SS ''Indarra'' was a

passenger liner A passenger ship is a merchant ship whose primary function is to carry passengers on the sea. The category does not include cargo vessels which have accommodations for limited numbers of passengers, such as the ubiquitous twelve-passenger freig ...

built for the

Australasian United Steam Navigation Company The Australasian United Steam Navigation Company (AUSNC) was an Australian shipping company formed in 1887 by the merger of the Australasian Steam Navigation Company and the Queensland Steam Shipping Company and their fleets. It existed fro ...

(A.U.S.N. Co.). It was built in

Dumbarton Dumbarton (; , or ; or , meaning 'fort of the Britons (historical), Britons') is a town in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, on the north bank of the River Clyde where the River Leven, Dunbartonshire, River Leven flows into the Clyde estuary. ...

, Scotland in 1912 and was the largest ship on the Australian coastal trade prior to World War I. It was sold in 1920 and, after passing through several other owners, was sunk as a Japanese

troopship A troopship (also troop ship or troop transport or trooper) is a ship used to carry soldiers, either in peacetime or wartime. Troopships were often drafted from commercial shipping fleets, and were unable to land troops directly on shore, typic ...

in 1942.

Career

The SS ''Indarra'' was built by

William Denny and Brothers William Denny and Brothers Limited, often referred to simply as Denny, was a Scotland, Scottish shipbuilder, shipbuilding company. History The shipbuilding interests of the Denny family date back to William Denny (born 1779), for whom ships a ...

, Dumbarton for the

(A.U.S.N. Co.). After the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

she was taken over by the

Orient Line The Orient Steam Navigation Company, also known as the Orient Line, was a UK, British shipping company with roots going back to the late 18th century. From the early 20th century onwards, an association began with P&O (company), P&O which bec ...

to compensate for the loss of vessels on naval service and to accommodate the high demand for passage from London to Australia. In October 1920 the ship was purchased by the

Compagnie Maritime Belge The Compagnie Maritime Belge (CMB) is one of the oldest Antwerp ship-owners. It is controlled by the Saverys family who also own major stakes in the Exmar and Euronav groups. History CMB was founded in 1895 under the name Compagnie Belge Maritim ...

and renamed ''Pays de Waes''. It had been planned for a River Plate service and it sailed in 1921 to

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

, Argentina. The company also launched a Belgium–South Africa service using the vessel with Prince Leopold amongst passengers on the first voyage. In 1923, ''Pays de Waes'' was repossessed by A.U.S.N. Co. and sold to

Osaka Shosen Kaisha Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (; abbreviated MOL) is a Japanese transport Company (law), company headquartered in Toranomon, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. It is one of the largest shipping companies in the world. Founded as a key part of the Mitsui ''zaibatsu'' ...

and renamed ''Horai Maru''. The accommodation was altered to 51 First Class, 123 Second Class and 553 Third Class (later increased to 669 Third Class).

Fate

On 1 March 1942, the ''Horai Maru'' came under Allied air attack in the

Battle of the Java Sea The Battle of the Java Sea (, ) was a decisive naval battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II. Allied navies suffered a disastrous defeat at the hand of the Imperial Japanese Navy on 27 February 1942 and in secondary actions over succ ...

. In the midst of the battle, the Japanese cruiser fired a spread of

Long Lance The was a -diameter torpedo of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN), launched from surface ships. It is commonly referred to as the Long Lance by most modern English-language naval historians, a nickname given to it after the war by Samuel Eliot Mor ...

torpedo A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, such ...

es with the American cruiser as their intended target. The torpedoes missed the ''Houston'' and instead sank the minesweeper ''W-2'' and ''Horai Maru'', while also hitting the ''Ryuho Maru'', ''Tatsuno Maru'' and ''Sakura Maru'', with the latter three ending up beached. The shot has been described as the best shot of torpedoes ever recorded, hitting five friendly ships at the same time. The wreck of the ''Horai Maru'' was retrieved for salvage in 1947.

Gallery

First Class Smoking Room on the 'Indarra' (1912) RMG G10683.tiff, First Class Smoking Room Second Class Dining Saloon on the 'Indarra' (1912) RMG G10686.tiff, Second Class Dining Saloon Steamship INDARRA of the Australasian United Steam Navigation Company at Walsh Bay, Sydney. (3274998647).jpg, ''Indarra'' at Walsh Bay, Sydney

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Indarra, SS 1912 ships Ships built on the River Clyde Maritime incidents in March 1942 Troop ships of the Royal Australian Navy Troop ships of Australia