Japanese Raise a Ship and Revive Shameful Memories
p. 25 · Read in the full issue
When, after three reeks' hard work, the ipanese salvage com any now operating in abaul, brought this essel to the surface of abaul Harbour, late in uly, old-timers who new Rabaul prior to lie invasion, were stonished to read on er plates the name Herstine, Oslo".
It was none other than the modern motor iip of about 10,000 tons, which was loading »pra in Rabaul when the Jap invasion fleet as reported to be coming south from Micro esia early in 1942.
The 300 Australian civilians remaining in abaul easily could have escaped on that ship; lit some indescribable bureaucrat in Canberra lis identity always was kept hidden) ordered
them to remain, and the ship to continue loading.
The Japs arrived in Rabaul on January 23, 1942. Result: 300 civilians lost their lives, and the ship was set afire by bombs and was completely gutted—hence the absence of super structure.
Diver John Johnstone, in August, 1954, re covered the "Herstine's" brass propeller worth
about £l,soo—see PIM of Sept., 1954, The name, hitherto, has been spelled "Herstem".
It is ironic that the same people who des troyed Rabaul, and remained over three years in occupation, should now bring this vessel to the surface again—and so revive shameful memories of acts on the part of both Canberra officialdom and our then Asian enemies which, perhaps, are better forgotten.