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MV Limerick (1925)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

History
New Zealand
NameLimerick
OwnerUnion Steamship Company
BuilderWilliam Hamilton & Co, Glasgow
Yard number389
Launched12 March 1925
Out of service26 April 1943
IdentificationOfficial Number: 148634
FateSunk 26 April 1943
General characteristics
TypeCargo ship
Tonnage8,724 GRT
Length460 ft 0 in (140.21 m)
Beam62 ft 6 in (19.05 m)
Draught37 ft 9 in (11.51 m)
Installed power6,000 bhp (4,500 kW)
Propulsion2 x Brown Sulzer Diesel engines
Speed13.5 knots (25.0 km/h; 15.5 mph)
Crew74

MV Limerick was an 8,724-gross register ton (GRT) refrigerated cargo ship built by William Hamilton & Co, Glasgow in 1925 for the Union Steamship Company of New Zealand.[1]

Fate

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While sailing in convoy GP 48 along the east coast of Australia, protected by the Royal Australian Navy corvettes HMAS Colac and Ballarat, Limerick was torpedoed and sunk on 26 April 1943, by the Japanese submarine I-177 off Cape Byron.[2] All but two of the crew were rescued by Colac. I-177 escaped unharmed.[2]

Wreck

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The wreck of the Limerick lies in 100 metres (330 ft) of water, about 18 kilometres (11 mi) east of Ballina. Discovered by local anglers, the wreck's identity was officially confirmed on 2 February 2013, when it was mapped by the marine research vessel Southern Surveyor.[3]

Citations

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  1. ^ Lloyd's Register 1930
  2. ^ a b "HMAS Colac". Royal Australian Navy. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  3. ^ Brown, Jamie (6 February 2013). "Torpedoed wreck brings back night WWII came to North Coast". The Northern Star.
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