A narrative by Thomas Minto, 1st Mate of “Manunda”, 1939-1943.
HMAS Manunda in the Middle East
On arrival we were moored at the harbour buoys and received, our sailing orders via Colombo and Australia with sick and wounded from the Desert Campaign against Rommel and German Panzer Divisions.
On our second trip to the Middle East, we spent more than six weeks penned in the Suez Canal. Due to the mining of the canal and enemy activities.
While at anchor in Lake Timsah this is roughly midway between Suez and Port Said, adjacent to Ismailia January-February 1941.the Germans had the Canal closed with a mixture of Contact, Magnetic and Acoustic Mines, these were laid by low flying enemy planes on moonlight nights, and because of the accuracy required to be successful.
The large passenger ship Dominion Monarch arrived from Australia north bound for England and had discharged her Australian troops at Haifa, but due to the closure and mining of the Canal she retraced her route and passed back through the Canal south bound, thence to Britain via the Cape of Good Hope.
Dominion Monarch was the first of three large ships in this UK convoy via South Africa and subject to attack from German Surface Raiders, Submarines and Pocket Battleships operating in the Indian and Atlantic Oceans, her draught being 38ft.max. She passed safely over the Acoustic Mines, the next vessel was the Peebles, a cargo ship with a draft 27ft. no explosion.
The third vessel was the Derwent Hall, she hit a mine and exploded, blowing off her stern, luckily being only in ballast she was able to run aground on the bank, leaving the Suez Canal clear, the canal was only 40ft deep, if Dominion Monarch had been sunk, there would have been a mammoth shipping blockage of the whole Suez Canal and a huge setback to the Allied Forces fighting the desert campaign.
During our stay in Lake Timsah we witnessed the solution to this very serious mine problem. They first tried a fast navy motor launch, the theory being that they would be fast enough to escape damage. Ahead of the blast. The launch spent the night with us in the lake. Manned by a crew of 4 RN ratings. They set off in the morning hit a mine and promptly blew up. All men lost their lives.
On our third trip to Suez the RAN Sloop, HMAS Parramatta arrived, she was on the Red Sea Patrol Tobruk Ferry the crew being fed hard rations and goat meat,
Two officers RANR(S) ex Merchant Navy from the Adelaide Co. were old shipmates of mine, looking the worse for wear, I took them along to see the head medico, he explained that under the Geneva Convention a Hospital Ship cannot aid fit men of the fighting forces but asked the question.
“How long is it since you had a dental inspection and a good food diet?”
The result, quotas of all ranks came aboard Manunda had their teeth examined some were given fillings, a shower, a decent meal and a chance to talk to the nurses, whilst waiting transport back to, Parrarmatta.
Not long afterwards HMAS Parramatta on duty in the Mediterranean was torpedoed on 27 Nov 1941.
There were only 24 survivors from a crew of 160. Both my old shipmates from the Adelaide Co. were lost.
HMAHS. Manunda in Darwin
Northern Australia and New Guinea.
By late 1941 the Middle East situation was stabilised. The position with Japan was critical with the invasion of Australia by Japanese Forces imminent. Darwin was in a state of chaos, and each day the position worsened.
The Port facilities were inadequate, they consisted of an L shaped two berth jetty, these two berths were at right angles to each other, all cargo being discharged from shipping was moved from the wharf by rail, requiring a turntable at the junction, this was operated by manpower.
Darwin has a very large range of tide, creating huge delays of an hour or more at low tide.
I mention this now, for when I was back in Darwin in 1943 and discharging on to a makeshift wharf built over the sunken hull of the Burns Philp ship Neptuna and using Army Docks Operating Units, we averaged 36 tons per hour around the clock, and this discharge was moved by road transport not rail. In early January 1942 America had stationed in Darwin the - Sea Plane Tender USS Langley and the depot ships, USS Black Hawk and two, Destroyers, USS Peary and USS William Preston and other auxiliary craft. It was the American intention to lay an over deck of timber on the wharf to mechanise and speed up the handling of war supplies so that motor transport could be used. A Liberty ship arrived with timber. Because of the huge congestion and higher priorities no progress was made. The timber could not be landed until Customs Duty had been paid. We were prepared to believe that.. It would have been on a par with everything else taking place in Darwin at the time
The Timor Convoy.
