Honouring the Men who gave their lives whilst serving in the Merchant Navy
and whose names are on the Australian War Memorial Commemorative Roll

S.S. MACUMBA  -  WW2

THE "MACUMBA". was attacked by two Japanese Float Planes one of which  on the second run dropped a bomb down the funnel of "Macumba, which quickly sank. The attack occurred between the Wessell Sea an Cape Don. 

The Sun (Sydney, N.S.W.)  9-8-1943
DONKEYMAN HERO OF SHIP SUNK BY JAPS
Mortal Wounds Ignored
By M. C. WARREN, a "Sun" War Correspondent,
Hero of the Allied ship, the destruction of which in the Arafura Sea was reported on Saturday, was the donkeyman, George Dew, one of the three men lost. When the engine-room was wrecked by a Japanese bomb, Dew was badly wounded, but closed the stop-valves before coming on deck. "His heroism inspired us all," said the commander of the ship, Captain J. 0. V. Young, of Cremorne, who arrived with other survivors at an Australian port. Captain Young , paid a high tribute to the crew. "They stuck to their task and would not leave the ship until ordered to do so." he said.
"An aircraft was heard hovering round about 20 minutes before the attack. With thick cloud cover we did not know if it was friendly or alien. "Then a float-plane dived out of the clouds towards us. "The alarm was given at once and all hands went to action stations. "As soon .as the plane came within range we opened up with our guns. "It flew over at 1500 feet and dropped one bomb which recorded a near miss. "As it flew off a second float plane attacked and dropped a bomb which scored a direct hit on the engine-room and boiler-room. "I gave the order for the crew to take to the boats, keeping a few men on board to see if there was a chance of salvage. "When it became obvious that the ship could not be saved the remainder left.
Havoc In Stokehold
Captain Young said that the donkeyman Dew, after closing the stop-valves, came quietly on deck and sat on the hatch. Dew said nothing about being wounded, and until he was noticed by another member of the crew it was not known that he had been badly hurt, Dew died later.
A trimmer, Thomas Beaumont. of Sydney, who described the havoc in the stokehold, said: "The ship shook and the lights flickered when a bomb landed near the port side," he said. "We were told to punch her along and get out of this.' "The second engineer was saying, 'Put your best foot forward," when the lights went out and everything blew up. "Steam filled the hold and we scattered in all directions."
Fireman J. A. Burgess, of St.Peters, Sydney, said everything was enveloped in steam.  He tried to fight his way out through the engine-room, but had to turn back and scaled a ladder from the stokehold.
The third engineer, R. J. Savage, of Bundaberg, said he was manning a machine-gun aft, but it jammed. He spoke to the donkeyman Dew, who had come on deck. Dew told him he had been knocked down three times in the engine-room, but was able to close the stop valves.

The Sydney Morning Herald (N.S.W.) 25-8-1943
KELLER -August 7 1943, Harold Thomas Keller engineer officer, Merchant Navy died of wounds received through enemy action at sea. Sadly missed by his loving wife Lena, and baby son Rodney