g n i b m o B e h n i T w r a D f o
Queensland’s Ships in Distress
W
hen the air groups of four Japanese carriers backed up by land-based bombers attacked Darwin on Thursday, 19 February 1942, it was the first time an enemy struck mainland Australia. Although Darwin suffered the blow, its shock waves quickly spread across the nation. Queensland, sharing the northern frontier, had some close connections with the raid and its victims. The interstate liner Manunda was well known in Queensland’s east coast ports, particularly in the winter months when she took passengers as far north as Cairns. In 1940 she was converted into a hospital ship, painted white overall with large red cross markings visible from all angles in accordance with the Geneva Convention. When Darwin was attacked she was anchored among other ships in the harbour. For a time she was untouched and she quickly had boats out to rescue casualties. But her red crosses did not protect her from all attackers as one aircraft dropped a bomb close beside her that punched 76 holes in her side,
then a direct hit exploded in the medical and nursing staff’s quarters. Altogether 12 people on board were killed, including Sister Margaret de Mestre, the first nurse to die in action in Australia, and 58 more were wounded. Other victims of the raid had passed through Queensland ports before finding themselves in Darwin on this fateful day. The American transports Meigs and Admiral Halstead had been part of a convoy that brought the first U.S. troops to Brisbane just before Christmas 1941. Arriving so soon after the Pacific War began and bringing 4600 troops to camp at Doomben and Ascot racecourses, this convoy was an enormous boost to the city’s morale. Two months later both ships were anchored in Darwin Harbour when the Japanese bombers arrived. At 12,568 tons Meigs was the largest vessel in Darwin during the raid and she attracted the greatest attention from the attackers.Dive bombers swooped on her repeatedly and she was hit
several times, set on fire and quickly sank. When the shooting stopped, all that could be seen of this fine vessel were her mastheads and funnel top standing above the water. But despite the ferocity of the attack only two crewmen perished out of 66 aboard. Admiral Halstead was loaded with drums of aviation fuel and would have exploded in a fireball if she was hit. Her crew abandoned her early in the raid, but fortunately all the bombs fell wide and she survived with only minor damage. Altogether five merchant ships were sunk in the harbour along with the destroyer USS Peary and a couple of local naval auxiliaries. Three more freighters were beached, two of them seriously damaged, and many other vessels were damaged. On shore Stokes Hill Jetty was
The MV Neptuna sunk during the first air raid on Darwin. Museum Victoria. | Betty Bombers. Wikimedia Commons.
History Queensland
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