At this stage of the war certain categories of the Army could not be sent outside Australia. In Darwin were American Field Artillery Units which had been diverted there and 2/4 Pioneer Bn., These were replaced by Home Duty Only Troops and were loaded on to the vessels forming this Convoy. (Refer to the Tulagi narrative).
The Convoy sailed for Timor on 15th Feb. According to the Official History of the Australian Navy, Vol 1, the convoy consisted of 4 ships, the American Transports Mauna Lau, Meigs, Portmar and Burns Philp Tulagi.
The Naval Escort was the American Cruiser USS Houston and Destroyer Peary and Australian Sloops, Warrego and Swan.
The Convoy was heavily attacked by Japanese aircraft and due to the lack of aircraft protection, returned to Darwin on the morning of 18th February, 1942.
The troop ships entered harbour first and came to an anchorage, the last of the escorts to enter was the USS Houston, On the troop transports all soldiers were on deck, the sound of the cheering from these men whose lives had all been saved by USS Houston as she steamed past the convoy, will stay with me all my life she proceeded to the wharf, took on stores and ammunition, I was told later, that when the convoy was attacked USS Houston took up a position in the centre of the convoy and fired everything she had in a wall of gun fire and flashes.
She sailed on the afternoon of the 18th Feb for action in the Java Sea. and was sunk in the Sunda Straits Battle with HMAS Perth off Java on 1st March, with only 380 survivors of a crew of over 1,000.
Commanding Officer USN Personnel and ship were awarded the US Congressional Medal of Honour Posthumously by President Rooseveldt.
Ref,Tulagi
I now tell of a conversation between the Master of the USAT Meigs and myself it took place on the Manunda on 22nd Feb 1942 we were en route to Fremantle with wounded from the Darwin raid, and repairs after the Darwin attack. He was walking around with a bandaged arm and shoulder injuries and made himself known to me, he had an incredibly lucky escape. The missile had passed through him emerging near his neck.
His story. ‘When we arrived on 18th February the Sea Transport Officer came on board. I asked him
When are you going to take these troops off my ship?”
He answered: "Tomorrow,"
“You will take them off today or I will pick up anchor and run the ship aground into the mangroves, so that they can all walk ashore.'"
S,T.O, Why Are you afraid you are going to be bombed?"
Master Meigs "Yes. I am sure we are going to be bombed:"
Whatever the reason the decision was changed and the troops were disembarked.
Had these men been still on board at the time of the raid on 19th Feb, the death toll would have been very heavy indeed.
As Manunda' was unarmed and clearly marked as a Hospital Ship; we had no reason to believe that we would be attacked, when the raid developed on 19th Feb we went about our intended purposes, which was to succour the wounded. We set about that task after making the vessel as safe as possible.
I was on C Deck when the first bombs fell and the sirens sounded ashore, the time was 10.05 am Feb 19th. Manunda's alarm bells followed immediately.
With the ship's carpenter and the bosun we set about closing all ship side openings, such as portholes and gunport doors. I then returned to the bridge, there were now 3 Officers out of the 5 in one area on the bridge. Capt.. Garden agreed and the 3rd Mate should be stationed elsewhere, but did not specify a. particular station, I ordered 3rd Mate Smith to the Purser's office to be a connecting link with the Purser, Chief Steward and the Bridge, Smith took up his station as directed, and while on duty there he was fatally wounded by Japanese aircraft attack on AHS Manunda.
As the raid developed the USAT William Preston passed close by damaged and steering with engines only, USS Peary was a mass of flames she went down fighting to the last with large loss of life.
Manunda now had 2 boats away picking up survivors, and I was in the process of lowering the S3 lifeboat when we were attacked.
