Manunda
Encyclopedia
Manunda was an Australian registered and crewed passenger ship
which was converted to a hospital ship
in 1940. During the war Manunda saw service in both the Middle East and Pacific Campaigns, specifically New Guinea. She resumed her passenger duties after the war, before being sold to a Japanese company and finally broken up in 1957.
in Australia
ordered a new 9,119 GRT liner to provide full-time Australian coastal passenger services, which had previously only been offered by the company on a limited scale.
The TSMV Manunda was built by William Beardmore and Company
at Dalmuir
in Scotland
and was launched on 27 November 1928. Completed on 16 April 1929, she arrived in Australia in June 1929 to begin her duties on the Australian Coast Trade, running passengers and cargo between Sydney
, Fremantle
, Melbourne
and Cairns.
She accommodated 176 First Class and 136 Second Class Passengers and sailed at a service speed of 15 knots. She was the largest ship operated by the Adelaide Steamship Company, and as a result of her success the company commissioned a larger, faster sister ship, the Manoora
, which was completed in 1935.
She was converted to a Hospital Ship at Sydney in compliance with the Geneva Convention Regulations and was taken over by the authorities on 25 May 1940, and was commissioned as and as AHS Manunda 2/1 Hospital Ship on 22 July 1940, under Captain James Garden, previously Captain of the Adelaide Steamship Company Manoora and Commodore of the Adelaide Steamship Fleet. The General Hospital based on board was commanded by Lt. Col. John Beith, and members of the Australian Army Nursing Service (AANS) on board were led by Matron Clara Jane Shumack (1899-1974).
Manunda sailed on a “shake down cruise” to Darwin
, Port Moresby
and returned to Sydney, before heading for Suez in the Middle East (she made four trips to the Middle East and Mediterranean between November 1940 and September 1941). She was then despatched to Darwin.
On the morning of 19 February 1942, Manunda was damaged during the Japanese air raids on Darwin', despite her highly prominent red cross markings on a white background. 13 members of the ships’ crew and hospital staff were killed, 19 others were seriously wounded and another 40 or so received minor wounds. The Manunda was able to act as a casualty clearing station for injured personnel from other ships involved in the attack.
She sailed to Fremantle the next day.
Captain James Garden was later awarded the O.B.E, in 1945, for his bravery and skill, both during the attacks, in leading a fire extinguishing team on the ship and in later navigating it by the stars to Fremantle with no navigation equipment and a jury-rigged steering system.
After a refit in Adelaide, she went to Milne Bay in Papua New Guinea
, where she acted as a floating hospital for the Allied forces who were stationed there. She spent several nights in Milne Bay, during attacks by Japanese warships, but her status as a hospital ship was, on this occasion unaccountably honored by Japanese naval units, which raked her with searchlights on three nights running.
She made a total of 27 voyages from Milne Bay to Brisbane and Sydney transporting wounded troops. As the war continued, she was relocated as required and she followed the Allied forces the various islands around the Pacific. Manundas final wartime voyage was to New Zealand
transporting civilian passengers. During the war she carried approximately 30,000 casualties to safety.
After the Japanese surrendered Manunda was despatched in September 1945 to Singapore to repatriate ex-POWs and civilian internees who had been imprisoned in Changi Prison
. She also sailed to Labuan in Borneo to pick up ex-POWs and civilian internees from Batu Lintang camp
.
Sadly, the company’s plans for her did not eventuate, and she was broken up the next year in Japan, arriving in Osaka on 18 June 1957.
Passenger ship
A passenger ship is a ship whose primary function is to carry passengers. The category does not include cargo vessels which have accommodations for limited numbers of passengers, such as the ubiquitous twelve-passenger freighters once common on the seas in which the transport of passengers is...
which was converted to a hospital ship
Hospital ship
A hospital ship is a ship designated for primary function as a floating medical treatment facility or hospital; most are operated by the military forces of various countries, as they are intended to be used in or near war zones....
in 1940. During the war Manunda saw service in both the Middle East and Pacific Campaigns, specifically New Guinea. She resumed her passenger duties after the war, before being sold to a Japanese company and finally broken up in 1957.
Early history
In 1927 the Adelaide Steamship CompanyAdelaide 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...
in 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...
ordered a new 9,119 GRT liner to provide full-time Australian coastal passenger services, which had previously only been offered by the company on a limited scale.
The TSMV Manunda was built by William Beardmore and Company
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...
at Dalmuir
Dalmuir
Dalmuir is an area on the western side of Clydebank, in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland.-Location:It is neighboured by the village of Old Kilpatrick, the Mountblow and Parkhall areas of Clydebank, as well as the town centre...
in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and was launched on 27 November 1928. Completed on 16 April 1929, she arrived in Australia in June 1929 to begin her duties on the Australian Coast Trade, running passengers and cargo between 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...
