SS Iron Knight
| Iron Knight in 1940 | |
| Career (Australia) |  |
|---|---|
| Owner: | Broken Hill Proprietory Company, Broken Hill |
| Port of registry: |
 Melbourne, Australia |
| Builder: | Lithgows Ltd, Port Glagsow |
| Launched: | 1937 |
| Completed: | October 1937 |
| Identification: |
UK Official Number 159568 Code Letters VLJZ 30x15px30x15px30x15px30x15px |
| Fate: | Torpedoed by Japanese submarine I-21 on 8 February 1943 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage: | 4,812 GRT |
| Length: | 404 feet 5 inches (123.27 m) |
| Beam: | 56 feet 2 inches (17.12 m) |
| Propulsion: | 1 x quadruple expansion steam engine (D Rowland & Son, Glasgow) 553 horsepower (412 kW) |
| Complement: | 50 |
| Armament: | stern deck gun (3 or 4-inch) |
SS Iron Knight was a 4,812 GRT Australian iron ore carrier which was sunk during World War II by a Japanese submarine.
History
Iron Knight was built by Lithgows Ltd, Port Glasgow for Broken Hill Proprietary Company, Broken Hill. She was completed in October 1937 and was homeported in Melbourne under the British Flag.[1]
On 8 February 1943, Iron Knight was part of Convoy OC 8 from Whyalla, South Australia up the east coast of New South Wales to Newcastle, New South Wales.[2] At 2:30 am, a torpedo fired by Japanese submarine I-21 at escorts HMAS Townsville and HMAS Mildura passed under the bow of Townsville and struck Iron Knight, which was at the head of the convoy.[3] Her position was 36°51′S 149°44′E / 36.85°S 149.733°E.[4]
Iron Knight sank within two minutes bow first. Out of the crew of 50 only 14 survived after climbing on board a single lifeboat. The convoy steamed ahead and the survivors were picked up by the French destroyer Le Triomphant ten days later.[3]
The wreck of the Iron Knight was discovered in waters off the town of Bermagui, New South Wales at a depth of approximately 125 metres (410 ft). The wreck was officially declared a protected wreck on 4 August 2006.[3] The crew of Iron Knight who lost their lives in the attack are commemorated on the Newcastle Mercantile Marine Memorial, outside Newcastle railway station[5]
Official number and code letters
Official Numbers were a forerunner to IMO Numbers. Iron Knight had the UK Official Number 159568 and used the Code Letters VLJZ. [1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "LLOYD'S REGISTER, STEAMERS & MOTORSHIPS". Plimsoll Ship Data. http://www.plimsollshipdata.org/pdffile.php?name=38b0430.pdf. Retrieved 26 March 2009.
- ↑ "Broken Hill Proprietary". Mercantile Marine. http://sites.google.com/a/mercantilemarine.org/mercantile-marine/Fleets/australian-fleets/bhp. Retrieved 26 March 2009.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "The Final Journey of the Iron Knight". New South Wales Government. http://www.heritage.nsw.gov.au/heritagensw/newsletter_vol13no2.pdf. Retrieved 26 March 2009.
- ↑ "LIST OF SHIPS INVOLVED IN SE ASIA". Children (and Families) of the Far East Prisoners of War. http://www.cofepow.org.uk/pages/ships_list.html. Retrieved 26 March 2009.
- ↑ "Newcastle Mercantile Marine Memorial". Register of War Memorials in New South Wales. http://www.warmemorialsnsw.asn.au/Details.cfm?MemNo=488. Retrieved 26 March 2009.
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- Shipwrecks of the Far South Coast Region
- Ships sunk by Japanese submarines
- World War II shipwrecks in the Pacific Ocean
- Clyde-built ships
- World War II merchant ships of Australia
- 1937 ships
- Maritime incidents in 1943
- 1943 in Australia
