SS Tasman (1921): Difference between revisions

{{Short description|Dutch vessel under Allied command in the South Pacific during World War II}}{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2017}}

|Ship laid down =1921{{sfn|Lloyd's Register|1945–46}}

|Ship name =SWPA permanent fleet service: ''Tasman'' (X-16){{sfn|Smith|1956|p=410}}{{sfn|Masterson|1949|loc=App. 30 page 5}}

|Ship in service =26 March 1942{{sfn|Masterson|1949|loc=App. 30 page 5}}

|Ship out of service=July 1945{{sfn|Masterson|1949|loc=App. 30 page 5}}

|Ship tonnage ={{GRT|4,922|disp=long}}{{sfn|Lloyd's Register|1945–46}}{{sfn|Masterson|1949|loc=App. 30 page 5}}

|Ship length ={{convert|392|ft|0|in|m|1|abbr=on}}{{sfn|Lloyd's Register|1945–46}}

|Ship beam ={{convert|49|ft|2|in|m|1|abbr=on}}{{sfn|Lloyd's Register|1945–46}}

|Ship draught ={{convert|26|ft|0|in|m|1|abbr=on}}{{sfn|Lloyd's Register|1945–46}}

|Ship decks =2{{sfn|Lloyd's Register|1945–46}}

|Ship propulsion = 2 vertical triple expansion engines{{sfn|Lloyd's Register|1945–46}}

'''SS ''Tasman''''' was a {{GRT|4,922|disp=long}} Dutch steamship built by [[Earle's Shipbuilding|Earle's Shipbuilding and Engineering Company Limited]], [[Kingston upon Hull|Hull]] in 1921 for [[Koninklijke Paketvaart-Maatschappij]] (KPM), [[Batavia, Dutch East Indies|Batavia]].<ref name="kpm">{{cite web|title=Koninklijke Paketvaart Maatschappij 1888–1967|publisher=The Ships List|date=12 May 2008|url=http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/lines/kpm.htm|accessdateaccess-date=9 July 2013|url-status=dead|archiveurlarchive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120210041801/http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/lines/kpm.htm|archivedatearchive-date=10 February 2012|df=dmy-all}}</ref> With outbreak of the [[World War II|warWorld War II in the Pacific]] and the fall of the [[Dutch East Indies]], ''Tasman'' was one of 21 KPM vessels that sought refuge in Australia. These ships became the core of the initial [[South West Pacific Area (command)|Southwest Pacific Area (SWPA) command's]] permanent local fleet under U.S. Army control. After general service as a transport, the ship was converted to a [[hospital ship]] at [[Melbourne]].{{sfn|Masterson|1949|p=571}} The ship, under the Dutch flag and Dutch certification under the [[Hague Conventions of 1899 and 1907|Hague Convention]], served the remainder of the war as a Dutch hospital ship.{{sfn|Smith|1956|p=410}}

''Tasman'' was built for the Singapore, Java and Australian east coast trade and was on the Australian route until 1928 when the new motorshipstwin screw turbinesteamers ''Nieuw Holland'' and ''Nieuw Zeeland'' took over the route. ''Tasman'' served the [[Java]]–[[South Africa]] route until transferred to the South Pacific [[New Zealand]]-[[Sydney]] service.{{sfn|''The West Australian''|Hospital Ship Tasman At Fremantle1946a}}

On the outbreak of war in the Pacific, December 1941 the ship was in the [[Timor Sea]] from which she was sent to [[Battle of Singapore|Singapore]]. On 1 January 1942 she evacuated civilians and elements of the [[Royal Air Force]]. Arriving in [[Surabaya]] the RAF personnel were left and more civilian evacuees were loaded for Australia.{{sfn|''The West Australian''|Hospital Ship Tasman At Fremantle1946a}}

