![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/75/Taroona.jpg/300px-Taroona.jpg) Taroona
, c. 1951
|
History
|
Australia
|
Name
| Taroona
|
Namesake
| Taroona
,
Tasmania
|
Owner
| Tasmanian Steamers
|
Builder
| Alexander Stephen & Sons
,
Glasgow
|
Yard number
| 543
|
Launched
| 22 November 1934
|
Completed
| January 1935
|
Out of service
| 1959
|
Greece
|
Name
| Hellas
|
Namesake
| Hellas
(Greece)
|
Owner
| Typaldos Lines
|
Port of registry
| Piraeus
|
Acquired
| 1959
|
Identification
| IMO number
:
5147011
|
Fate
| Scrapped at
Alia?a
in 1989.
|
General characteristics
|
Tonnage
| 4325
grt
|
Length
| 354 feet 7 inches (108.08 m)
|
Beam
| 50 feet 1 inch (15.27 m)
|
Draught
| 15 feet 1 inch (4.60 m)
|
Propulsion
| 6 steam turbines single reduction geared to 2 screw shafts 6000shp. 3 water tube boilers fitted to burn oil
|
Speed
| 16 knots, top speed 18 knots
|
SS
Taroona
was built in
Linthouse
,
Glasgow
by
Alexander Stephen & Sons
for
Tasmanian Steamers
, Australia. She was a steam turbine ship capable of 18 knots, but typically operated at 16 knots for better fuel economy.
Service in Australia and New Zealand
[
edit
]
Taroona
entered service in 1935 on the
Bass Strait
route from
Melbourne
to
Bell Bay
and
Beauty Point
from Melbourne to
Devonport
and
Burnie
.
Taroona
was requisitioned for service as a
troopship
in
World War II
by the
Government of New Zealand
. She carried troops from
Auckland
to
Suva
's
Naval Base Fiji
in January 1942, and in March 1942. On her return to the
Bass Strait
run she was almost immediately again requisitioned this time by the
Government of Australia
again as a troopship. During her first trip to
Naval Base Port Moresby
at
Port Moresby
she carried 480 troops and supplies; on leaving Port Moresby she ran aground on a reef at the entrance where she remained for three days, helpless hard and fast aground. All attempts to refloat her using both engines and the assistance of navy vessels proved useless. The situation became serious when on several occasions Japanese bombers swept in to attack the Seven Mile Aerodrome outside Port Moresby. Why they failed to attack
Taroona
remains a mystery. Finally aided by three naval vessels, she shook herself free.
In her war time career she travelled 204,535 miles and carried 93,432 troops. Although frequently under fire during her ninety-four trips she remained unscathed.
Taroona
arrived in
Sydney
4 February 1946, ending her career as an Australian troop carrier. She was handed back to Tasmanian Steamers and joined the
Nairana
which had maintained a very busy schedule during
Taroona
’s absence including transporting troops from Tasmania to Melbourne.
In 1959,
Taroona
was replaced by the
Princess of Tasmania
, a ship more suitable for the times as motor cars were becoming very popular and
Taroona
could only take 30 which had to be winched aboard.
Service in Greece
[
edit
]
Hellas
laid up in Eleusis, July 1986
Taroona
was sold to
Typaldos Lines
, renamed
Hellas
and immediately taken over by her new crew and departed Australia for Greece. She was converted to a cruise ship and operated cruises around the
Mediterranean Sea
until 1966. On a notable journey on 7 February 1964, former Greek Prime Minister
Sofoklis Venizelos
died on board the ship of a pulmonary edema, en route from
Chania
to
Piraeus
, at age 69.
[1]
[2]
In 1966 she was laid up in
Perama
bay for the winter but never worked again after the
SS
Heraklion
sank in big seas and the Typaldos Lines was found guilty. Subsequently, all their ships were sold except SS
Hellas
and
SS
Athinai
.
Hellas
remained laid-up at
Elefsina
bay until May 1989 when she was towed out of the bay to
Alia?a
in
Turkey
and scrapped.
Citations
[
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]
References
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]
External links
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]
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