Port Control
General Enquiries
Live Webcam
Image
Montrose
Port Authority
  • Port Info
    • About Us
    • Our Team
    • The Board
    • Careers
    • Annual Reviews
    • Live Webcam
    • Marine / Port Control
    • General Enquiries
  • Marine
    • Marine Info
    • Quayside Services
    • Codes & Certifications
  • Services
    • Oil & Gas
    • Renewables
    • Decommissioning
    • General Cargo
    • Cruise
    • Property Leasing
    • Shore Power
    • Customs House
    • Montrose Port Industrial Park
  • Environment, Health & Safety
    • Health & Safety
    • Environmental & Sustainability
    • Net Zero
    • Shore Power
    • Health, Safety & Environmental Policy
    • Our Policies
  • Community
    • Our Community
  • News & Updates
    • MPA News
    • Notice to Mariners
    • Seagreen
    • Inch Cape
    • Customs House
    • Montrose Port Industrial Park
    • Montrose Port History
Featured image for “The Doomba: She Swept The Sea Lanes For The Queen Mary”
September 26, 2022

The Doomba: She Swept The Sea Lanes For The Queen Mary

In 1922 the Brisbane Tug and Steamship Co. felt the demand for additional excursions merited the acquisition of a second vessel to supplement their existing single passenger ship. The result being that the company began negotiations for the purchase of HMS Wexford which had been built in 1919 under the Emergency Naval Programme by Wm. Simons & Co. of Renfrew as a later “Hunt” class minesweeper. 

Laid down in January, 1919 and launched in October of the same year she was commissioned for trials 11 days later. She proceeded to Devonport and reduced to Reserve having seen no service.

On 22nd December, 1921 she was sold to Stanlee Shipbuilding Co. but two years later was acquired by the Coaster Construction Co. on Rossie Island, Montrose. She was re-constructed and re-named Doomba, an Aboriginal name for “Wombat”. She left Dundee after a dry-docking on 5th May, 1923, arriving in Brisbane on 4thAugust, having sailed out at a fairly leisurely pace using only one boiler and encountering periods of rough weather along the lengthy route.

Doomba had accommodation for 1,524 passengers. Her speed of 18 knots and used five tons of coal for the 80-mile trip to Bribie Island and back.

Her technical measurements were 750-ton gross with a length of 219 feet and a beam of 29 feet. She was built of steel, had a straight stem (bow), cruiser stern and a flat keel.

From her entry into service in 1923 until 1928 proved her to be a speedy ship and the “largest and finest excursion vessel Brisbane ever saw”. Her re-construction at Montrose had seen a large amount of steel removed therefore her lighter hull gave some improvement in speed and on a few occasions she topped 19 knots.

By 1928 the motor car had begun to make its presence felt. As the Doomba was costly to operate, she was withdrawn from service. However, she had one final fling in 1936. Then her funnel was covered over and she was laid up alongside the company’s wharf. Her future looked bleak.

As unfortunate and regrettable war may be, it was timely in 1939 that it gave Doomba a new lease of life. The service she then performed was impressive for a vessel of her age, namely 20 years. She was “called up” on 3rd September, 1939 by the Australian Navy Board. Partial conversion was undertaken by Horn Engineering Ltd. over a period of three weeks and she was armed with machine guns and depth charge launching equipment.

She was the first merchant ship to receive her commission into the RAN in World War Two. On 25th September, 1939 she left Brisbane for Sydney never to return. When she arrived at the major New South Wales port rumours circulated that she had come from China another that she was a banana boat.

She departed later for Melbourne to join the Minesweeping Flotilla where she was reckoned to be the best auxiliary minesweeper in the fleet.

The Doomba undertook minesweeping duties in St. Vincent Gulf and Spencer Gulf as far up as Whyalla. Her coaling station was at Port Welshpool and she swept for convoys which included the ocean liners, by then troopships, Empress of Canada, Orion, Orcades and the Queen Mary. She then engaged in convoy work until 1944 and again was converted to an Officer Training Vessel for Flinders Training Depot.

