A55    KYARRA
6,953 gross tons. Lb: metres. Owned by the AUSN Co Ltd, Sydney, and manned by Australian officers and crew. Leased by the Commonwealth until 4 January 1918. 13 April 1915 at Sydney embarked 3rd Infantry Battalion (New South Wales) 1st Infantry Brigade 5th reinforcements. 20 August 1915 8th Reinforcements for the 4th Light horse Regiment departed Melbourne. 3 January 1916 embarked Medical Officers at Brisbane. 3 June 1916 at Sydney embarked 1st Infantry Battalion (New South Wales) 18th Reinforcements, 2nd Infantry Battalion (New South Wales) 1st Infantry Brigade 18th Reinforcements, 3rd Infantry Battalion (New South Wales) 1st Infantry Brigade 18th Reinforcements & Medical Officers. 17 November 1916 Medical Officers at Brisbane. 3 September 1917 embarked 1st Light Horse Regiment, 29th Reinforcement & Medical Officers at Sydney. 7 September 1917 28th & 29th Reinforcements for the 4th Light horse Regiment & Medical Officers at Melbourne. (7th September 1917 Medical Officers at Fremantle.???) Torpedoed and sunk by a submarine in the English Channel, 26 May 1918

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A56    PALERMO
7,597 gross tons. Lb: metres. It was owned by the P & O SN Co, London, and leased by the Commonwealth until 10 January 1917. 7th May 1915 5th Reinforcements for the 4th Light horse Regiment departed Melbourne. 29 October 1915 11th Reinforcements for the 4th Light horse Regiment & Medical Officers - From Melbourne. 18 April 1916 Medical Officers - From Sydney. 30 September 1916 Medical Officers - From Melbourne.

image a639050r courtesy State Library New South Wales

A57    MALEKUTA
7,430 gross tons. Lb: metres. Owned by the T & J Brocklebank Ltd, Liverpool, and leased by the Commonwealth until 24 January 1917. 23 September 1915 embarked Medical Officers - From Melbourne. 16 March 1916 Medical Officers - From Sydney. 27 June 1916 Medical Officers - From Adelaide.

image a638303r courtesy State Library New South Wales

A58    KABINGA
4,657 gross tons. Lb: metres. It was owned by the Ellerman & Bucknall SS Co Ltd, London. The Kabinga was captured by Emden in the Bay of Bengal on 12 September 1914 and released with the Emden’s beaching at the Cocos Islands. Leased by the Commonwealth until 19 June 1917. 8 May 1916 embarked Medical Officers - From Melbourne.

image pc000664 courtesy State Library Victoria

A59    BOTANIST
7,688 gross tons. Lb: 143.1 x 17.7 metres. Cargo steamship built 1912 by Henderson at Meadowside, England for the Charente SS Co Ltd, Liverpool (T J Harrison). Single screw, quadruple expansion engine making 12 knots. Leased by the Commonwealth until 6 December 1916. 2 June 1915 Medical Officers - From Adelaide. 28 April 1916 Medical Officers - From Adelaide. 24 August 1916 Medical Officers - From Melbourne.


Post Hostilities

wrecked Komuriya Reef, E Ceylon 24.3.20 [Calcutta-London, general]

A60    AENEAS
10,049 built in 1910 by Workman Clarke at Belfast with a tonnage of 10049grt, a length of 509ft, a beam of 60ft and a service speed of 14 knots. Built for the Ocean Steam Ship Co (Blue Funnel Line) Liverpool. she was one of three 'A' Class passenger ships built during 1910-11 for the South Africa-Australia service. Her maiden voyage commenced on 18th November 1910 from Glasgow - Liverpool - Fishguard - Las Palmas - Cape Town - Adelaide - Melbourne - Sydney. The service was operated on a six-weekly basis and took 39 days
Requisitioned by the Australian Government for use as a troopship until 22 June 1917


14th - 23rd June 1915 refitted at Cockatoo Island Drydock, Sydney to transport 1820 troops

