HMAT Bulla

The ship as Hessen
History
Germany
NameHessen
OwnerNorddeutscher Lloyd
Port of registryBremen
BuilderJoh. C. Tecklenborg, Geestemunde
Yard number207
Launched1905
Christened2 September 1905
Completed9 November 1905
Out of service1914
Identification
FateSeized by Australia in World War I
Australia
NameHMAT Bulla
OperatorCommonwealth Line
Acquired1914
Out of service1926
IdentificationA45
FateSold
Germany
NameWeissesee
OperatorW. Schuchmann
Acquired1926
Out of service1943
FateSunk by aircraft 25 July 1943
General characteristics
Class & typeFranken-class [de] cargo ship
Tonnage5,099 GRT, 3,206 NRT
Length409.3 ft (124.8 m)
Beam52.7 ft (16.1 m)
Depth27.9 ft (8.5 m)
Decks2
Installed power533 NHP; 3,000 ihp (2,200 kW)
Propulsion
Speed12 knots (22 km/h)

HMAT Bulla was built as the steamer SS Hessen for the German Line Norddeutscher Lloyd in 1905. It could carry 3300 tons deadweight.

1914 seizure

The NDL liner Hessen was seized by Australian forces on 3 September 1914, when it sailed from Bremen into Melbourne, the German crew being unaware of the outbreak of World War I. The vessel did not have a wireless radio, and had sailed from Antwerp on 19 July 1914, with hostilities in progress from 4 August 1914. The seven crew and master Dietrich Reimers were taken into custody then released on parole in accordance with Articles 5(2), 6, and 7, of the Hague Convention. Its cargo was then offloaded in Sydney and Brisbane.

Australian WWI troopship

It became a troop transport for the war, becoming HMAT Hessen (A45) by February 1915, and by September 1915, renamed as the HMAT Bulla (A45). It was initially under the command of Captain R. A. T. Wilson, initially ferrying troops and horses to Egypt, and formed part of the Gallipoli campaign. It was subsequently considered unsuitable for troop transport. Captain E. Clutterbuck took over from Wilson, where the vessel was part of a storeship for that campaign.

May 1919 saw the steamer return from London with trophies of war for the Australian War Museum.

Post-WWI cargo steamer

It was transferred to the Commonwealth Government Line of Steamers in 1918,[citation needed] with Captain A. R. Pascall being the master about this time. In 1920 the SS Bulla was used to transport 6400 bales of wool and 1400 bags of barley from Adelaide to London via Durban.

The steamer was sold for £13 500 in 1926 to W. Schuchmann, who renamed it Weissesee (meaning 'white sea').

WW2 sinking

Weissesee was bombed and sunk by aircraft at Hamburg, Germany, on 25 July 1943. The wreck was raised in 1949 and scrapped.

References

  1. ↑ "HMAT & HMNZT Transport Ships". Archived from the original on 12 May 2013. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
  2. 1 2 "Bulla resold". Daily Commercial News and Shipping List. No. 11, 965. New South Wales, Australia. 17 December 1926. p. 4. Retrieved 29 April 2026 – via National Library of Australia.
  3. ↑ "Another liner seized". Geelong Advertiser. No. 21, 015. Victoria, Australia. 4 September 1914. p. 4. Retrieved 29 April 2026 – via National Library of Australia.
  4. ↑ Jose, Arthur (1928). Official History of Australia in the War of 1914–1918. Vol. IX. Canberra: Australian War Memorial. p. 543.
  5. ↑ "Another German steamer captured". The Age. No. 18552. Victoria, Australia. 4 September 1914. p. 6. Retrieved 29 April 2026 – via National Library of Australia.
  6. ↑ "Crews of captured enemy ships- SS Hessen, Lothringen, Pfalz, Hobart,Alhana- released on parole". National Archives of Australia. Retrieved 29 April 2026.
  7. ↑ "Prizes of war". The Daily Telegraph (Sydney). No. 11, 013. New South Wales, Australia. 9 September 1914. p. 11. Retrieved 29 April 2026 – via National Library of Australia.
  8. ↑ "HOBART and HESSEN". The Daily Telegraph (Sydney). No. 11, 026. New South Wales, Australia. 24 September 1914. p. 5. Retrieved 29 April 2026 – via National Library of Australia.
  9. ↑ "A45 HMAT "Hessen" - Troopship Orders, 2 Feb. - 10 Mar 1915". National Archives of Australia. Retrieved 29 April 2026.
  10. ↑ "Steamers inward and outward bound". Daily Commercial News and Shipping List. No. 7681. New South Wales, Australia. 11 September 1915. p. 7. Retrieved 29 April 2026 – via National Library of Australia.
  11. ↑ "[Troopship and cargo carrier movement cards, 1914-18 War] HMAT BULLA (A45)". National Archives of Australia. Retrieved 29 April 2026.
  12. 1 2 "Command of S.S. Bulla". The Argus (Melbourne). No. 25, 544. Victoria, Australia. 25 June 1928. p. 15. Retrieved 29 April 2026 – via National Library of Australia.
  13. ↑ "In the thick of it". Sunday Times (Perth). No. 920. Western Australia. 22 August 1915. p. 12 (Second Section). Retrieved 29 April 2026 – via National Library of Australia.
  14. ↑ "Australian ships". The Sun. No. 2724. New South Wales, Australia. 25 March 1919. p. 7. Retrieved 29 April 2026 – via National Library of Australia.
  15. ↑ "Sailors' and Soldiers Parliament". Smith's Weekly. Vol. IV, no. 26. New South Wales, Australia. 19 August 1922. p. 25. Retrieved 29 April 2026 – via National Library of Australia.
  16. ↑ "War Museum". The Mercury. Vol. CX, no. 15, 471. Tasmania, Australia. 29 May 1919. p. 4. Retrieved 29 April 2026 – via National Library of Australia.
  17. ↑ "Wedding bells". Daily Telegraph. Vol. XL, no. 148. Tasmania, Australia. 22 June 1920. p. 3. Retrieved 29 April 2026 – via National Library of Australia.
  18. ↑ "Shipping notes". Port Adelaide News. Vol. 7, no. 43. South Australia. 11 June 1920. p. 3. Retrieved 29 April 2026 – via National Library of Australia.
  19. ↑ "The Commonwealth Government Line of Steamers". TheShipsList. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
  20. ↑ "Shipping movements". The News. Vol. VIII, no. 1, 100. South Australia. 22 January 1927. p. 2 (Home edition). Retrieved 29 April 2026 – via National Library of Australia.
  21. ↑ "Weissesee (1139012)". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved 18 April 2015.