What is the Herstein?

Trevor
05/06/2017

The MS Herstein was a Norwegian merchant ship sent to Rabaul durng WWII to be loaded with copra and then return to Australia.

It arrived at Rabaul on the 19th of January 1942 and was attacked by Japanese bombers the following morning. It was hit repeatedly by dive-bombers and set on fire.

Some of the crew managed to escape from Rabaul. The rest of Herstein's crew members were taken prisoners by the Japanese. On July 1-1942 they were under transport on the prisoner ship Montevideo Maru, when that ship was torpedoed and sunk by the American submarine Sturgeon (SS-187), about 65 miles west off Cape Bojeador, Luzon, 18 37N, 119 29E.

All on board died, incl. about 1,050 allied POWs en route to Hainan Island.

Tags: Montevideo Maru
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