29 June 1915 departed Brisbane with 25th Infantry Battalion (Queensland) 7th Infantry Brigade & 1st Reinforcements, 26th Infantry Battalion (Queensland and Tasmania) 7th Infantry Brigade & 1st Reinforcements
20 December 1915 at Sydney embarked 1st Infantry Battalion (New South Wales) 13th Reinforcements, 2nd Infantry Battalion (New South Wales) [1st Infantry Brigade] 13th Reinforcements, 1st Light Horse Regiment 13th Reinforcements, 3rd Infantry Battalion (New South Wales) 1st Infantry Brigade 14th Reinforcements, 4th Infantry Battalion (New South Wales) 1st Infantry Brigade 13th Reinforcements, 13th Infantry Battalion (New South Wales) 4th Infantry Brigade 13th Reinforcements, 17th Infantry Battalion (New South Wales) 5th Infantry Brigade 8th Reinforcements, 18th Infantry Battalion (New South Wales) 5th Infantry Brigade 8th Reinforcements & Medical Officers.
8 April 1916 embarked Medical Officers at Melbourne.
11 April 1916 departed Adelaide with 10th Infantry Battalion (South Australia) 3rd Infantry Brigade 17th Reinforcements & 32nd Infantry Battalion (South Australia and Western Australia) 8th Infantry Brigade 6th Reinforcements, 48th Infantry Battalion (South Australia and Western Australia) 12th Infantry Brigade 2nd Reinforcements & 50th Infantry Battalion (South Australia) 13th Infantry Brigade 2nd Reinforcements. 17 April 1916 embarked Fremantle 28th Infantry Battalion (Western Australia) 7th Infantry Brigade 12th Reinforcements & 51st Infantry Battalion (Western Australia) 13th Infantry Brigade 2nd Reinforcements. 30 September 1916 at Sydney embarked 4th Infantry Battalion (New South Wales) 1st Infantry Brigade 21st Reinforcements & Medical Officers.
17 April 1916 embarked at Fremantle 11th Infantry Battalion (Western Australia) 3rd Infantry Brigade 17th Reinforcements, 16th Infantry Battalion (Western Australia and South Australia) 4th Infantry Brigade 17th Reinforcements, 51st Infantry Battalion (Western Australia) 13th Infantry Brigade 2nd Reinforcements. 30 September 1916 departed Sydney with 54th Infantry Battalion (New South Wales) 14th Infantry Brigade 5th Reinforcements, 55th Infantry Battalion (New South Wales) 14th Infantry Brigade 5th Reinforcements & 56th Infantry Battalion (New South Wales) 14th Infantry Brigade 5th Reinforcements .
30 October 1917 departed Melbourne with 10th Infantry Battalion (South Australia) 3rd Infantry Brigade 25th Reinforcements, 11th Infantry Battalion (Western Australia) 3rd Infantry Brigade 27th Reinforcements, 27th Infantry Battalion (South Australia) 7th Infantry Brigade 20th Reinforcements, 40th Infantry Battalion (Tasmania) 10th Infantry Brigade 9th Reinforcements, 51st Infantry Battalion (Western Australia) 13th Infantry Brigade 11th Reinforcements & Medical Officers.
May 1918 she ran aground at Torcor Head on Rathlin Island. She returned to the Australian service on 29th May 1920 with capacity for 180 First Class passengers. In 1924 the service became a joint Blue Funnel - White Star operation and in the following year she was transferred to Far East route, joining the 'Sarpedon' Class vessels to bring the number of ships operating the service to 5.
On 2nd July 1940, during a voyage as part of convoy OA 1776 from London to Glasgow where she was to finish unloading, she was sunk following an air attack off Start Point, Devon. Being the largest vessel and second ship in a line ahead convoy she was singled out for a machine gun and bomb attack. The main steam supply was disabled by a bomb which also blew out her starboard side. Her master, Captain D L C Evans, ordered the boats to be lowered as the ship heeled over and sank. Nineteen lives were lost and the survivors were picked up by HMS Worthington

image a636033r courtesy State Library New South Wales

A61    KANOWNA
1903-29
6,942 gross tons. Lbd: 415'6"x 52'2" x 28'6". 14 knots. Twin screw passenger steamship built by W Denny & Sons, Dumbarton for the Australiasian United Steam Navigation Co, registered London (AUSN). Serviced between Fremantle, Adelaide, Melbourne Sydney and Brisbane.

