WW1 SS Boorara Merchant Navy

[heywood]

Hello,
I wonder can anyone shed some light here please. I have a realtive who is listed on the Commonwealth Graves Site as dying March 1916 - SS Boorara- a donkey man in the Mercantile Marine.
A cousin and I have both tried to get a death certificate with no results.
I have also tried 'googling' SS Boorara with very little information being there. I have seen references to it being torpedoed in 1918 and I am unsure as to whether there was also an Australian troopship of the same name- I am assuming that they are not the same ship.
I don't really know what to do next. I have emailed various authorities e.g. City Archives at Southampton where the National Archives site states there are records but to no avail and GRO but am not getting anywhere,
I am posting here in the hope that perhaps someone can at least shed light on the Boorara for us.
thanks in advance for any ideas
heywood
 

[manmack]

hiya heywood,the boorara was originally the german freighter ss pfalz commanded by captain wilhelm kuhlken,she was captured in melbourne harbour on 5th aug 1914.
she was converted for use as part of the australian defence transport force.
on 17-9-15 she was rammed by the french cruiser kleber
in march 1918 she was torpedoed in the english channel but survived
on 23-9-1918 she was again torpedoed near yarmouth,she also survived this attack
on 24-6-19 she was transferred to the commonwealth government line
your rellie may have died of natural causes or his date of death is wrong [march 1916]or he was killed in the torpedo attack in march 1918 not march 1916
she was used as a troop transport at gallipoli,she also took turkish POWs from the dardanelles and in 1919 she took australian troops back home
mack

[manmack]

what was your rellie name.
mack

[heywood]

Hi mack,
He is Martin Duffy - he is on CWG site as a casualty of war- if you died of natural causes you wouldn't be on that would you?
It says SS Boorara (London). I had read some of what you have written re Australia.
He was Irish - although at that time a British citizen employment/ joining up.
He was my grandmother's brother.
I would be grateful of anything you can add or suggest - especially re his death certificate.
thanks
Kath

[manmack]

he was serving at the time of his death,it doesnt matter how he died,hes still entitled to a war grave or commemoration,mack

[manmack]

he was serving at the time of his death,it doesnt matter how he died,hes still entitled to a war grave or commemoration,mack

[heywood]

thanks for that, mack, I didn't realise - never had to think about it before I suppose.
Now we have had a search for 1916 and 1918 for death certificate - so do you have any idea where deaths would be recorded if they were at sea.
thanks again - you've been very helpful. I will pass this info to my cousin (2nd) in USA found through internet (before rootschat).
Kath

[manmack]

hiya heywood,ime pretty certain that martin was killed in the submarine attack on the 20-3-1918,also killed in the same attack was fireman ernest,allen drake,of australia,the boorara was registered in london,the CWGC have got the wrong date of death,thats why you cant find his DC for 1916,go on the great war forum and get hold of my buddy,terry denham,he will search the overseas death registers,he will explain how to get martins details ammended,good luck,let me know how you go on,mack

[heywood]

will do and thank you so much