SS ''Indarra'' was a

passenger liner A passenger ship is a merchant ship whose primary function is to carry passengers on the sea. The category does not include cargo vessels which have accommodations for limited numbers of passengers, such as the ubiquitous twelve-passenger freig ...

built for the

Australasian United Steam Navigation Company The Australasian United Steam Navigation Company (AUSNC) was an Australian shipping company formed in 1887 by the merger of the Australasian Steam Navigation Company and the Queensland Steam Shipping Company and their fleets. It existed from ...

(A.U.S.N. Co.). It was built in

Dumbarton Dumbarton (; also sco, Dumbairton; ) is a town in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, on the north bank of the River Clyde where the River Leven flows into the Clyde estuary. In 2006, it had an estimated population of 19,990. Dumbarton was the ca ...

, Scotland in 1912 and was the largest ship on the Australian coastal trade prior to World War I. It was sold in 1920 and, after passing through several other owners, was sunk as a Japanese

troopship A troopship (also troop ship or troop transport or trooper) is a ship used to carry soldiers, either in peacetime or wartime. Troopships were often drafted from commercial shipping fleets, and were unable land troops directly on shore, typicall ...

in 1942.

Career

The SS ''Indarra'' was built by

William Denny and Brothers William Denny and Brothers Limited, often referred to simply as Denny, was a Scottish shipbuilding company. History The shipbuilding interests of the Denny family date back to William Denny (born 1779), for whom ships are recorded being built ...

, Dumbarton for the

(A.U.S.N. Co.). In October 1920 the ship was purchased by the

Compagnie Maritime Belge The Compagnie Maritime Belge (CMB) is one of the oldest Antwerp ship-owners. It is controlled by the Saverys family who also own major stakes in the Exmar and Euronav groups. History CMB was founded in 1895 under the name Compagnie Belge Mariti ...

and renamed ''Pays de Waes''. It had been planned for a River Plate service and it sailed in 1921 to

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

, Argentina. The company also launched a Belgium–South Africa service using the vessel with Prince Leopold amongst passengers on the first voyage. In 1923, ''Pays de Waes'' was repossessed by A.U.S.N. Co. and sold to

Osaka Shosen Kaisha Mitsui O.S.K. Lines ( ja, 株式会社商船三井, Kabushiki-gaisha Shōsen Mitsui; abbreviated MOL) is a Japanese transport company headquartered in Toranomon, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. It is one of the largest shipping companies in the world. MO ...

and renamed ''Horai Maru''. The accommodation was altered to 51 First Class, 123 Second Class and 553 Third Class (later increased to 669 Third Class).

Fate

On 1 March 1942, the ''Horai Maru'' came under

Allied An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

air attack in the

Battle of the Java Sea The Battle of the Java Sea ( id, Pertempuran Laut Jawa, ja, スラバヤ沖海戦, Surabaya oki kaisen, Surabaya open-sea battle, Javanese : ꦥꦼꦫꦁꦱꦼꦒꦫꦗꦮ, romanized: ''Perang Segara Jawa'') was a decisive naval battle o ...

. In the midst of the battle, the Japanese cruiser fired a spread of

Long Lance The was a -diameter torpedo of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN), launched from surface ships. It is commonly referred to as the Long Lance by most modern English-language naval historians, a nickname given to it after the war by Samuel Eliot Mori ...

torpedo A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, and with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, su ...

es with the American cruiser as their intended target. The torpedoes missed the ''Houston'' and instead sank the minesweeper ''W-2'' and ''Horai Maru'', while also hitting the ''Ryuho Maru'', ''Tatsuno Maru'' and ''Sakura Maru'', with the latter three ending up beached. The shot has been described as the best shot of torpedoes ever recorded, hitting five friendly ships at the same time. The wreck of the ''Horai Maru'' was retrieved for salvage in 1947.

Gallery

First Class Smoking Room on the 'Indarra' (1912) RMG G10683.tiff, First Class Smoking Room Second Class Dining Saloon on the 'Indarra' (1912) RMG G10686.tiff, Second Class Dining Saloon Steamship INDARRA of the Australasian United Steam Navigation Company at Walsh Bay, Sydney. (3274998647).jpg, ''Indarra'' at Walsh Bay, Sydney

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Indarra, SS 1912 ships Ships built on the River Clyde Maritime incidents in March 1942 Troop ships of the Royal Australian Navy Troop ships of Australia