, Fremantle
Fremantle, Western Australia
Fremantle is a city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle was the first area settled by the Swan River colonists in 1829...
, 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...
and Cairns.
She accommodated 176 First Class and 136 Second Class Passengers and sailed at a service speed of 15 knots. She was the largest ship operated by the Adelaide Steamship Company, and as a result of her success the company commissioned a larger, faster sister ship, the Manoora
HMAS Manoora (1935)
HMAS Manoora was a motor vessel laid down for the Adelaide Steamship Company by Alex Stephen and Son at Govan in Scotland in July 1934, launched on 25 October 1935 and completed in 1935....
, which was completed in 1935.
Manunda in World War II
The declaration of war saw Manunda fitted out as DEMS ship (Defensively Equipped Merchant Ship), under the control of the Australian Shipping Control Board.She was converted to a Hospital Ship at Sydney in compliance with the Geneva Convention Regulations and was taken over by the authorities on 25 May 1940, and was commissioned as and as AHS Manunda 2/1 Hospital Ship on 22 July 1940, under Captain James Garden, previously Captain of the Adelaide Steamship Company Manoora and Commodore of the Adelaide Steamship Fleet. The General Hospital based on board was commanded by Lt. Col. John Beith, and members of the Australian Army Nursing Service (AANS) on board were led by Matron Clara Jane Shumack (1899-1974).
Manunda sailed on a “shake down cruise” to Darwin
Darwin, Northern Territory
Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...
, 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...
and returned to Sydney, before heading for Suez in the Middle East (she made four trips to the Middle East and Mediterranean between November 1940 and September 1941). She was then despatched to Darwin.
On the morning of 19 February 1942, Manunda was damaged during the Japanese air raids on Darwin', despite her highly prominent red cross markings on a white background. 13 members of the ships’ crew and hospital staff were killed, 19 others were seriously wounded and another 40 or so received minor wounds. The Manunda was able to act as a casualty clearing station for injured personnel from other ships involved in the attack.
She sailed to Fremantle the next day.
Captain James Garden was later awarded the O.B.E, in 1945, for his bravery and skill, both during the attacks, in leading a fire extinguishing team on the ship and in later navigating it by the stars to Fremantle with no navigation equipment and a jury-rigged steering system.
After a refit in Adelaide, she went to Milne Bay in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
, where she acted as a floating hospital for the Allied forces who were stationed there. She spent several nights in Milne Bay, during attacks by Japanese warships, but her status as a hospital ship was, on this occasion unaccountably honored by Japanese naval units, which raked her with searchlights on three nights running.
She made a total of 27 voyages from Milne Bay to Brisbane and Sydney transporting wounded troops. As the war continued, she was relocated as required and she followed the Allied forces the various islands around the Pacific. Manundas final wartime voyage was to 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...
transporting civilian passengers. During the war she carried approximately 30,000 casualties to safety.
After the Japanese surrendered Manunda was despatched in September 1945 to Singapore to repatriate ex-POWs and civilian internees who had been imprisoned in Changi Prison
Changi Prison
Changi Prison is a prison located in Changi in the eastern part of Singapore.-First prison and POW camp:...
. She also sailed to Labuan in Borneo to pick up ex-POWs and civilian internees from Batu Lintang camp
Batu Lintang camp
Batu Lintang camp at Kuching, Sarawak on the island of Borneo was a Japanese internment camp during the Second World War. It was unusual in that it housed both Allied prisoners of war and civilian internees...
.
Post war career
Manunda was decommissioned in September 1946 and received an extensive 18 month refit in Melbourne. She returned to service on 2 April, 1948, transporting passengers around the Australian coast. In September 1956 she was withdrawn from service and placed on the market. She sold very quickly and was purchased by Okadagumi Shipping Ltd of Japan. She sailed from Sydney for the last time as TSMV Hakone Maru on 4 October, 1956.Sadly, the company’s plans for her did not eventuate, and she was broken up the next year in Japan, arriving in Osaka on 18 June 1957.
External links
- AHS Manunda, Australian Merchant Navy website
- 2/1 HMAHS Manunda, Peter Dunn's "Australia @ War" website
- history and photo of ward
- HMAS Manunda History, far-eastern-heroes.org.uk
- Wartime wedding aboard Manunda, far-eastern-heroes.org.uk
- Manunda’s ship’s menu from Thursday 16 July 1953: Menu; Wine list, State Library of South Australia
- Silver dinner bell from MV Manunda, Australian War Memorial
- http://www.itsanhonour.gov.au/honours/honour_roll/search.cfm?aus_award_id=1109345&search_type=quick&showInd=true