Waroonga
British Steam merchant
Waroonga under her former name Hororata. Photo courtesy of State Library of New South Wales
| Name | Waroonga | ||
| Type: | Steam merchant | ||
| Tonnage | 9,365 tons | ||
| Completed | 1914 - William Denny & Brothers Ltd, Dumbarton | ||
| Owner | British India Steam Navigation Co Ltd, London | ||
| Homeport | Plymouth | ||
| Date of attack | 5 Apr 1943 | Nationality:  British | |
| Fate | Sunk by U-630 (Werner Winkler) | ||
| Position | 57° 10'N, 35° 30'W - Grid AK 0114 | ||
| Complement | 132 (19 dead and 113 survivors). | ||
| Convoy | HX-231 | ||
| Route | Sydney, NSW - Panama - New York (25 Mar) - Liverpool | ||
| Cargo | 5000 tons of butter, 1500 tons of lead, 1000 tons of canned meat, 1000 tons of beef and 218 bags of mail | ||
| History | Completed in May 1914 as Hororata for New Zealand Shipping Co Ltd, Plymouth. In August 1914 requisitioned by the Admiralty as transport, served for the Australian Expeditionary Force until September 1917 and returned to the owner in April 1919. In June 1939 renamed Waroonga for British India Steam Navigation Co Ltd, London. | ||
| Notes on event | In the late evening on 4 April 1943, U-635 (Eckelmann) attacked convoy HX-231 and reported two ships with 13,000 grt sunk. At 01.58 hours on 5 April, U-630 also attacked two ships from the same convoy southeast of Cape Farewell, heard two detonations and sinking noises and reported one ship sunk and another probably sunk. The ships were Shillong and Waroonga, which had both been damaged in the attack of U-635 earlier. The Waroonga (Master Charles Campbell Taylor) was scuttled by HMS Loosestrife (K 105) (T/Lt A.A. Campbell, RNR) in the morning on 6 April. Eleven crew members, one gunner and seven passengers (two DBS) were lost. The master, 97 crew members, seven gunners and eight passengers (one DBS) were picked up by the corvette and the American Liberty ship Joel R. Poinsett and landed at Londonderry on 9 April. | ||
| On board | We have details of 25 people who were on board. | ||
Attack entries for Waroonga
| Date | U-boat | Commander | Loss type | Tons | Nat. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Apr 1943 | U-635 | Oblt. Heinz Eckelmann | Damaged | 9,365 | |
| 5 Apr 1943 | U-630 | Oblt. Werner Winkler | Sunk | 9,365 | |
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