SS Mareeba

The SS "Mareeba" was an Australian Freighter built in 1921 [ [http://www.northqueenslandatwar.com/htdocs/reviews.htm North Queensland at War ] ] and named after the town of Mareeba in Far North Queensland, Australia. She was a 3,472-ton Australasian United Steam Navigation Company vessel [http://www.bismarck-class.dk/hilfskreuzer/kormoran.html Hilfskreuzer (Auxiliary Cruiser / Raider) - Kormoran ] ] .

The "Mareeba" was attacked and sunk [ [http://www.awm.gov.au/Encyclopedia/hmas_sydney/komoran.htm HMAS Sydney II - Auxiliary cruiser Kormoran ] ] in the Bay of Bengal on the 1941-06-16 by the German auxiliary cruiser "Kormoran" [ [http://www.naa.gov.au/naaresources/publications/research_guides/guides/sydney/pages/chapter10.htm The Sinking of HMAS Sydney: 10. Replacing the Sydney and Writing the Official History ] ] [http://naa12.naa.gov.au/scripts/Logon.asp?N=guest Australian National Archives] - "Sinking of the SS Mareeba" - Barcode: 404718 Series Number: MP1049/5 Series accession number: MP1049/5/0 Control symbol: 2026/10/1855] . She was carrying 5000 tons of sugar from from Batavia to Colombo when she picked up the Yugoslav freighter "Velebit's" distress signal. Instead of immediately stopping the "Mareeba" radioed her position and ran for it, presumably because at 8 o’clock that morning she had spotted the British light cruiser HMS "Durban", in the Ten Degree Channel [ [http://www.deutschland-class.dk/hilfskreuzer/kormoran.html Hilfskreuzer (Auxiliary Cruiser / Raider) - Kormoran ] ] . She received 9 shots to her hull, several of which hit her engine-room, and, although she was slowing sinking, it took a team of German boarding party placing demolitions to sink her quickly. It would later be said that the "Mareeba" would have made a fine auxiliary minelayer because of her durability. All 48 of the crew of the "Mareeba" were captured and spirited away on the "Komoran" which traveled at top speed through the night and most of the following day to avoid retaliation for the sinkings.

Crew

The captured crew stayed on the "Komoran" for a total of 103 days where they were housed in the fore part of the ship below the waterline. They slept in hammocks and were allowed on deck daily. After the 103 days, they were transferred to a German supply ship "Kulmerland", where, after 15 days, the prisoners were transferred to a German prison ship "Spreewald".

Below is an incomplete list of crew that were captured from the "Mareeba".
*Anderson, Mr. ("Chief Engineer")
*Bentley, Mr. ("2nd Grade Steward")
*Bottomley, Mr. Jack ("Trimmer")
*Dooley, Mr. Lionel("Fireman")
*Evans, Mr. ("A.B.")
*Ford, Mr. Geoffrey ("O.S.")
*Freeman, Mr David J. ("1st Mate")
*Griffiths, Mr. Jack B. ("Trimmer")
*Hayes, Mr. Dennis ("Fireman")
*Hill, Mr. James A. ("3rd Engineer")
*Holmes, Mr. ("Third Wireless Operator")
*Humphries, Mr. ("A.B.")
*Jones, Mr William A. ("Assistant Cook")
*Kitchen, Mr. ("Deck Boy")
*Langtry, Mr. John ("Trimmer")
*Lucas, Mr. J ("A.B.")
*MacNeill, Mr. Calum Gilbert ("A.B.")
*Marcusse, Mr. ("Trimmer")
*McLelland, Mr. Leonard("Fireman")
*Melville, Mr. Albert ("A.B")
*Pratt, Mr. William ("1st Grade Steward")
*Ravenscroft, Mr. Samuel("Greaser")
*Redman, Mr. Ronald J. ("1st Radio Operator")
*Riley, Mr. ("4th Engineer")
*Rose, Mr. Robert L. ("Bo'Sun")
*Sayer, Mr. Fred ("Donkeyman")
*Skinner, Mr. ("Captain")
*Sorensen, Mr. Robert ("Chief Cook")
*Tesseyman, Mr. Joseph V. ("Carpenter")
*Thorpe, Mr. Ashley ("A.B.")
*Vanbrugel, Mr. ("Assistant Cook")
*Vanderhusen, Mr. ("Trimmer")

References

External links

* [http://www.slv.vic.gov.au/pictoria/b/4/5/doc/b45902.shtml Hand Drawn Image of the SS "Mareeba"]