Honouring the Men who gave their lives whilst serving in the Merchant Navy
and whose names are on the Australian War Memorial Commemorative Roll
and whose names are on the Australian War Memorial Commemorative Roll
S.S. TULAGI (Hong Kong)
WW2
WW2
Wikipedia
The Tulagi's luck ran out in March 1944 while undertaking a voyage from Sydney to Colombo in Ceylon, carrying 1800 tons of flour and 380 bags of mail. In command was Captain Leonard Walter "Dusty" Millar, with a crew of 15 Australian officers, 26 Indian seaman, 7 Malay and 5 Royal Australian Naval Reservicts (RANR) Gunners, making a total complement of 54 personnel.
On 28 March 1944 at 00:10, the Tulagi was located in the middle of the Indian Ocean, around 300 km south east of the Chagos Island, when she was hit by two torpedoes fired by the German Submarine U-532. This U boat under the command of Kapitän Ottoheinrich Junker had been rendezvousing with two other submarines of the "Monsun" Submarine Group and the German supply ship Brake. The Tulagi sank in less than a minute, on her starboard side, stern first.
Fifteen men survived the sinking, eleven Australians, three Malays and one Indian. The survivors were divided between four rafts tied together by painters. On 7 April, one of the rafts was cast adrift and on 21 April, one of the three remaining rafts was broken up to make the remaining two rafts more comfortable for the 15 survivors. The survivors on the rafts were:
Raft 1
J.R. Ward (Chief Engineer) D.G. Jacobs (Purser) R.T. Charles (2nd Officer) Ali Bin Sariwee (Malay Quartermaster) Note: Ali was from Jahore, Singapore Amos Helwend (Malay Quartermaster) Note: Amos was from Barbar Island in Indonesia Kalipan (Malay Quartermaster) Note: Kalipan was from Alor Island in Indonesia Basu Mian Abdul Bhooya (Indian greaser).
Raft 2
E.J. Board (3rd Officer) G.L. Smedley (4th Engineer) J.D. Brown (Cadet Officer) H.R. Boyce (Petty Officer - RANR) D.K. Johnson (Able Seaman RANR) H.M. Morton (Able Seaman RANR) J.F. Murphy (Able Seaman RANR) C.H. Webber (Able Seaman RANR)
Food rations obtained from the raft supplies for the first 27 days comprised half a biscuit and 12 milk tablets per day per man, plus two squares of chocolate for the first six days. On 24 April, food rations were reduced to a quarter of a biscuit per day per man, and two days later the last of the rations were consumed, except for a small number of malted milk tablets. On 19 May, the two rafts became separated and drifted apart.
The raft carrying Board, Smedley, Brown and the five RANR personnel was not heard of again, but in the evening of 25 May, the other raft came ashore in Bijoutier Island in the Seychelles Group, 59 days after the Tulagi was sunk.
At the beginning of the drift, the total rations consisted of 45 biscuits, two tins of chocolate and six tins of malted milk tablets per raft. Water was not a problem in the early part of the voyage due to frequent heavy rain. In May however, it became scarce and was reduced at one stage to 3 oz per man per day. Rations were supplemented by an occasional fish caught by the Malays using an improvised spear made from a pair of scissors lashed to a raft stanchion. Fishing lines in the rafts were useless as the hooks had been stolen. In all 27 fish, along with two birds and one small turtle, were captured in this manner and eaten raw. However, there were long periods with no solid food - up to 10 days at one stage and nine days on another. All three Australian survivors stated that they owed their lives to untiring perseverance and unselfishness of the Malay seamen spearing fish, catching birds and capturing every drop of rain.
The seven survivors were rescued from Bijoutier Island on 26 May 1944, by Louis Gendron, a plantation supervisor from nearby Alphonse Island.
The Tulagi's luck ran out in March 1944 while undertaking a voyage from Sydney to Colombo in Ceylon, carrying 1800 tons of flour and 380 bags of mail. In command was Captain Leonard Walter "Dusty" Millar, with a crew of 15 Australian officers, 26 Indian seaman, 7 Malay and 5 Royal Australian Naval Reservicts (RANR) Gunners, making a total complement of 54 personnel.
On 28 March 1944 at 00:10, the Tulagi was located in the middle of the Indian Ocean, around 300 km south east of the Chagos Island, when she was hit by two torpedoes fired by the German Submarine U-532. This U boat under the command of Kapitän Ottoheinrich Junker had been rendezvousing with two other submarines of the "Monsun" Submarine Group and the German supply ship Brake. The Tulagi sank in less than a minute, on her starboard side, stern first.
Fifteen men survived the sinking, eleven Australians, three Malays and one Indian. The survivors were divided between four rafts tied together by painters. On 7 April, one of the rafts was cast adrift and on 21 April, one of the three remaining rafts was broken up to make the remaining two rafts more comfortable for the 15 survivors. The survivors on the rafts were:
Raft 1
J.R. Ward (Chief Engineer) D.G. Jacobs (Purser) R.T. Charles (2nd Officer) Ali Bin Sariwee (Malay Quartermaster) Note: Ali was from Jahore, Singapore Amos Helwend (Malay Quartermaster) Note: Amos was from Barbar Island in Indonesia Kalipan (Malay Quartermaster) Note: Kalipan was from Alor Island in Indonesia Basu Mian Abdul Bhooya (Indian greaser).
