SS Iron Knight (1937)

SS Iron Knight

Company type	Bulk carrier
Industry	Shipping, Mining transport
Founded	1937
Headquarters	Melbourne , Australia
Products	Iron ore transportation

SS Iron Knight was a bulk carrier constructed in Scotland in 1937 for the Australian mining corporation Broken Hill Pty, Ltd (BHP) to facilitate iron ore transportation. In 1943, it was sunk by a Japanese submarine off the coast of New South Wales, resulting in the loss of 36 crew members. The shipwreck is currently protected under the Australian federal Underwater Cultural Heritage Act 2018.

Building

Between 1936 and 1937, the Scottish shipyard Lithgows at Port Glasgow built four sister ships for BHP: Iron Baron and Iron King launched in 1936, followed by Iron Knight and Iron Chieftain in 1937. The Iron Knight was launched on 27 August and finalized by October of that year.

These four vessels shared a common design featuring the bridge and primary superstructure amidships, with the engine room and funnel located aft. They all had an identical beam of and depth of . However, Iron Knight and Iron Chieftain were marginally longer at , compared to their earlier sister ships. The gross register tonnage of Iron Knight was , with a net register tonnage of .

The propulsion system, manufactured by Lithgows’ affiliate David Rowan and Co in Glasgow, consisted of a quadruple-expansion steam engine coupled with an exhaust steam turbine driving a single screw propeller. This configuration produced 553 nominal horsepower and allowed for a service speed of .

Registered in Melbourne, Iron Knight carried the UK official number 159568 and used the maritime call sign VLJZ.

Second World War

During the Second World War, Iron Knight operated along Australia’s coastal routes transporting iron ore. After Japan’s entry into the war in December 1941, she sailed within protected CO and OC series convoys, mainly ferrying iron ore from Newcastle, NSW to ports in Victoria and South Australia.

Japanese submarines frequently targeted shipping lanes off New South Wales, leading ore carriers to be nicknamed "death ships" due to their heavy cargo causing rapid sinking upon attack. To enhance crew survival chances, life-rafts were installed on inclined skids for swift deployment. When Iron Chieftain was sunk in June 1942, 37 out of 49 crew members survived, with 12 saved by using a life-raft.

Loss

In early February 1943, Iron Knight set sail from Whyalla, South Australia. On 5 February, she joined Convoy OC 68 departing Melbourne for Newcastle; this convoy consisted of ten merchant vessels escorted by corvettes and .

On 8 February, approximately 11 nautical miles from Montague Island, the Japanese submarine launched a torpedo that passed beneath Townsville before striking Iron Knight. The ship sank bow-first within two minutes, resulting in the deaths of 36 crew members. Fourteen survivors managed to cling to debris and board a life-raft.

Following naval procedure, the convoy proceeded without stopping. About ten hours later, survivors were rescued by the Free French destroyer , which provided them with French naval uniforms to replace their soaked clothing.

BHP immediately halted payment to survivors after the sinking, granting them 30 days of unpaid leave but deducting time spent adrift from this allowance.

Heritage

In 2006, a wreck believed to be that of Iron Knight was located off Bermagui, NSW at a depth of . The site is protected under Australian federal legislation and was officially designated as a protected wreck by the Department of the Environment and Heritage on 4 August 2006. Although later doubts arose regarding the wreck’s identification as Iron Knight, it remains safeguarded under the Underwater Cultural Heritage Act 2018.

The Newcastle Merchant Mariners Memorial outside Newcastle railway station commemorates the 36 crew members who lost their lives.