8th August 1914 Requisitioned as a transport at Townsville, Queensland. Manned by Australian Officers and crew. Embarked Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force - Queensland contingent troops for Port Moresby New Guinea. edit below - (Under the command of Colonel William Holmes, the AN&MEF departed Sydney aboard the P&O liner Berrima and halted at Palm Island off Townsville until the New Zealand force, escorted by the battlecruiser HMAS Australia, cruiser HMAS Melbourne and the French cruiser Montcalm, occupied Samoa on 30 August. The AN&MEF then moved to Port Moresby where it met the Queensland contingent aboard the transport HMAHS Kanowna. The force then sailed for German New Guinea on 7 September but the Kanowna was left behind when her stokers refused to work. footnote; - further details - The Queensland based 'Kennedy Regiment' had been under orders that in the event of war they were to reinforce the garrison on Thursday Island in order to prevent German military action there. Thus on the outbreak of the war, the regiment's officers had hastily mobilised it and requisitioned the Kanowna under the Defence Act. Once they had arrived on the island, a call for volunteers for overseas service had been made and 500 men had responded. As such it was decided to retain the Kanowna to transport this Force wherever it needed to go, however, evidently the crew of the ship had not been consulted about whether or not they wished to participate in possible military action and as a result there was considerable discontentment amongst the crew on board. When the Force finally sailed on 7 September 1914 the Kanowna was originally amongst the convoy, however, not long after leaving Port Moresby the transport dropped out of the convoy when the stokers on board refused to work, stopping the ship dead in the water. Commonwealth control ended 21 August 1914. Requisitioned again 1st June 1915.

1st - 6th June 1915 refitted at Cockatoo Island Drydock, Sydney to transport 1100 troops Proceeded to England where converted into a hospital ship with accommodation for 452 patients. Re-classified as HMAHS KANOWNA (2nd Hospital Ship)
For the next three years transported sick and wounded between England and Australia.

22 December 1915 departed Sydney with 1st Dermatological Hospital (Infectious Diseases)









15th July 1917 departed England with wound Australian soldiers, via Durban arriving fremantle 1st September 1917. 3rd Spetember 1917 departed fremantle and via Port Adelaide arrived Port Mlebourne 6pm 10th Spetember 1917, anchored off Gellibrand Lighthouse until 9am the next day when berthed 9am at the 'New Pier' (later renamed Princes Pier)

25 September 1917 at Sydney embarked Medical Officers




BATTLE - SERVICE HONOURS - Egypt, England

Commonwealth control ended 29 July 1919 At the end of hostilities she continued in her role as a Hospital Ship transporting ailing and injured Australian troops back to Australia. Recorded as departed London 25 August 1919, berthed at Durban, South Africa 24 September 1919 and arriving Sydney 27 October 1917

Continued her coastal passenger service until 1929 when she struck Corsairs rock in the Ansar group off Wilson's Promontory Victoria and sank the following day 8th February 1929. All saved. On 18 February 1929, Kanowna ran into rocks whilst travelling between Sydney and Melbourne near Cleft Island, south of Wilsons Promontory. Passengers were transferred to the SS Mackarra prior to the sinking of Kanowna. The steamship Dumosa was used to transfer Kanowna’s officers and crew. On 18 February 1929, Kanowna ran into rocks whilst travelling between Sydney and Melbourne near Cleft Island, south of Wilsons Promontory. Passengers were transferred to the SS Mackarra prior to the sinking of Kanowna. The steamship Dumosa was used to transfer Kanowna’s officers and crew Originally it was believed that the Kanowna could be moved and saved, but the boiler fires had extinguished and attempts to beach the ship were unsuccessful. The ship remained afloat for several hours before sinking. Fog is believed to have been a major factor in the incident. A Court of Inquiry found the captain should have slowed his vessel in the fog. It is one of Victoria's largest shipwrecks Sistership Kyarra (A50 also served as Hospital ship and was lost in the English Channel)

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A62    WANDILLA
gross tons. Lb: metres. 3 February 1916 embarked Medical Officers - From Sydney. 31 January 1916 Medical Officers - From Brisbane.