''Tasman'' was one of the 21 KPM ships that sought refuge in Australia on the [[Battle of Java (1942)|fall of Java]] that the Commanding General, United States Army Forces in Australia (USAFIA) was instructed to purchase or charter for an SWPA local fleet. On 26 March 1942 the Chief Quartermaster, USAFIA arranged interim charters pending final negotiations with the [[Dutch government-in-exile|Netherlands Government in London]]. Final negotiations between the [[War Shipping Administration]] (WSA) and the Dutch government resulted in their being placed under U.S. Army control through a complex charter arrangement in which the [[Ministry of War Transport|British Ministry War Transport]] (BMWT) chartered the KPM vessels and with WSA allocated them to SWPA with the stipulation they be under total control of the U.S. Army.{{sfn|Masterson|1949|pp=329–336}} Though some sources note the arrangement was through the Allied Consultative Shipping Council (ACSC),{{sfn|Dutch merchant shipping in the south-west Pacific}} Masterson details the command's objection and rejection of ships intended for critical military operations being arranged by that means.{{sfn|Masterson|1949|pp=332–333}} General MacArthur reported on 28 April that his fleet of 28 vessels included the 21 KPM ships.{{sfn|Masterson|1949|pp=321–322}} ''Tasman'' was given the local fleet number X-16.<ref group=Note>From early March 1943 SWPA assigned numbers to large ships in its permanent local fleet preceded with an "X" until 15 January 1945 when the "X" was changed to "Y" with retention of the number.</ref>{{sfn|Masterson|1949|loc=App. 30 page 5}}

The ship was converted at [[Sydney]] to carry troops. She transported both Australian and American troops to [[Port Moresby]], [[Milne Bay]] and [[Oro Bay]] in [[New Guinea]]. On 11 July 1942 she had arrived at Milne Bay with [[John Field (brigadier)|Brigadier John Field]] and the [[7th Brigade (Australia)|7th Brigade Group]] as "[[Milne Force]]" to protect the developing port and airfields. She was in Milne Bay the night before and left the morning of the Japanese landings and the first ship to reinforce Milne Bay during the [[Battle of Milne Bay|Japanese attempt to take the airfields]] there. ''Tasman'' made three later attempts to enter the bay, being driven off by Japanese naval vessels. The ship was escorted by {{Ship|HMAS|Arunta|I30|6}} during these New Guinea operations.{{sfn|''The West Australian''|Hospital Ship Tasman At Fremantle1946a}}{{sfn|Dutch merchant shipping in the south-west Pacific}} {{sfn|Gill|1968|pp=118, 166–170}}

She was equipped to carry 250 patients and continued to be crewed by Dutch officers and Javanese (Indonesian) sailors. The hospital was staffed by American doctors and nurses. She served in the [[South West Pacific theatre of World War II|South West Pacific area]] and, as was ''Maetsuycker'', limited to transporting patients between bases in SWPA.{{sfn|Condon-Rall|Cowdrey|1998|p=75}} ''Tasman'' was at the vanguard throughout the [[Pacific War|Pacific campaign]] and transported repatriated [[prisoners of war]] from the Japanese prison camps at [[University of Santo Tomas|Santo Tomas]], [[Philippines]].

In June 1945 ''Tasman'' entered Sydney for refit before being released from SWPA charter and returned to BMWT control in July.{{sfn|''The West Australian''|Hospital Ship Tasman At Fremantle1946a}}{{sfn|Masterson|1949|loc=App. 30 page 5}} By October the ship was caught up in the turmoil of both [[Indonesian National Revolution|Indonesian independence]] and Australian labor union activities with Indonesian seamen walking off, Australia declaring such [[White Australia policy#Launch of post Post-war multi-ethnic immigration|non-European]] seamen illegal immigrants, labor listing the ship as "black" in sympathy with the Indonesian seamen and refusing any work related to the ship with a "scab crew" with charges and counter charges of "Communism" among labor leaders.{{sfn|''The West Australian''|Hospital Ship Tasman (15 January 1946)1946b}}{{sfn|''Advocate''|Action Against Indonesian Seamen (5 October 1945)}}{{sfn|''The West Australian''|Hospital Ship Tasman—A Further Correction (30 January 1946)1946c}}{{sfn|''The West Australian''|The A.L.P. Decision—Communist Tactics (30 January 1946)1946d}}

''Tasman'' was returned to the Dutch Government in December 1945 still under the command of [http://www.maritiemdigitaal.nl/index.cfm?event=search.getdetail&id=201019489 Captain Willem Eleveld], who had commanded the ship from 1941 through the war. He described her as "lucky" as she had never been bombed despite constant operations.{{sfn|''The West Australian''|Hospital Ship Tasman At Fremantle1946a}}

