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
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
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
- ^ Lloyd's Register 1930
- ^ a b "HMAS Colac". Royal Australian Navy. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
- ^ Brown, Jamie (6 February 2013). "Torpedoed wreck brings back night WWII came to North Coast". The Northern Star.
External links
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in April 1943 | |
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