minister after Sir Robert Menzies....
) - Walter PeelerWalter PeelerWalter "Wally" Peeler VC, BEM was an Australian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry "in the face of the enemy" that can be awarded to members of the British and Commonwealth armed forces. He was decorated following his actions during the Battle of Broodseinde in...
(Australian recipient of the Victoria Cross) - Herbert RobinsonHerbert Robinson (Queensland politician)Herbert Freemont Robinson was an Australian politician, and a member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly from 1953 until 1957 representing the seat of Sandgate.-Biography:...
(member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly 1953–1957)
She was manned by Australian officers and (during part of her service) Australian crews. Commonwealth control ended 24 January 1917.
After being returned to her owners, she continued plying the coastal passenger-cargo service until she was sold to the Bermuda & West Indies SS Company in 1921 and renamed Fort St. George. She was modified by replacing her cargo holds with water tanks to supply fresh water to the hotels in Bermuda. She was also modified to accommodate 380 1st class and 50 2nd class passengers. She collided with White Star Line
White Star Line
The Oceanic Steam Navigation Company or White Star Line of Boston Packets, more commonly known as the White Star Line, was a prominent British shipping company, today most famous for its ill-fated vessel, the RMS Titanic, and the World War I loss of Titanics sister ship Britannic...
’s in 1924 while in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and was out of service for a period of time for repairs. She was sold in 1935 to Lloyd Triestino, Trieste
Trieste
Trieste is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is situated towards the end of a narrow strip of land lying between the Adriatic Sea and Italy's border with Slovenia, which lies almost immediately south and east of the city...
and renamed Cesarea before being renamed Arno in 1938.
Fate
After being requisitioned as a hospital ship by the Regia MarinaRegia Marina
The Regia Marina dates from the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy in 1861 after Italian unification...
during the Second World War, she was sunk by aerial torpedoes from the Royal Air Force on 10 September 1940 at 33.14N 23.23E, about 40 miles NE of Ras el Tin, near Tobruk
Tobruk
Tobruk or Tubruq is a city, seaport, and peninsula on Libya's eastern Mediterranean coast, near the border with Egypt. It is the capital of the Butnan District and has a population of 120,000 ....
.
External links
- Australian Light Horse Studies Centre His Majesty's Australian Transports HMAT Ships, Transporting the 1st AIF.
- [www.clydesite.co.uk/clydebuilt/viewship.asp?id=4551 Clyde-built ships register]
- Flotilla Australia - Adelaide Steamship Company
External images
- Brisbane c.1916, Australian War Memorial
- c.1919, State Library of Victoria