HMT Katoomba

HMT Katoomba
	seen when named SS Columbia in 1952
History
Name	HMT Katoomba
Owner	McIllwraith, McEacharn Ltd
Builder	Harland & Wolff, Belfast
Launched	10 Apr 1913
Completed	10 Jul 1913
In service	1913
Out of service	1958
Fate	sold for scrap
General characteristics
Type	Passenger / steamship
Tonnage	9,424 tons
Length	466 feet (142m)
Beam	60 feet (18.29m)
Propulsion	twin screw
Speed	15 knots
Capacity	55 passengers and crew of 170.
	v; t; e;

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

Fremantle to Sydney 16 - 26 June 1944

Darwin to Lae, new Guinea 15 - 29 September 1944

Barry Martin Keeley

Townsville to Aitape, New Guinea 5 - 13 November 1944

2/11th Australian Infantry Battalion

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.

Lae, New Guinea to Townsville via Jacquinot Bay 29 April - 3 May 1945

John William Alexander
James Wilkinson boarded 26 Apr 1945 at Jacquinot Bay

Lae, New Guinea to Sydney 24 May 1945 - 2 June 1945

Andrew Wilkinson

Sydney - Lae, New Guinea 25 July - 3 August 1945

James David Watts

Wewak, New Guinea to Jacquinot Bay, New Britain 1 - 7 September 1945

Alan Gordon Buckingham

Wewak, PNG to Brisbane 13 - 26 October 1945

Torokina, Bougainville to Townsville 11 - 16 December 1945

HMT Katoomba

From Our Contribution

Contents

Remarks

Soldiers carried

Fremantle to Port Adelaide 12 - 17 July 1941

Fremantle to Sydney 15 - 24 Nov 1941

Milne Bay to Sydney 6 - 14 December 1942

Port Moresby to Sydney 5 - 13 January 1943

Sydney to Townsville 12 - 15 May 1943

Townsville to Port Moresby 3 - 6 September 1943

Townsville to Port Moresby 31 Oct - 4 Nov 1943

Buna, Papua New Guinea to Bowen, Queensland 20 - 27 February 1944

Buna, Papua New Guinea to Townsville 12 - 18 March 1944

Lae, PNG to Sydney 26 April 12 - May 1944