Raft 2
E.J. Board (3rd Officer) G.L. Smedley (4th Engineer) J.D. Brown (Cadet Officer) H.R. Boyce (Petty Officer - RANR) D.K. Johnson (Able Seaman RANR) H.M. Morton (Able Seaman RANR) J.F. Murphy (Able Seaman RANR) C.H. Webber (Able Seaman RANR)
Food rations obtained from the raft supplies for the first 27 days comprised half a biscuit and 12 milk tablets per day per man, plus two squares of chocolate for the first six days. On 24 April, food rations were reduced to a quarter of a biscuit per day per man, and two days later the last of the rations were consumed, except for a small number of malted milk tablets. On 19 May, the two rafts became separated and drifted apart.
The raft carrying Board, Smedley, Brown and the five RANR personnel was not heard of again, but in the evening of 25 May, the other raft came ashore in Bijoutier Island in the Seychelles Group, 59 days after the Tulagi was sunk.
At the beginning of the drift, the total rations consisted of 45 biscuits, two tins of chocolate and six tins of malted milk tablets per raft. Water was not a problem in the early part of the voyage due to frequent heavy rain. In May however, it became scarce and was reduced at one stage to 3 oz per man per day. Rations were supplemented by an occasional fish caught by the Malays using an improvised spear made from a pair of scissors lashed to a raft stanchion. Fishing lines in the rafts were useless as the hooks had been stolen. In all 27 fish, along with two birds and one small turtle, were captured in this manner and eaten raw. However, there were long periods with no solid food - up to 10 days at one stage and nine days on another. All three Australian survivors stated that they owed their lives to untiring perseverance and unselfishness of the Malay seamen spearing fish, catching birds and capturing every drop of rain.
The seven survivors were rescued from Bijoutier Island on 26 May 1944, by Louis Gendron, a plantation supervisor from nearby Alphonse Island.
3rd Officer Edwin John BOARD
Australian Merchant Navy
Date of Engagement 22-12-1939, Sydney, N.S.W.
Died at sea 19-5-1944
Husband of Gladys Joyce Board, of Dee Why, New South Wales
Honoured: Tower Hill Memorial, London, England - Panel 130
Honoured Australian War Memorial Commemorative Roll
Australian Merchant Navy
Date of Engagement 22-12-1939, Sydney, N.S.W.
Died at sea 19-5-1944
Husband of Gladys Joyce Board, of Dee Why, New South Wales
Honoured: Tower Hill Memorial, London, England - Panel 130
Honoured Australian War Memorial Commemorative Roll
Cadet Officer John David BROWN
Australian Merchant Navy
Date of Engagement 29-9-1943, Sydney, N.S.W.
Died at sea 19-5-1944
Son of John Wallace Brown, of Manly, New South Wales
Honoured: Tower Hill Memorial, London, England - Panel 130
Honoured Australian War Memorial Commemorative Roll
Australian Merchant Navy
Date of Engagement 29-9-1943, Sydney, N.S.W.
Died at sea 19-5-1944
Son of John Wallace Brown, of Manly, New South Wales
Honoured: Tower Hill Memorial, London, England - Panel 130
Honoured Australian War Memorial Commemorative Roll
Cadet Officer John Bainbridge HARRISON
Australian Merchant Navy
Place of Engagement Sydney, N.S.W.
Died at sea 28-3-1944
Son of R.R. Harrison, of Abbotsford, New South Wales
Honoured: Tower Hill Memorial, London, England - Panel 130
Honoured Australian War Memorial Commemorative Roll
Australian Merchant Navy
Place of Engagement Sydney, N.S.W.
Died at sea 28-3-1944
Son of R.R. Harrison, of Abbotsford, New South Wales
Honoured: Tower Hill Memorial, London, England - Panel 130
Honoured Australian War Memorial Commemorative Roll
Second Radio Officer Lloyd Victor HARTILL-LAW
Australian Merchant Navy
Date of Engagement 11-1-1943, Sydney, N.S.W.
Died at sea 28-3-1944
Son of Harold Hartill-Law, of Rose Bay, New South Wales
Honoured: Tower Hill Memorial, London, England - Panel 130
Honoured Australian War Memorial Commemorative Roll
Australian Merchant Navy
Date of Engagement 11-1-1943, Sydney, N.S.W.
Died at sea 28-3-1944
Son of Harold Hartill-Law, of Rose Bay, New South Wales
Honoured: Tower Hill Memorial, London, England - Panel 130
Honoured Australian War Memorial Commemorative Roll
Electrician Norman HAZELWOOD
Australian Merchant Navy
Date of Engagement 16-5-1941, Sydney, N.S.W.
Died at sea 28-3-1944
Husband of Mrs. Hazelwood, of Cremorne, New South Wales
Honoured: Tower Hill Memorial, London, England - Panel 130
Honoured Australian War Memorial Commemorative Roll
Australian Merchant Navy
Date of Engagement 16-5-1941, Sydney, N.S.W.