*{{cite journalnews |last1ref={{sfnref|''Advocate''|year=1945}} |title=Action Against Indonesian Seamen |issuedate=5 October 1945 |publishernewspaper=Advocate, |location=Burnie, Tasmania |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article68943543 |accessdateaccess-date=10 July 2013 |via=Trove}}

*{{cite book|last1=Condon-Rall|first1=Mary Ellen|last2=Cowdrey|first2=Albert E.|year=1998|title=The Technical Services—The Medical Department: Medical Service In The War Against Japan|series=United States Army In World War II|location=Washington, DC|publisher=Center Of Military History, United States Army|lccn=97022644|ref=harv}}

*{{cite web|url=http://www.awm.gov.au/exhibitions/alliesinadversity/seafaring/shipping.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141217132056/http://www.awm.gov.au/exhibitions/alliesinadversity/seafaring/shipping.asp |archive-date=2014-12-17 |title=Dutch merchant shipping in the south-west Pacific|work=Allies in adversity, Australia and the Dutch in the Pacific War|publisherwebsite=Australian War Memorial |accessdateaccess-date=9 July 2013 |ref={{sfnref|Dutch merchant shipping in the south-west Pacific}}}}

*{{cite book|last=Gill|first=G. Hermon|title=Royal Australian Navy 1939–1942|series=Australia in the War of 1939–1945. Series 2 – Navy|volume=2|year=1968|publisher=Australian War Memorial|location=Canberra|url=http://www.awm.gov.au/histories/second_world_war/volume.asp?levelID=67911|refaccess-date=harv14 July 2013|archive-date=27 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927112028/http://www.awm.gov.au/histories/second_world_war/volume.asp?levelID=67911|url-status=dead}}

*{{cite webbook |ref={{sfnref|Lloyd's Register|1945–46}}|url=http://www.plimsollshipdata.org/pdffile.php?name=45a1013.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181005142326/http://www.plimsollshipdata.org/pdffile.php?name=45a1013.pdf |archive-date=2018-10-05 |title=Lloyd'sNavires a vapeur et a Moteurs |language=fr Register|date=1945–46 |publisher=Lloyd's Register (through |via=PlimsollShipData) |accessdateaccess-date=10 July 2013}}

*{{cite book|last=Masterson|first=Dr. James R.|title=U. S. Army Transportation In The Southwest Pacific Area 1941–1947|year=1949|publisher=Transportation Unit, Historical Division, Special Staff, U. S. Army|location=Washington, DC|ref=harv}}

*{{cite book|last1=Smith|first1=Clarence McKittrick|year=1956|title=The Technical Services—The Medical Department: Hospitalization And Evacuation, Zone Of Interior|series=United States Army In World War II|location=Washington, DC|publisher=Center Of Military History, United States Army|lccn=55060005|url=http://history.amedd.army.mil/booksdocs/wwii/thetechnicalservices/thetechnicalserviceshospitalizationevacuation/chapter23.htm|ref=harv}}

*{{cite journal |last1ref={{sfnref|The West Australian|year=19461946a}} |title=Hospital Ship Tasman At Fremantle |issuedate=9 January 19461946a|publishernewspaper=The West Australian, |location=Perth, West Australia|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article50319767|accessdateaccess-date=10 July 2013 |via=Trove}}

*{{cite journal |last1ref={{sfnref|The West Australian|year=19461946b}} |title=Hospital Ship Tasman |issuedate=15 January 19461946b |publishernewspaper=The West Australian, |location=Perth, West Australia|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article50320645|accessdateaccess-date=10 July 2013 |via=Trove}}

*{{cite journal |last1ref={{sfnref|The West Australian|year=19461946c}} |title=Hospital Ship Tasman—A Further Correction |issuedate=30 January 19461946c |publishernewspaper=The West Australian, |location=Perth, West Australia|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article50322987|accessdateaccess-date=10 July 2013 |via=Trove}}

*{{cite journal |last1ref={{sfnref|The West Australian|year=19461946d}} |title=The A.L.P. Decision—Communist Tactics|issue=30 January 19461946d |publishernewspaper=The West Australian, |location=Perth, West Australia|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article50322995|accessdateaccess-date=10 July 2013 |via=Trove}}