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A63    KAROOLA
gross tons. Lb: metres. 16 June 1915 at Sydney embarked 1st Infantry Battalion (New South Wales) 6th Reinforcements, 2nd Infantry Battalion (New South Wales) 1st Infantry Brigade 6th Reinforcements, 3rd Infantry Battalion (New South Wales) 1st Infantry Brigade 6th reinforcements & Medical Officers. 20 May 1916 embarked Medical Officers at Sydney. 27 May 1916 embarked Medical Officers at Melbourne. 25 April 1917 embarked Medical Officers at Melbourne. 12 September 1917 embarked Medical Officers at Melbourne. 23 March 1918 embarked Medical Officers at Melbourne.

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A64    DEMOSTHENES
gross tons. Lb: metres. 16 July 1915 embarked Medical Officers - From Melbourne. 22 December 1916 Medical Officers - From Sydney. 29 December 1915 Medical Officers - From Melbourne. December 23, 1916 embarked 12th Reinforcements, 31st Battalion (5th Division Train) possibly at Brisbane and arriving at England in March. Unit left for France in July, 1917.

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A65    CLAN MACEWEN
5140 gross tons, 3190 net. Lbd: 430.5 X 53.6 X 26.6 Feet (131.2 x 16.3 metres). on: 133053. Cargo ship (refrigerated) built 1912 by Palmer Shipbuilding & Iron Co Ltd. Jarrow (Yard No 817) for The Clan Line Steamers Ltd (Cayzer, Irvine & Co Ltd, Glasgow). Single screw, triple expansion engine making 14 knots.

8th - 26th June 1915 converted at Cockatoo Island Drydock, Sydney to transport 126 troops and 450 horses

28 June 1915 embarked 1st Light Horse Regiment, 6th Reinforcement at Sydney.

1915 during the Dardanelles campaign served Alexandria – Mundros – Salonica. Housed Turkish Prisoners of war.

October 1915 carried meat stores for eight months







POST HOSTILITIES

1920 transferred to Scottish Shire Line (Turnbull Martin & Co), renamed Buteshire

1932 transferred to Houston Line

1943 Took part in the first inbound convoy to transit the Mediterranean since 1940

February 1948 scrapped at Thomas W Ward at Preston

image shown as Buteshire

A66    UGANDA
1898-1918
5,355 gross tons. Lb: 410 x 51 feet. Passenger Cargo steamship built by Alexander Stephen & Sons Glasgow for British India Steam Navigation Company Glasgow & London. Triple expansion engines - 2274 ihp. Service speed 10 knots. Carried only 17 passengers and, despite her name Uganda, spent most of her service in Indian and Australian waters.

On the outbreak of the First World War she was employed as an ambulance transport

17th - 29th May 1915 converted at Cockatoo Island Drydock, Sydney to transport 136 troops and 180 horses 15 June 1915 embarked Medical Officers - From Sydney. 2 May 1916 Medical Officers - From Melbourne.



17th June 1916 when off Marseilles, attacked by enemy submarine. Hit several times by shellfire, her crew were still able to bring her own gun into action at extreme range. The sixth shot was believed to have hit the U-boat as it submerged immediately and was seen no more.

29 May 1918, torpedoed off Majorca 90 miles north of Algiers by UB49. She sank two days later, fortunately with no loss of life.

