SS Wollongbar II Second World War Honour Roll, Port Macquarie

About

The memorial is an honour roll dedicated to the merchant seamen who served aboard the coastal freighter SS Wollongbar II, which was torpedoed on 29 April 1943 by a Japanese submarine off Crescent Head on the NSW Mid North Coast. The polished timber honour board is topped with a carved pediment and features a blue painted scroll with the vessel's name painted in gold. The dedication is printed in gold with the Captain's name written below in gold and blue shadow lettering. The names of 36 merchant seamen are listed alphabetically in two columns, with an asterisk indicating the five survivors of the torpedoing. The memorial was designed by John Barrett and manufactured in 1994 by Hamilton Honour Boards, Sydney. A small metal plaque is positioned at the bottom of the honour roll detailing the memorial's commissioning and manufacturing.  A detailed history entitled The sinking of the Wollongbar II is published on the Anzac Portal on the Department of Veterans' Affairs website, which chronicles the merchant ships and the North Coast Navigation (NCSN) steamer Wollongbar II, including details of its sinking and the rescue of the five men who survived.     In 2019, archaeologists from Heritage NSW found the wreck off Crescent Head, following the discovery of wreckage by a local fisherman. On 30 April 2022, Emma Siossian and Cameron Marshall of ABC Mid North Coast posted a story entitled: SS Wollongbar II mariners remembered at wreck site 79 years after Japanese torpedo attack. After a series of COVID-related delays an official memorial service was held at sea on April 2022 at the wreck site. The honour roll is on display in the Mid Coast Maritime Museum and is available for viewing when the museum is open to the public.

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