MV ''Herstein'' was a 5100 gross register ton freighter launched in 1938 at

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

. She was involved in the unsuccessful search for survivors from in November 1941, and was destroyed at

Rabaul Rabaul () is a township in the East New Britain province of Papua New Guinea, on the island of New Britain. It lies about to the east of the island of New Guinea. Rabaul was the provincial capital and most important settlement in the province ...

in 1942. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

''Herstein'' transported freight and took part in a number of convoys. After carrying troops and equipment to

Port Moresby (; Tok Pisin: ''Pot Mosbi''), also referred to as Pom City or simply Moresby, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea. It is one of the largest cities in the southwestern Pacific (along with Jayapura) outside of Australia and New ...

, she proceeded to Rabaul to load

copra Copra (from ; ; ; ) is the dried, white flesh of the coconut from which coconut oil is extracted. Traditionally, the coconuts are sun-dried, especially for export, before the oil, also known as copra oil, is pressed out. The oil extracted ...

, she was attacked by three dive bombers on 20 January 1942 with three bombs hitting amidships. One exploded in the engine room, resulting in a fire that quickly spread throughout the ship, and the second exploded in the bridge area. She was abandoned and she drifted afloat ablaze until becoming beached in Rabaul Harbour. One crewman was killed as a result of the bombing. The rest of the crew were lost on the '' Montevideo Maru'' on 1 July 1942.

Citations

References

*http://www.warsailors.com/singleships/herstein.html *http://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?59375 {{DEFAULTSORT:Herstein (1938) Ships built in Copenhagen Shipwrecks of Papua New Guinea Ships sunk by Japanese aircraft 1938 ships Ships of Nortraship World War II shipwrecks in the Pacific Ocean Merchant ships sunk by aircraft