Now read some truths about Darwin and the air raid of 19.2.42.
I was on an open deck with a canvas awning above me when the direct hit struck 40 ft, from me. It must have been a delayed fuse. The bomb penetrated 3 decks and exploded on C Deck killing 9 men, all that happened to me was a cut behind the knee and a clout on the back of the neck from a piece of awning spar.. How lucky can you be?
Jack Barclay, the 4th Mate, is probably lucky to be alive, while manning the lifeboat. Actually saw the projectile coming towards him, but could not get out of the way in time. He was in charge of the Motor Lifeboat picking up survivors from the USS Peary, when he saw this object skipping over the water towards him, he was sitting on the gunwale steering the boat and it whipped a piece out of his backside as it went past. Barclay also saw the actual bomb strike off the Manunda he reported the plane came in very low in the fore and aft line of the "Manunda". The identical damage to port and starboard. Confirms this.
During the afternoon of 19th Feb our boats and various other craft were bringing wounded patients on board.. Our lifeboat called at the British Motorist before she sank and brought back two badly wounded men, the Master and Radio Officer, I saw them being brought on board.
Later I arrived at the gangway. There was a naval launch alongside with two dead men at the foot of the gangway, I pointed out that no purpose could be served by us taking the bodies of Able Seaman Salt and Ordinary Seaman Furdy aboard He took the bodies away but I believe he left the Identity papers on board the Manunda. This would explain.
At 0800 am on 20th we landed 19 bodies for burial, all had a name. About 11am the 1st Mate of the British Motorist came on board
I am positive that the only people to leave as far as injured are concerned were dead. They were landed about four hours ago." In 1943 I was still answering queries from thc Red Cross trying to settle the Master's Estate back in England. Minto Report.
About 11 pm on 19th Feb I was on the Bridge with Barclay. We saw a small blinking light from the Floating Dock, it was undamaged and the Corvette Katoomba was sitting on the blocks„ they morse coded "What is the position?" We sent back "Wait'°. I reported to the Master and to the Military. They set to working out how many sick berths were still available,. I started to send this information. He quickly interrupted with a series of flashes, and the message "no who holds Darwin
We thought we had troubles. He was marooned without a boat of any kind to evacuate and no communication with the shore. The only sight of movement he could see anywhere was Manunda"
Our blackout must have been faulty; we assured him Darwin was not in enemy hands.
We sailed for Fremantle at 11.30 pm on 20th with 190 injured.
Our Direction Finder equipment and Echo Sounder were wrecked. The compasses Standard and Magnetic were badly out; one of the 2 main engines could not be used making navigation very difficult, we also had many shrapnel holes in the hull plating to be plugged and navigate through what was now enemy controlled waters on our run to Fremantle without escort. To say the least “We were not very happy”.
On arrival Fremantle we read the newspapers Minor Damage--Few Casualties. A result which could give no official report satisfaction to the enemy of the Darwin Raid of 19 Feb 42.,
We were all incensed when we read, that and decided to write down while my memory was still fresh, what had actually happened, to our knowledge.
The Minto Report' Also known as some Home Truths about Darwin.
Darwin was a debacle and the facts could not be concealed. A Royal Commission was held in Darwin and. also in Melbourne under Justice Laws.
Both Capt. Garden and Fred Utting were called before the Commission. I understand they each tendered a copy of the Report. I still find it extraordinary that I was not called. On visiting Canberra, many years later, there, behind glass in the Australian War Museum, was page 6 of the Report, much enlarged,
The Navigation Dept. held an Enquiry into the Damaging of the Manunda and the death and injury to crew members. This was held at Fremantle by the Deputy Director of Navigation for West Australia. On 3rd March 1942 I gave the following evidence. Copy Attached.
Manunda completed repairs in Port Adelaide and sailed for Sydney.
We departed Sydney for New Guinea on 16th August, 1942.
(sgd) Thomas Minto, lst Mate 1939/1943
