HMS Bulolo
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| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom
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| Name: | MV Bulolo |
| 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: | HMS Bulolo |
| Commissioned: | 4 January 1940 |
| Decommissioned: | 4 December 1946 |
| Refit: |
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| Identification: | Pennant number: F 82 |
| Honours and awards: |
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United Kingdom
|
|
| Name: | MV Bulolo |
| Owner: | Burns, Philp Shipping Company |
| In service: | 1948-1968 |
| Fate: | Scrapped 1968 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 6,500 tons GRT |
| Length: | 412 ft (126 m) |
| Beam: | 58 ft (18 m) |
| Draught: | 23 ft (7.0 m) |
| Propulsion: | Twin-screws driven by 3 man 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) |
HMS Bulolo was a 6,267 ton passenger and cargo ship of the Burns, Philp Shipping Company operating in the South Pacific. In 1939 she was converted into an Armed Merchant Cruiser, then a Landing Ship Headquarters (LSH) in 1942. She directed the landings in North Africa, Sicily, Anzio and Normandy during World War II.
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 the Bulolo was requisitioned by the British Ministry of War Transport on behalf of the Royal Navy from Burns, Philp & Company Limited, (based in Sydney, 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 1940 Bulolo sailed from Freetown acting as a convoy escort within the Freetown Convoy Escort Group. Over the next 27 months she was based almost exclusively in the Atlantic traveling between South America, South Africa and Britain carrying troops and supplies. Bulolo also searched for German surface raiders and in the capture of Vichy French ships.
On 25 March 1942 the Bulolo 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 of Admiral Sir Harold M. Burrough, Commander of the Eastern Naval Task Force to take part in Operation Torch (the invasion of North Africa) and entered Algiers Harbour on 9 November 1942, the day after its surrender. She then took part in Operation Husky (the invasion of Sicily) as the flagship of Rear Admiral Thomas Troubridge in charge of 'Force A' commanding the British XIII Corps (at the Gulf of Noto) between July and August 1943, and then as flagship commanding 'Task Force Peter' embarking the British 1st Division during Operation Shingle, the landings at Anzio in January 1944. The Bulolo then returned to Britain in April 1944 in readiness for Operation Overlord, the Allied landings being planned for Normandy in June 1944.
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Wikipedia