HMT Katoomba
From Our Contribution
Contents
- 1 Remarks
- 2 Soldiers carried
- 2.1 Milne Bay to Sydney 6 - 14 December 1942
- 2.2 Sydney to Townsville 12 - 15 May 1943
- 2.3 Buna, Papua New Guinea to Bowen, Queensland 20 - 27 February 1944
- 2.4 Buna, Papua New Guinea to Townsville 12 - 18 March 1944
- 2.5 Lae , PNG to Sydney 26 April 12 May 1944
- 2.6 Fremantle to Sydney 16 - 26 June 1944
- 2.7 Sydney to Aitape, New Guinea 5 - 13 November 1944
- 2.8 Brisbane to Jacquinot Bay, New Britain 19 - 24 February 1945
- 2.9 Townsville to Jacquinot Bay, New Britain 10 - 17 March 1945
- 2.10 Lae, New Guinea to Townsville 29 April - 3 May 1945
- 2.11 Lae, New Guinea to Sydney 24 May 1945 - 2 June 1945
- 2.12 Sydney - Lae, New Guinea 25 July - 3 August 1945
- 2.13 Wewak, PNG to Brisbane 13 - 26 October 1945
- 2.14 Torokina, Bougainville to Townsville 11 - 16 December 1945
Remarks
Built for McIllwraith, McEacharn Ltd of Melbourne for the Sydney to Western Australia passenger run carrying passengers, as well as general and refrigerated cargo. In June 1918 she was requisitioned as a troopship and was sent to New York via the Panama Canal with American troops. Refitted at Sydney for her owners in 1919-1920 she was then used on the Australian coastal service from March 1920. In the 1930's she ran Pacific cruises that were very successful.
In February 1942 she was again requisitioned and converted to a troopship. Returned to her owners in 1946, she was sold to Cia Maritima del Este (Greek Line) in July 1946. Between 1947-1949 she was under charter to Cie Generale Transatlantique (French Line) and sailed between France and the West Indies. During a 1949 refit she was converted to oil burning boilers, given extra lifeboats, and painted white. She was renamed SS Columbia at the time of being sold, with accommodation for 52 x 1st class and 75 tourist class passengers.
Operated by them, in 1949 she was renamed SS Columbia and operated on the Bremen - Montreal service. in 1957 she made several voyages from Liverpool to Belfast and Quebec. She was damaged in a collision with the Home Line's SS Homeric at Quebec on 18 Aug 1957 in fog, and on 2 Oct 1957 started her last crossing before being retired from service in June 1950. She was laid up at Piraeus, Greece in March 1958 and scrapped at Nagasaki in 1959.
Soldiers carried
Milne Bay to Sydney 6 - 14 December 1942
Sydney to Townsville 12 - 15 May 1943
Buna, Papua New Guinea to Bowen, Queensland 20 - 27 February 1944
- Thomas Geoffrey Eliot
- Eric William Taylor
- George Charles Owens embarked in Milne Bay 23 February 1944
Buna, Papua New Guinea to Townsville 12 - 18 March 1944
Lae , PNG to Sydney 26 April 12 May 1944
Fremantle to Sydney 16 - 26 June 1944
Sydney to Aitape, New Guinea 5 - 13 November 1944
2/11th Australian Infantry Battalion
- William George Davis
- Francis (George) Hicks MM
- Arthur Gordon Hubbard
- Cornielius Harold (Con) Kerrison
- Thomas Malarkey
Brisbane to Jacquinot Bay, New Britain 19 - 24 February 1945
Townsville to Jacquinot Bay, New Britain 10 - 17 March 1945
Boarded on 10th, sailed on the 11th.
- Leon Ernest Aubrey
- Sidney John Thomas Buggins
- Charles Armstrong Hanbury
- Keith Raymond Mills
- Arthur George Shepherd