SS ''Wimmera'' was a passenger

steamship A steamship, often referred to as a steamer, is a type of steam-powered vessel, typically ocean-faring and seaworthy, that is propelled by one or more steam engines that typically move (turn) propellers or paddlewheels. The first steamships ...

that was built in 1904 by

Caird & Company Caird & Company was a Scottish shipbuilding and engineering firm based in Greenock. The company was established in 1828 by John Caird when he received an order to re-engine Clyde paddle-tugs. John's relative James Tennant Caird joined the company ...

Greenock Greenock (; sco, Greenock; gd, Grianaig, ) is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council areas of Scotland, council area in Scotland, United Kingdom and a former burgh of barony, burgh within the Counties of Scotland, historic ...

, Scotland, for Huddart Parker & Co of Melbourne, Australia. She was sunk on 26 June 1918 by a German

mine Mine, mines, miners or mining may refer to: Extraction or digging * Miner, a person engaged in mining or digging *Mining, extraction of mineral resources from the ground through a mine Grammar *Mine, a first-person English possessive pronoun ...

north of

Cape Maria van Diemen Cape Maria van Diemen is the westernmost point of the North Island of New Zealand. A tombolo, it was originally an island composed mainly of basaltic-andesitic lava flows and dykes. Drifting sands joined it to the rest of the North Island during ...

, New Zealand, killing 26 passengers and crew. At 10:00 am on 25 June 1918 the ship left Auckland, New Zealand, bound for

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

, Australia, via Three Kings Islands. There were 76 passengers and 75 crew aboard. Her route was to take her north towards the Three Kings Islands where she would turn west and south toward Sydney. However, at 5:15 a.m. on 26 June 1918 she struck a mine laid by the German merchant raider and sank. The 16 Australian merchant seamen who were killed are commemorated by the Australian Merchant Seamen's Memorial at the

Australian War Memorial The Australian War Memorial is Australia's national memorial to the members of its armed forces and supporting organisations who have died or participated in wars involving the Commonwealth of Australia and some conflicts involving pe ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wimmera Ships built on the River Clyde 1904 ships Iron and steel steamships of Australia Maritime incidents in 1918 Passenger ships of Australia Ships sunk by mines World War I merchant ships of Australia World War I shipwrecks in the Pacific Ocean