Died at sea 28-3-1944
Husband of Mrs. Hazelwood, of Cremorne, New South Wales
Honoured: Tower Hill Memorial, London, England - Panel 130
Honoured Australian War Memorial Commemorative Roll
First Officer Mate William James McMANUS
Australian Merchant Navy
Died at Sea 28-3-1944
Son of Mrs. Helen McManus, of Mosman, New South Wales
Honoured: Tower Hill Memorial, London, England - Panel 130
Honoured Australian War Memorial Commemorative Roll
Australian Merchant Navy
Died at Sea 28-3-1944
Son of Mrs. Helen McManus, of Mosman, New South Wales
Honoured: Tower Hill Memorial, London, England - Panel 130
Honoured Australian War Memorial Commemorative Roll
Master Leonard Walter Aleric MILLAR
Australian Merchant Navy
Date of Engagement 21-8-1939, Sydney, N.S.W.
Died at sea 28-3-1944
Husband of Bertha May Millar, of Como, New South Wales
Honoured: Tower Hill Memorial, London, England - Panel 130
Honoured Australian War Memorial Commemorative Roll
Australian Merchant Navy
Date of Engagement 21-8-1939, Sydney, N.S.W.
Died at sea 28-3-1944
Husband of Bertha May Millar, of Como, New South Wales
Honoured: Tower Hill Memorial, London, England - Panel 130
Honoured Australian War Memorial Commemorative Roll
Fifth Engineer Officer John Robert MOFFITT
Australian Merchant Navy
Died 28-3-1944, Japan
Son of William H. Moffitt, of Killara, New South Wales
Honoured: Tower Hill Memorial, London, England - Panel 130
Honoured Australian War Memorial Commemorative Roll
Australian Merchant Navy
Died 28-3-1944, Japan
Son of William H. Moffitt, of Killara, New South Wales
Honoured: Tower Hill Memorial, London, England - Panel 130
Honoured Australian War Memorial Commemorative Roll
3rd Engineer Officer George Angus MORRISON
Australian Merchant Navy
Died at sea 28-3-1944
Son of Mrs. Margaret Christina Morrison, of Grafton, New South Wales
Honoured: Tower Hill Memorial, London, England - Panel 130
Honoured Australian War Memorial Commemorative Roll
Australian Merchant Navy
Died at sea 28-3-1944
Son of Mrs. Margaret Christina Morrison, of Grafton, New South Wales
Honoured: Tower Hill Memorial, London, England - Panel 130
Honoured Australian War Memorial Commemorative Roll
First Radio Officer George Newton REID
Australian Merchant Navy
Date of Engagement 23-8-1940, Sydney, N.S.W.
Died at sea 28-3-1944
Son of Newton Reid, of Willoughby, New South Wales
Honoured: Tower Hill Memorial, London, England - Panel 130
Honoured Australian War Memorial Commemorative Roll
Australian Merchant Navy
Date of Engagement 23-8-1940, Sydney, N.S.W.
Died at sea 28-3-1944
Son of Newton Reid, of Willoughby, New South Wales
Honoured: Tower Hill Memorial, London, England - Panel 130
Honoured Australian War Memorial Commemorative Roll
Fourth Engineer Officer Gladstone Lionel SMEDLEY
Australian Merchant Navy
Date of Engagement 16-4-1943, Sydney, N.S.W.
Died 19-5-1944
Husband of Kathleen Smedley, of Ashfield, New South Wales
Honoured: Tower Hill Memorial, London, England - Panel 130
Honoured Australian War Memorial Commemorative Roll
Australian Merchant Navy
Date of Engagement 16-4-1943, Sydney, N.S.W.
Died 19-5-1944
Husband of Kathleen Smedley, of Ashfield, New South Wales
Honoured: Tower Hill Memorial, London, England - Panel 130
Honoured Australian War Memorial Commemorative Roll
Wireless Operator Arthur William John WILLIAMS
Australian Merchant Navy
Died at sea 28-3-1944
Son of Irwin Wilfred Williams, of Clovelly, New South Wales
Honoured: Tower Hill Memorial, London, England - Panel 130
Honoured Australian War Memorial Commemorative Roll
Australian Merchant Navy
Died at sea 28-3-1944
Son of Irwin Wilfred Williams, of Clovelly, New South Wales
Honoured: Tower Hill Memorial, London, England - Panel 130
Honoured Australian War Memorial Commemorative Roll
Second Engineer Norman Arthur YOUNG
Australian Merchant Navy
Date of Engagement 16-11-1939, Rabaul
Died at sea 28-3-1944
Son of Mrs. Young, of Randwick, New South Wales
Honoured: Tower Hill Memorial, London, England - Panel 130
Honoured Australian War Memorial Commemorative Roll
Australian Merchant Navy
Date of Engagement 16-11-1939, Rabaul
Died at sea 28-3-1944
Son of Mrs. Young, of Randwick, New South Wales
Honoured: Tower Hill Memorial, London, England - Panel 130
Honoured Australian War Memorial Commemorative Roll