WONGANELLA

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aukepalmhof
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Joined: Thu Apr 02, 2009 1:28 am

WONGANELLA

Post by aukepalmhof » Thu Jun 23, 2016 8:21 pm

Built as a cargo vessel under yard no 605 by Sir James Laing & Sons at Deptford, Sunderland for their own account.
18 August 1904 launched as the WONGA FELL.
Tonnage 3,998 gross, 2,583 net, dim. 109.0 x 14.78 x 5.60m.
Powered by one 3-cyl triple expansion steam engine manufactured by G Clark Ld. Sunderland, 361 nhp., speed 10 knots.
October 1904 completed.

After completing chartered by W.S. Fell Co. Ltd., Sydney, NSW, Australia.
28 November1904 she sailed on her maiden voyage from London to Freemantle, Australia, where she arrived in January 1905.
1906 Was she bought by W.S. Fell & Co. Ltd, Sydney not renamed.
1909 Sold to W. Crosby & Co, Melbourne who renamed her in 1910 in WONGANELLA.
During World War I from 18 November 1915 was she requisitioned by the British Admiralty as a decoy or Q- ship
Her armament is not given.
During that time her patrols or voyages were in the Mediterranean she made one round voyage from the UK to Halifax before she was decommissiond.
11 March 1917 on a passage from Malta to Gibraltar at 36 38N 0 13E came under attack of an enemy submarine with torpedoes and gunfire. The following extract from E. Kebble Chatterton’s Q-Ships and Their Story records the action:
On March 11, 1917, the WONGANELLA (Lieut.-Commander B.J.D. Guy, RN) was on her way from Malta to England via Gibraltar, she was shelled by a submarine, and while the ‘panic’ party were getting out the boats, a shell wounded the officer and several of the crew in the starboard lifeboat. Another shell went through the bulwarks of the ship, wounding some men and bursting the steam-pipe of the winch, thus rendering unworkable the derrick used for hoisting out the third boat, and the port lifeboat was also damaged
Shells burst in the well deck and holed the big boat, so in this case, as all his boats were ‘done in’, the captain had to give up the idea of ‘abandoning’ ship. There was nothing for it but to open fire, though it was not easy for orders to be heard in that indescribable din when shells were bursting, steam pouring out form the burst winch-pipe, wounded men in great pain, and WONGANELLA’s own boiler-steam blowing off with an annoying roar
As soon as fire was opened, the submarine dived and then fired a torpedo, which was avoided by WONGANELLA going astern with her engines, the torpedo just missing the ship’s fore-foot by 10 feet. No more was seen of the enemy, and at dusk the armed steam yacht IOLANDA was met, from whom a doctor was obtained, thus saving the lives of several of the wounded
In this engagement, whilst the White Ensign was being hoisted, the signal halyards were shot away, so the ensign had to be carried up the rigging and secured thereto. WONGANELLA was holed on the water-line and hit elsewhere, but she put into Gibraltar on March 13.
After Gibraltar she sailed to Portsmouth where she arrived on 02 April. She made then a round voyage to Halifax, Canada on her return voyage she rescued 30 survivors from the British cargo vessel ELELE which was torpedoed by the U-24 on 18 June 1917 on a voyage from Boston, USA to Liverpool loaded with wheat & munitions.
23 June 1917 arrived at Plymouth. August 1917 decommissioned as a naval crewed vessel and again merchant manned. 1922 registered in Capetown. 1930 Sold to Afrikanska Angfartygs A/B, Gothenburg, Sweden and renamed MAGDA. 31 March 1933 on a voyage from Callao, Peru to Buenos Aires loaded with timber and general cargo she stranded on the Stragglers at the entrance of Smyth Channel, Magallanes. She was wrecked and lost, the crew were rescued by the Chilean cargo vessel DON RICARDO.

Liberia 2015 $30 sg?, scott?
Source: Lloyds Register 1930. http://www.miramarshipindex.org.nz http://historicalrfa.org/rfa-wonganella-ships-details
Attachments
Wonganella-02.jpg
2015 wonganella (2).jpg

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