Loading AI tools
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
HMAT Warilda (His Majesty's Australian Transport) was a 7713-ton vessel, built by William Beardmore and Company in Glasgow as the SS Warilda for the Adelaide Steamship Company.[2] She was designed for the East-West Australian coastal service, but following the start of the First World War, she was converted into a troopship and later, in 1916, she was converted into a hospital ship.
History | |
---|---|
United Kingdom | |
Name | Warilda |
Operator | Adelaide Steamship Company |
Builder | William Beardmore and Company, Glasgow |
Yard number | 505 |
Launched | 5 December 1911 |
Maiden voyage | 1912 |
Fate | Torpedoed by German U-boat UC-49 on 3 August 1918.[1] |
General characteristics | |
Tonnage | 7713 tons gross |
Length | 411 feet 3 inches (125.35 m) |
Beam | 56 feet 7 inches (17.25 m) |
Draught | 34 feet 1 inch (10.39 m) |
Installed power | 626 nhp on 6 coal-fired boilers |
Propulsion | Twin quadruple expansion engines |
Speed |
|
Her identical sister ships, also built by William Beardmore and Company, were SS Wandilla (1912) and SS Willochra (1913).[citation needed]
On 3 August 1918, HMAT Warilda was transporting wounded soldiers from Le Havre, France to Southampton when she was torpedoed by the German submarine UC-49.[9] This was despite being marked clearly with the Red Cross; as with a number of other hospital ships torpedoed during the war, Germany claimed the ships were also carrying arms.[10]
The ship sank in about two hours, and of the 801 persons on board, 123 died due to the sinking.[1] The Deputy Chief Controller of the Queen Mary's Army Auxiliary Corp, Mrs Violet Long, lost her life in this action.[11] Among the survivors was her commander, Captain Sim, who was later awarded the OBE by King George V.[12] Her wreck lies in the English Channel.[13]
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Every time you click a link to Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Wikiquote in your browser's search results, it will show the modern Wikiwand interface.
Wikiwand extension is a five stars, simple, with minimum permission required to keep your browsing private, safe and transparent.