You can help find the ‘Montevideo Maru’
Australia’s greatest ever maritime disaster, the sinking of the Montevideo Maru in the South China Sea off the Philippines in 1942, has special relevance for anyone associated with Papua New Guinea. The tragedy claimed the lives of 1053 Australians - 845 prisoners of war and 208 civilians who had been taken aboard the ship on 22 June after internment at Rabaul. The vessel was bound for Hainan.
In the early hours of 1 July, Montevideo Maru was intercepted and sunk by USS Sturgeon about 100 km west of Cape Luzon. The submarine commander, Lieutenant William ‘Bull’ Wright, had no way of knowing the ship was carrying allied troops and civilians. His log makes chilling reading.
30 June 1942: At 2216 sighted a darkened ship … after a few minutes observation it was evident he was on a westerly course, and going at high speed. Put on all engines and worked up to full power, proceeding to westward in attempt to get ahead of him. For an hour and a half we couldn't make a nickel. This fellow was really going, making at least 17 knots, and probably a bit more, as he appeared to be zig-zagging. Determined to hang on in the hope he would slow … sure enough, about midnight he slowed to about 12 knots. After that it was easy.
1 July 1942: Proceeding to intercept target … Altered course to gain position ahead of him, and dove at 0146. When he got in periscope range, it could be seen that he was larger than first believed. At 0225 fired four-torpedo spread, range 4000 yards. At 0229 heard and observed explosion about 75-100 feet abaft stuck. At 0240 observed ship sink stern first. He was a big one.
Among the missing were many members of the Rabaul community, the uncle of former Opposition Leader Kim Beazley and the grandfather of Federal Minister Peter Garrett.
David Mearns, the renowned wreck hunter who recently found HMAS Sydney and Kormoran, says the 3.7km sea depth at the sinking site does not prohibit a search, “it just ensures that the expedition will be costly and run into the millions of dollars”.
The Rudd Government is considering providing funds to find Montevideo Maru. But there is no guarantee. In 2003 the Howard government rejected a petition to support a search.
The editor of the PNGAA journal, Una Voce, Andrea Williams, a relative of some of the victims, wants the site of the sinking to be located and then commemorated as a war shrine. “It is important that the loss of the men from Rabaul in 1942 is acknowledged and has a special place in our Australian history," she says. “I know that there are many descendants of those men who will like to see some closure on the events that led to their disappearance".
It would be great if each ASOPA PEOPLE reader could add their names to an online petition asking the Federal government to fund the search. The petition can be found by clicking through here - you can add your name in the space entitled ‘Write A Comment’, which is about halfway down the page.