In March, 1946 she was sold to Penguin Pty. Ltd. then eventually being purchased by Meggitts Ltd. of Sydney, manufacturers of linseed oil products. Her engines were removed and she was converted into a dumb barge when several bulk oil tanks were installed. Renamed Meggol, she spent from 1953 to 1970 in that role before being scrapped.

There is no doubt the happiest days in her long career were spent in the ownership of the Brisbane Tug and Steamship Co. An interesting 50-year life for the minesweeper initially converted by the Coaster Construction Co. at Rossie Island and in the former Wet Dock at Montrose (see illustration). 

Browse News Categories

  • News
  • Notice to Mariners
  • SSE Renewables
  • Appointments to the Board
  • Community
  • Job Vacancies
  • Kids Activity Pack
  • Memberships
  • Montrose Port History
  • Montrose Port Staff
  • Vessels
Image
About Us
  • About Us
  • Our Team
  • The Board
Our Services
  • Oil & Gas
  • Renewables
  • Decommissioning
  • General Cargo
  • Cruise
  • Property Leasing
  • Quayside Services
T&Cs
  • Our Terms & Conditions
  • Our Policies
  • Marine Safety Plan (2024–2027)
  • Certification of Port Marine Safety Code
  • Pilotage Directions
  • Pilot Exemption Certificate Procedure
ImageImage
© Montrose Port Authority
Website by Due North Creatives
Main menu
  • Port Info
    • ← Back
    • About Us
    • Our Team
    • The Board
    • Careers
    • Annual Reviews
    • Live Webcam
    • Marine / Port Control
    • General Enquiries
  • Marine
    • ← Back
    • Marine Info
    • Quayside Services
    • Codes & Certifications
  • Services
    • ← Back
    • Oil & Gas
    • Renewables
    • Decommissioning
    • General Cargo
    • Cruise
    • Property Leasing
    • Shore Power
    • Customs House
    • Montrose Port Industrial Park
  • Environment, Health & Safety
    • ← Back
    • Health & Safety
    • Environmental & Sustainability
    • Net Zero
    • Shore Power
    • Health, Safety & Environmental Policy
    • Our Policies
  • Community
    • ← Back
    • Our Community
  • News & Updates
    • ← Back
    • MPA News
    • Notice to Mariners
    • Seagreen
    • Inch Cape
    • Customs House
    • Montrose Port Industrial Park
    • Montrose Port History
CONTACT US
Port Control
General Enquiries
Live Webcam
Downloads
  • View Port Tariff
  • Tide Timetable
  • Download Port Map
This Website Uses Cookies
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Cookie settingsACCEPT
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
CookieDurationDescription
__cf_bm30 minutesThis cookie is set by CloudFlare. The cookie is used to support Cloudflare Bot Management.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
CookieDurationDescription
YSCsessionThis cookies is set by Youtube and is used to track the views of embedded videos.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
CookieDurationDescription
_ga2 yearsThis cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to calculate visitor, session, campaign data and keep track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookies store information anonymously and assign a randomly generated number to identify unique visitors.
_gid1 dayThis cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to store information of how visitors use a website and helps in creating an analytics report of how the website is doing. The data collected including the number visitors, the source where they have come from, and the pages visted in an anonymous form.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
CookieDurationDescription
_gat_gtag_UA_197060398_11 minuteNo description
CONSENT16 years 7 months 18 days 9 hoursNo description
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
CookieDurationDescription
IDE1 year 24 daysUsed by Google DoubleClick and stores information about how the user uses the website and any other advertisement before visiting the website. This is used to present users with ads that are relevant to them according to the user profile.
test_cookie15 minutesThis cookie is set by doubleclick.net. The purpose of the cookie is to determine if the user's browser supports cookies.
VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE5 months 27 daysThis cookie is set by Youtube. Used to track the information of the embedded YouTube videos on a website.
SAVE & ACCEPT
Powered by CookieYes Logo