Neptuna
Encyclopedia
MV Neptuna was a 5,952 ton cargo motor vessel. She was launched as MV Rio Panuco in 1924, renamed MV Neptun in 1931 and finally became MV Neptuna in 1935. She was sunk during the Japanese air raid on Darwin on 19 February 1942, during World War II
.
by Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft
, Kiel
for H. Schuldt's Flensburger Dampfer Co. She traded between Germany and Central America until 1931 when the company went bankrupt in the Great Depression
.
She was sold to Norddeutscher Lloyd
Line (NDL) of Bremen, who renamed her Neptun. By 1934 was running her on the service between New Guinea
and Hong Kong
in competition with Burns, Philp & Co
. Burns, Philp asked the Australian Government to stop NDL from operating out of New Guinea but the government declined.
Instead the Australian government offered to pay the interest on any money Burns, Philp borrowed to buy her. This was agreed so in 1935 Burns, Philp bought her and renamed her Neptuna. Burns, Philp is an Australian company but it registered Neptuna in Hong Kong
. She operated on the Australia, New Guinea, Philippines, Hong Kong, Saigon service. Saigon in French Indochina
(now Ho Chi Minh City
in Vietnam
) was then the main source of supply of rice to New Guinea.
unloading a cargo of depth charge
s TNT and other armaments. There was a Japanese air raid on 19 February in which bombs exploded in Neptunas saloon and engine room. Forty-five crew members were killed, many others were seriously injured and the ship was set on fire. As the crew prepared to abandon her 200 tons of depth charges exploded, showering the harbour with debris and sending flames and smoke 100 metres into the air.
Part of the wreck was salvaged by Japanese contractors in 1960. The remainder still lies in Darwin Harbour at 12°28′18"S 130°50′57"E.
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...
.
Career
Rio Panuco was built and launched in 1924 in KielKiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...
by Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft
Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft
Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft was a German shipbuilding company, located in the harbour at Kiel, and one of the largest and most important builders of U-boats for the Kaiserliche Marine in World War I and the Kriegsmarine in World War II.-History:The company was founded in 1867 by Lloyd Foster, as...
, Kiel
Kiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...
for H. Schuldt's Flensburger Dampfer Co. She traded between Germany and Central America until 1931 when the company went bankrupt in the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
.
She was sold to Norddeutscher Lloyd
Norddeutscher Lloyd
Norddeutsche Lloyd was a German shipping company. It was founded by Hermann Henrich Meier and Eduard Crüsemann in Bremen on February 20, 1857. It developed into one of the most important German shipping companies of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and was instrumental in the economic...
Line (NDL) of Bremen, who renamed her Neptun. By 1934 was running her on the service between New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
and Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
in competition with Burns, Philp & Co
Burns Philp
Burns Philp was once a major player in the food manufacturing business. Since its delisting from the Australian Stock Exchange in December 2006 and the subsequent sale of its assets, the company has mainly become a cashed up shell company...
. Burns, Philp asked the Australian Government to stop NDL from operating out of New Guinea but the government declined.
Instead the Australian government offered to pay the interest on any money Burns, Philp borrowed to buy her. This was agreed so in 1935 Burns, Philp bought her and renamed her Neptuna. Burns, Philp is an Australian company but it registered Neptuna in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. She operated on the Australia, New Guinea, Philippines, Hong Kong, Saigon service. Saigon in French Indochina
French Indochina
French Indochina was part of the French colonial empire in southeast Asia. A federation of the three Vietnamese regions, Tonkin , Annam , and Cochinchina , as well as Cambodia, was formed in 1887....
(now Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City , formerly named Saigon is the largest city in Vietnam...
in Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
) was then the main source of supply of rice to New Guinea.
Sinking
In February 1942 Neptuna was off Stokes Hill Wharf, Darwin, AustraliaDarwin, 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...
unloading a cargo of depth charge
Depth charge
A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare weapon intended to destroy or cripple a target submarine by the shock of exploding near it. Most use explosives and a fuze set to go off at a preselected depth in the ocean. Depth charges can be dropped by either surface ships, patrol aircraft, or from...
s TNT and other armaments. There was a Japanese air raid on 19 February in which bombs exploded in Neptunas saloon and engine room. Forty-five crew members were killed, many others were seriously injured and the ship was set on fire. As the crew prepared to abandon her 200 tons of depth charges exploded, showering the harbour with debris and sending flames and smoke 100 metres into the air.
Part of the wreck was salvaged by Japanese contractors in 1960. The remainder still lies in Darwin Harbour at 12°28′18"S 130°50′57"E.
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