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A67    ORSOVA
12,036 gross tons. Speed of 18 knots. Owned by the P & O SN Co Ltd, London, and leased by the Commonwealth until 28 February 1917. 14 July 1915 at Sydney embarked 1st Infantry Battalion (New South Wales) 7th Reinforcements, 2nd Infantry Battalion (New South Wales) 1st Infantry Brigade 7th Reinforcements & 3rd Infantry Battalion (New South Wales) 1st Infantry Brigade 7th Reinforcements. 10 November 1915 embarked Medical Officers at Sydney. 16 March 1916 Medical Officers at Melbourne. 29 July 1916 Medical Officers at Sydney. 1st August 1916 Medical Officers at Melbourne. 2nd December 1916 Medical Officers at Sydney. 6th or/and until 16 December 1916 embarked 24th Reinforcements for the 4th Light horse Regiment & Medical Officers at Melbourne.

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A68    ANCHISES
10,046 gross tons. Speed 14 knots. Built 1911 by Workman Clarke at Belfast for the Ocean Steamship Co Ltd, London (Alfred Holt's Blue Funnel Line) Requisitioned by the Commonwealth as a troopship in 1914.

9th - 14th August 1915 refitted at Cockatoo Island Drydock, Sydney to transport 1520 troops Carried 15th Reinforcements 4th Light horse Regiment & Medical Officers from Melbourne on 14 March 1916. Troops from Adelaide 16 March 1916. From Sydney Troops & Medical Officers 24 August 1916 and Melbourne August 26 1916. Further units & Medical Officers embarked from Sydney on 24 January 1917. 8 August 1917 29th Reinforcements 4th Light horse Regiment & Medical Officers from Sydney.
Greater details available at Australian War Memorial webpages. (Private Roy Longmore, 3rd Reinforcements, 21st Battalion, of Bannockburn, Victoria enlisted on July 13, 1915; and he embarked from Melbourne aboard HMAT Anchises on August 26, 1915, his fame, as well as being an ANZAC, is that he died 2001 at 107 yo being the 2nd last Anzac trooper alive at the time). HMAT Anchises was released from War service 12th October 1917.
Resumed peacetime services as a cargo vessel on the Australian run. On 23rd September 1918 she was chased by a submarine in the Atlantic and attacked with gunfire. Retaliating with extreme accuracy the Anchises drove off her attacker. She resumed commercial service on the Glasgow - Liverpool - Brisbane service during September 1922. On 27th February 1941 she was damaged and lost power following an air attack by a Focke-Wolf FW200 Condor off Bloody Foreland, Ireland. A total of 134 passengers and crew abandoned ship in six life boats whilst 33 crew members remained on board to try to sail her to Liverpool. Whilst waiting for a salvage tug she was attacked again on 28th February and sank with the loss of 12 lives. The remaining survivors were rescued by HMS Kingcup and HMCS Assiniboine. She was only 70 miles short of the Mersey Estuary

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A69    WARILDA



7,713 gross tons, 4477 net. Lbd: 411'6" x 56'7" x 34'1". Twin screw steel passenger ship built 1912 by W Beardmore & Co Ltd., Dalmuir for the Adelaide Steamship Company along with sisterships Wandilla & Willochra. Twin quadruple expansion engines = 626nhp on 6 coal fired boilers. Her top speed is recorded as 16 knots and her average service speed rated as 14.5 knots. Commenced passenger services out of Fremantle, Western Australia upon arrival 1912. Capable of almost 400 in three classes. Troopship In August 1915. 12 August 1915 1st Infantry Battalion, 10th Reinforcements embarked from Sydney. 5th October 1915 10th Reinforcements, 9th Battalion at Brisbane. 8th October 1915 embarked 1st Infantry Battalion (New South Wales) 10th Reinforcements, 2nd Infantry Battalion (New South Wales) [1st Infantry Brigade] 10th Reinforcements, Unit 4 Infantry Battalion - 9 to 12 Reinforcements, 3rd Infantry Battalion (New South Wales) 1st Infantry Brigade 10th Reinforcements & Medical Officers at Sydney. 8 February 1916 embarked 12th Battalion, 14th Reinforcement & Dental Unit from Melbourne. 22 May 1916 Medical Officers & Dental Unit & 1st Tunnelling Company & 375 Tunnellers of the 4th Company at Sydney. 25 May 1916 No 4 Tunnelling Company and 1st Reinforcements, 370 Tunnellers of the 5th Company, & Medical Officers at Melbourne.

