How The First "Rabaul"
p. 22 · Read in the full issue
Was Sunk
THE story of how the Carpenter Line’s first “Rabaul” was lost during the war, was told recently in Fiji by a young officer, Mr. Bruce Wharton, who is now serving on an American ship.
Carpenter’s first “Rabaul” was built by a Danish firm during World War 1, and purchased by the firm in 1934 and re named. With the “Salamaua” she be came the Carpenter line. Later, the “Suva” was added.
“Rabaul’ was taken over by the British Admiralty after the outbreak of war in September, 1939, and went to England.
From there she was engaged in convoy duty in the Atlantic, and down the Afri can coast.
While on duty in the Atlantic, about 500 miles off Capetown, in May 1941, she was sighted by a German raider. The enemy vessel was equipped with 8-inch guns and could steam at 25 knots. The old “Rabaul” had 4.7-inch guns, and few of them, and could not move faster than nine knots. However, “Rabaul” engaged the raider and fought gallantly for about 40 minutes, during which time nine of her crew were killed. “Rabaul’s” master, Captain Miller, then ordered the ship to be abandoned and the survivors of the action took to the boats. The Germans sank the “Rabaul” by shell-fire and then machine-gunned the men in the boats, during which Mr. Wharton was wounded in the shoulder.
In suite of the fact that the boats had been machine-gunned, the raider then launched fast boats and picked up the survivors. Later, the German com mander explained that he was acting under strictest orders to sink all vessels without trace.
The “Rabaul’s” crew was given che run of the German shin and treated extra ordinarilv well. Some weeks later the raider contacted her supply ship and, with the execution of Wharton, who was still in hosuital, transferred the prisoners.
The supulv vessel was soon after caught bv British destroyers, and the prisoners released, but Wharton was taken on to Bordeaux and later interned in Germany, where he remained until April, 1945.
In 1946 the Carpenter Line was able to replace the “Rabaul” with a new vessel. The second “Rabaul” was in the Pacific trade. Recently her name was changed to “Dongola.” She is now on the Australia-India run.