After Burns, Philp & Co got a mail contract from the Commonwealth Government to carry the mail between Australia and Papua, New Guinea, Solomon Islands, New Hebrides, Norfolk and Lord Howe Island he ordered the vessel in 1937.
Built as a passenger-cargo vessel under yard no 668 on the yard of Barclay, Curle & Co. Glasgow for Burns, Philp & Co at Sydney.
31 May 1938 launched under the name "BULOLO", named after a gold mining district in New Guinea. Tonnage 6,267 BRT, 3,442 NRT 4,375 dwt, dim. 412.6 x 58.1 x 25.3ft, draught 23 ft.
Powered by two 6 cyl. Single acting Kincaid diesels 6,130 BHP., speed 15 knots, twin screws.
Passenger accommodation for 223 first class and 16 second class, could carry native passengers in the tweendecks for short inter island voyages.
10 Sept. 1938 ran trials, and was delivered to owners, during trials reached a speed of 17 knots.
15 Sept. 1938 sailed from Glasgow to Middleborough to load a cargo of sulphate of ammonia, loading was completed on 21 Sept., and the "BULOLO" sailed via the Suez Canal to Singapore and then to Townsville, Brisbane and Sydney were she arrived on the 31 Oct.
She sailed for the first time from Sydney on 19 Nov. and via Brisbane headed for Port Moresby, then via many ports in Papua New Guinea with the last port of call Port Moresby she sailed back to Brisbane and Sydney. She was only used for 9 months in this service when she was taken over by the Royal Navy on 18 Sept. 1939 (other source says 22 Sept.).
27 Sept. she sailed from Sydney for South Africa for conversion as an armed merchant cruiser at the Simonstown Dockyard. .
04 Jan 1940 conversion completed, commissioned as HMS "BULOLO" with an armament of 7 - 6 inch and 2 - 3 inch guns and equipment for depth charges.
After completion she sailed for Freetown on 06 Jan. and became a part of the Freetown Convoy Escort Group. Sailing between America, South Africa and the U.K., carrying mainly troops and supplies. She was also used for the search of German raiders and capture of Vichy French ships. She spent also two weeks in Duala at that time French Cameroon supporting Free French Forces after the fall of France in September 1940.
May 1941 sailed to the Clyde, boarded troops and sailed to Canada, after debarking her troops, she sailed to Baltimore for a refit from 30 June until 4 August. After completing her refit she sailed to Freetown and made then a patrol voyage in the South Atlantic before she was going to Simonstown for bunkering and supplies, sailed then across the South Atlantic for patrol duties on the South American coast with refueling and supplies port used Montevideo, Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro.
April 1942 sailed to the Royal Albert Dock in London for conversion in a Landing Ship Headquarters, becoming the first such ship in the Royal Navy. The work was completed on 09 June 1942, and she proceeded to the Clyde for exercises in her new roll for the Operation Torch (landings in North Africa).
She sailed from the Clyde on 26 October under command of Admiral Burroughs in a convoy, and on 8 November lying off Algiers directed the invasion forces. The same day Algiers fell and the "BULOLO" sailed in the harbour the next day at dawn, having to break trough the boom across the harbour entrance, she did have so much speed that before she could stop she crashed in an concrete wharf, it took two days to get her free but the vessel was sturdy built and got only a crumpled bow. December 1942 returned in the River Clyde, and she sailed from there in Jan. 1943 bound for Casablanca, where she acted as communication ship when the two Allied leaders Churchill and Roosevelt met there in March.
Thereafter sailed for Aden for operations in that area, after which she entered the Mediterranean again for Operation Husky (landings on Sicily) in July 1943. The rest of 1943 was she used in the Indian Ocean.
Jan. 1944 returned to the Mediterranean for Operation Shingle, the ANZIO landings on 22 Jan. on the Italian coast. After the landings she returned to the U.K. were she arrived on 19 April at Portsmouth for preparing of the D-Day landings.
24 May visited King George the vessel and on 3 June Winston Churchill accompanied by Field Marshal Smuts. After embarking her troops at Southampton on Berth 41 she sailed on 03 June 1944 for her anchorage in the Solent, sailed from there the 5th at 18.37 in Assault Convoy G9A, as an Assault Headquarters Ship, arrived Gold the 6 th at 05.56. Was damaged near her operation room by a bomb of 250 pound on the 7 th at 06.05, which killed three people.
Was in collision on the 15th when she was rammed by the "EMPIRE PITT", got damage on her superstructure and hull above the waterline. 27th. Sailed to Southampton, where she arrived the 28th at 12.12. On 30 August 1944 a major refit began to make her suitable for the Pacific operations, the refit was completed on 30 April 1945. Sailed on 12 June from Greenock for Bombay. 14 Aug. on board of the "BULOLO" the surrender of Singapore by the Japanese was signed. Jan 1946 The "BULOLO" returned to Scotland and was used as an accommodation ship at Rosneath in the Gare Loch. She was released from Government service on 5th December 1946.
All the yards in the U.K. were very busy with new buildings and repairs, so it took till June 1948 before her refitting was ready by the Barclay, Curle yard at Glasgow. Her passenger accommodation was reduced to 180 first class. June 1948 sailed from Liverpool with 180 passengers bound for Sydney, where she arrived on 24 July.
18 August 1948 sailed for her first post war voyage from Sydney to Brisbane-Port Moresby, Lae and Rabaul. 29 August 1951 (an other source gives 29 March 1951) she was badly damaged by a fire, the cargo of copra in hold no 3 got on fire during unloading. By all the water pumped on the fire she got a heavy list and was towed across the harbour and beached at Kerosene Bay. 03 Dec. 1951, repairs were completed and she resumed service.
April 1968 When the Australian Government decided to withdraw their subsidy of $ 400.000 for the mail line to Papua New Guinea, this meant the end for the "BULOLO".
12 January 1968 she made her last departure from Port Moresby farewelled by at least 1000 people, and arrived Sydney on 18 January. Al together she made 161 voyages in this service and she was the last regular passenger liner on the Australian-Papua New Guinea run.
16 April 1968 sold to China Steel Corp. at Taiwan for scrap.
28 April towed out by the tug FUJI MARU and the tow arrived at Kaohsiung 24 May 1968.
[Sources: Sea Breezes 1990/569, The Ships of Burns Philp and Company by Ronald Parsons. The D-Day Ships by John de Winser. Passenger Ships of Australia and New Zealand by Peter Plowman.
http://mns.ewebs.com/Burns_Philp/mv_bulolo.htm ]
