 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | MVBulolo |
| Owner | Burns, Philp Shipping Company |
| Route | Mail service from Australia to Papua New Guinea |
| Builder | Barclay, Curle & Company Limited (Glasgow, Scotland) |
| Yard number | 668 |
| Launched | 31 May 1938 |
| Maiden voyage | 18 November 1938 |
| In service | 1938-39 |
| Fate | Requisitioned by Royal Navy September 1939 |
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | HMSBulolo |
| Commissioned | 4 January 1940 |
| Decommissioned | 4 December 1946 |
| Refit |
|
| Identification | Pennant number: F82 |
| Honours and awards |
|
| United Kingdom | |
| Name | MVBulolo |
| Owner | Burns, Philp Shipping Company |
| In service | 1948-1968 |
| Fate | Scrapped 1968 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage | 6,267 GRT |
| Length | 412 ft (126 m) |
| Beam | 58 ft (18 m) |
| Draught | 23 ft (7.0 m) |
| Propulsion | Twin-screws driven by three B & W (Burmeister & Wain) diesel-electric engines |
| Speed | 15 knots (28 km/h) |
| Range | 9,300 nautical miles at 12 knots |
| Boats & landing craft carried | 4 LCP(L) |
HMSBulolo was a 6,267 ton passenger and cargo ship of theBurns, Philp Shipping Company operating in the South Pacific. In 1939 she was converted into anArmed Merchant Cruiser, then aLanding Ship Headquarters (LSH) in 1942. She directed the landings in North Africa, Sicily, Anzio and Normandy during World War II.[1]
MV Bulolo was built for the Burns Philp line to be a passenger, cargo and mail steamer. She began her career on 19 November 1938 between Australia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, New Hebrides, Norfolk and Lord Howe Islands. She had completed eight voyages when war broke out in September 1939.
On 22 September 1939 theBulolo was requisitioned by the British Ministry of War Transport on behalf of the Royal Navy from Burns, Philp & Company Limited, (based inSydney,New South Wales). She spent October 1939 to January 1940 under conversion to an armed merchant cruiser with seven 6-inch guns, two 3-inch anti-aircraft guns, depth charges and smaller armaments.
On 24 January 1940Bulolo sailed fromFreetown acting as a convoy escort within theFreetown Convoy Escort Group. Over the next 27 months she was based almost exclusively in theAtlantic traveling between South America, South Africa and Britain carrying troops and supplies.Bulolo also searched for Germansurface raiders and in the capture ofVichy French ships.
On 25 March 1942 theBulolo was sold to the Admiralty and from 4 April 1942 to October 1942 she was converted to an amphibious Landing Ship Headquarters ship. During this refit she had a sophisticated communications systems installed for use in army, navy and air force control purposes. Her armament was sharply reduced as well.
Bulolo then headed to North Africa as the flagship ofAdmiral Sir Harold M. Burrough, Commander of the Eastern Naval Task Force to take part inOperation Torch (the invasion of North Africa) and entered Algiers Harbour on 9 November 1942, the day after its surrender. A near miss from a German bomber attack the day before had damaged the engine room telegraph, unbeknownst to the crew. As the ship entered the port at 12 knots, the order for full steam astern went unheeded in the engine room and the ship ran aground, demolished a portion of the seawall and hit a waterfront building before settling back into the harbor. The French officials at the port to welcome the ship first scattered, then applauded the ship’s unconventional arrival.[2] She then took part inOperation Husky (the invasion ofSicily) as the flagship ofRear AdmiralThomas Troubridge in charge of 'Force A' commanding theBritish XIII Corps (at theGulf of Noto) between July and August 1943, and then as flagship commanding 'Task Force Peter' embarking theBritish 1st Division duringOperation Shingle, the landings atAnzio in January 1944. TheBulolo then returned to Britain in April 1944 in readiness forOperation Overlord, the Allied landings being planned for Normandy in June 1944.
On 28 April 1944,Commodore Douglas-Pennant, Naval Commander of Force "G", hoisted his flag on HMSBulolo. Thereafter theBulolo commenced training forD-Day. On 6 June 1944,Bulolo commanded the landing onGold Beach, and though she was forced to relocate after receiving incoming fire from theGerman battery at Longues-sur-Mer, she remained off the beaches directing the assault. On 27 June she returned to Portsmouth.
Following another refit, theBulolo was sent in 1945 to be the Headquarters Ship and flagship of Rear AdmiralBenjamin Martin for 'Force W' off Malaya commanding the Allies retaking of South East Asia from Japanese forces. In September 1945,Bulolo was used to accept the Japanese surrender atSingapore.[3]
On 4 December 1946 she was decommissioned and returned to the Burns, Philp Shipping Company in 1948 to resume her merchant duties. After 161 round voyages, she was sold to theChina Steel Corporation and scrapped atKaohsiung,Taiwan in May 1968.
