![THE SCRAP IRON FLOTILLA: The end of HMAS VOYAGER [I], Betano Bay, Timor, Sept 23-24, 1942. | by Kookaburra2011](http://live.staticflickr.com/2763/5699120365_34a7e403e3.jpg)
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THE SCRAP IRON FLOTILLA: The end of HMAS VOYAGER [I], Betano Bay, Timor, Sept 23-24, 1942.
4508. After all she had survived in the Mediterranean, HMAS VOYAGER [I] would be lost to a grounding, while on a special mission to land 400 commandoes of the 2/4 Independent Company on Japanese Occupied Timor on Sept. 23, 1942.
The plan was to take out the 2/2 Independent Company already on the island fighting a guerilla war, and any Timorese refugees who needed to come. The operation needed a vessel something of destroyer size. Up to that pooint covert Timor operations had been mainly done by corvettes and smaller patrol vessels.
The grounding was a simple matter of bad luck. VOYAGER [LCDR R.C. Robison, RAN] had arrived and began unloading troops in the tricky waters of Betano Bay at 6.30pm. Deciding that the landing position was poor, LCDR Robison decided to move when a current surge swung the vessel stern-first into a sandbank.
Attempts to ligyhten the ship and move failed as her propellors ground into the sand. Discovered by Japanese bombers the next day [24th] VOYAGER severe attack, and it was decided to complete her destruction with demolition charges when the ship's position became hopeless.
The ship's company were picked up by corvettes HMAS KALGOORLIE and HMAS WARRNAMBOOL at 8pm the next evening. [25th].
Photo: RAN Historcal, Heritage Collection image NO. 02499. It is a detail of an image we have shown earlier from the the Ralph Dymond Collection, at pic NO. 2925, as shown in his book 'The History of HMAS Voyager [I],' [Southern Holdings 1992].
THE SCRAP IRON FLOTILLA: The end of HMAS VOYAGER [I], Betano Bay, Timor, Sept 23-24, 1942.
4508. After all she had survived in the Mediterranean, HMAS VOYAGER [I] would be lost to a grounding, while on a special mission to land 400 commandoes of the 2/4 Independent Company on Japanese Occupied Timor on Sept. 23, 1942.
The plan was to take out the 2/2 Independent Company already on the island fighting a guerilla war, and any Timorese refugees who needed to come. The operation needed a vessel something of destroyer size. Up to that pooint covert Timor operations had been mainly done by corvettes and smaller patrol vessels.
The grounding was a simple matter of bad luck. VOYAGER [LCDR R.C. Robison, RAN] had arrived and began unloading troops in the tricky waters of Betano Bay at 6.30pm. Deciding that the landing position was poor, LCDR Robison decided to move when a current surge swung the vessel stern-first into a sandbank.
Attempts to ligyhten the ship and move failed as her propellors ground into the sand. Discovered by Japanese bombers the next day [24th] VOYAGER severe attack, and it was decided to complete her destruction with demolition charges when the ship's position became hopeless.
The ship's company were picked up by corvettes HMAS KALGOORLIE and HMAS WARRNAMBOOL at 8pm the next evening. [25th].
Photo: RAN Historcal, Heritage Collection image NO. 02499. It is a detail of an image we have shown earlier from the the Ralph Dymond Collection, at pic NO. 2925, as shown in his book 'The History of HMAS Voyager [I],' [Southern Holdings 1992].