1st June 1916 371 members of the 6th Company boarded at Fremantle. ‘Warilda’ voyaged via Durban and Cape Town before the Tunnellers disembarked at Plymouth, England on 18 July 1916. Reclassified as HMHS Hospital Ship July 1916. Between Southampton and Le Havre, in 1918, she was struck by a torpedo that failed to explode. Following that she was involved in a collison at sea resulting in heavy damage. Tragically, 3rd August 1918 she was torpedoed and sunk by U-boat in English Channel with the loss of 130 lives.

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A70    BALLARAT
11,120 gross tons. Speed 14 knots. Owned by the P & O SN Co Ltd, London. 6 September 1915 Medical Officers - From Sydney. 9 September 1915 10th Reinforcements for the 4th Light horse Regiment departed Melbourne. 16 February 1916 Medical Officers - From Sydney. 5 August 1916 Medical Officers - From Sydney. 8th August 1916 Medical Officers - From Hobart. 12 August 1916 Medical Officers - From Adelaide. 19 February 1917 Medical Officers - From Melbourne. Torpedoed by Submarine English Channel 25 April 1917, sank 26 April 1917

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A71    NESTOR
14,051 gross tons. 14 knots. Owned by the Ocean Steamship Co Ltd, London (Blue Funnel Line), and leased by the Commonwealth until 26 June 1917. 11 October 1915 Medical Officers - From Melbourne. 2nd October 1916 Medical Officers - From Melbourne. 9 April 1916 2nd Infantry Battalion (New South Wales) 1st Infantry Brigade 16th Reinforcements & Medical Officers - From Sydney. 29 September 1916 21st Reinforcements for the 4th Light horse Regiment departed Melbourne. 21 November 1917 30th Reinforcements for the 4th Light horse Regiment & Medical Officers at Melbourne. 28 February 1918 at Melbourne embarked 3rd Infantry Battalion (New South Wales) 1st Infantry Brigade 26th Reinforcements & Medical Officers.

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A72    BELTANA
11,120 gross tons. Speed of 14 knots. Owned by the P & O SN Co Ltd, London, and leased by the Commonwealth until 14 September 1917. 9 November 1915 embarked 1st Light Horse Regiment, 12th Reinforcement at Sydney. November 25, 1916 embarked 1st Field Company Engineers at Sydney. 16 June 1917 embarked Medical Officers at Sydney. 25 November 1916 embarked Medical Officers at Sydney. 19 January 1918 embarked Medical Officers at Melbourne.

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A73    COMMONWEALTH
6,616 gross tons. Speed of 14 knots. Built for W Lunds Blue Anchor Line. Serviced Australia until fleet taken over by the P & O SN Co Ltd, London circa 1910. Leased by the Commonwealth until 23 June 1917. 26 November 1915 embarked Medical Officers - From Melbourne. March 28, 1916 embarked 15th Reinforcements, 15th Battalion at Brisbane, bound for Egypt. 19 September 1916 Medical Officers - From Melbourne. 2nd November 1917 embarked 1st Light Horse Regiments 30th 31st and 32nd Reinforcements, 4th Light horse Regiments 30th Reinforcements & Medical Officers at Melbourne. 9th November 1917 Medical Officers at Fremantle. 2nd March 1918 Medical Officers at Sydney.

Left image (H02236) courtesy Australian War memorial, right image postcard in issue

A74    MARATHON
7,827 gross tons. Speed of 14 knots. It was owned by the G Thompson & Co Ltd, London (Aberdeen Line), and leased by the Commonwealth until 28 July 1917. 27 October 1916 embarked 49th Battalion, 7th Reinforcements & Medical Officers - From Brisbane and disembarked at Plymouth on January 9, 1917. 10 May 1917 embarked 1st Infantry Battalion (New South Wales) 25th Reinforcements & Medical Officers at Sydney. 23 July 1918 Medical Officers at Melbourne.

image (H00329) courtesy Australian War Memorial