SS Pruth (1916)

For other ships with the same name, see SS Pruth.

History
NameSS Pruth
OwnerHain Steamship Company
BuilderJ.L. Thompson and Sons, Sunderland
Yard number511
IdentificationOfficial number: 1139109
FateWrecked upon Nateara Reef,[1] Port Moresby in 1923
General characteristics
Tonnage4698 gross register
Length121.9 metres (400 ft)
Beam16.2 metres (53 ft)
Depth7.9 metres (26 ft)
Installed power421 n.h.p.[1]
PropulsionTriple expansion engine[1]
Speed10 knots[1]

SS Pruth was a 4698 gross register ton[1] steamship built by J.L. Thompson and Sons, Sunderland for the Hain Steamship Company in 1916. The ship was on a voyage from New York to Cairns, via Port Moresby when she was wrecked upon Nateara Reef [clarification needed] near Port Moresby on 31 December 1923. Attempts to salvage her failed.[2] Her wreck became known as the "Moresby Wreck".

Her wreck was used for strafing and bombing practice by the United States Army Air Forces Fifth Air Force and the Royal Australian Air Force in 1942 and 1943 during World War II. Six Allied aircraft crashed while undertaking the strafing and bombing practice.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "SS Pruth (+1923)". wrecksite.eu. Retrieved 3 March 2013.
  2. ^ "Pruth, A Total Wreck". Townsville Daily Bulletin, Wednesday 23 January 1924, p.4. Retrieved 16 July 2012.

9°32′52″S 147°10′47″E / 9.54778°S 147.17972°E / -9.54778; 147.17972