SS Bantam (1930)
Encyclopedia
The SS Bantam was built by Mach. Fabr. & Scheepswerf P. Smit Jr. of Rotterdam
, Netherlands
in 1930 of 3322 gross weight and operated by Koninklijke Paketvaart-Maatschappij
which was scuttled off Sydney
, Australia
.
Requistioned during World War II
, the SS Bantam was operating as part of Operation Lilliput
. On 28 March 1943, nine Imperial Japanese Val
dive bombers attacked Oro Bay
, New Guinea
while SS Bantam was alongside a liberty wharf unloading. A total of seven bombs fell on or near SS Bantam. The forward of the bridge, No.3 hold and engine room scored direct bomb hits, while two bombs that hit the liberty wharf tore a hole in the ship’s side on the waterline and began taking water rapidly. The ship caught fire as well as the liberty wharf which was burning out of control. The two pontoons of the wharf sank.
The Bantam was sinking and it was decided to beach her and a couple of large motor boats assisted in pulling the ship away from the wharf. HMAS Bowen
went alongside and began to fight the fires. SS Bantam was beached at the head of Oro Bay. The wreck was raised and towed to Sydney, where she was scuttled 36 miles off Sydney on 24 September 1946, after being filled with unwanted chemical warfare
agents (CWA).
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
in 1930 of 3322 gross weight and operated by Koninklijke Paketvaart-Maatschappij
Koninklijke Paketvaart-Maatschappij
Koninklijke Paketvaart-Maatschappij was a Dutch shipping company in the Dutch East Indies....
which was scuttled off 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...
, 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...
.
Requistioned during 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...
, the SS Bantam was operating as part of Operation Lilliput
Operation Lilliput
Operation Lilliput was the name given to a convoy operation that transported troops, weapons, and supplies from Milne Bay to Oro Bay, New Guinea between December 1942 and June 1943 during World War II....
. On 28 March 1943, nine Imperial Japanese Val
Aichi D3A
The , Allied reporting name "Val") was a World War II carrier-borne dive bomber of the Imperial Japanese Navy . It was the primary dive bomber in the Imperial Japanese Navy, and participated in almost all actions, including Pearl Harbor....
dive bombers attacked Oro Bay
Oro Bay
Oro Bay is a bay in Oro Province, Papua New Guinea, located southeast of Buna. The bay is located within the larger Dyke Ackland Bay. A port is operated by PNG Ports Corporation Limited with limited wharf facilities.-History:...
, 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...
while SS Bantam was alongside a liberty wharf unloading. A total of seven bombs fell on or near SS Bantam. The forward of the bridge, No.3 hold and engine room scored direct bomb hits, while two bombs that hit the liberty wharf tore a hole in the ship’s side on the waterline and began taking water rapidly. The ship caught fire as well as the liberty wharf which was burning out of control. The two pontoons of the wharf sank.
The Bantam was sinking and it was decided to beach her and a couple of large motor boats assisted in pulling the ship away from the wharf. HMAS Bowen
HMAS Bowen
HMAS Bowen , named for the town of Bowen, Queensland, was a Bathurst class corvette laid down by Walkers Limited at Maryborough, Queensland on 9 February 1942, launched on 11 June 1942 by Mrs...
went alongside and began to fight the fires. SS Bantam was beached at the head of Oro Bay. The wreck was raised and towed to Sydney, where she was scuttled 36 miles off Sydney on 24 September 1946, after being filled with unwanted chemical warfare
Chemical warfare
Chemical warfare involves using the toxic properties of chemical substances as weapons. This type of warfare is distinct from Nuclear warfare and Biological warfare, which together make up NBC, the military acronym for Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical...
agents (CWA).