- Yes - In the Tech Tree.
- Yes - Event/BP.
- Yes - Premium.
- No - I would not like to see HMAS Berrima in game.
Description:
HMAS Berrima was an odd vessel for the Royal Australian Navy, being the only Armed Merchant Cruiser (AMC) they operated during the First World War. She was originally built as one of five B-class P&O liners built for passage between the UK and Australia, however, upon the declaration of war, all vessels of the class would be refitted into troopships, but only the Berrima would officially commission and be armed.
As with her sisters, she was originally set to be converted into a troopship upon the declaration of war, however during conversion she was given four 4" guns and turned into an Auxiliary Cruiser. This was done as it was believed by the Australian Admiralty that the need for troopships was dropping, and that vessels that could dampen the threat of raiding German cruisers were of greater use. She could however still embark troops, just a smaller amount than her pure troopship sisters.
It was not expected for the Berrima to defeat these raiding cruisers, she was intended to delay them enough as to allow proper warships to arrive at the scene, giving time for the escorted convoys to scatter.
Her time as an AMC would be limited, as 1914 continued and Australia’s role in the conflict was changing, the need for troopships outstripped the need for these auxiliary cruisers and she was reconverted into a pure troopship in November 1914.
This suggestion is for her AMC fit as she initially commissioned.
History:
Laid down as the SS Berrima by Caird & Co, Greenock, Scotland, sometime in 1913, she would launch on the 13th of September 1913, fitting out on the 5th of December that year. She would be built for and operated by the P&O line for passage from the UK to Australia via Cape Town. She cost £209,456 to build, and was the fourth vessel of five from the B-class.
She would not last long in this role, as on the 17th of August 1914, not even a year since her maiden voyage, she would be requisitioned for military use. As with her sisters this was initially going to be a conversion to troopship, however she would be modified into an ‘Auxiliary Cruiser’, also known as an Armed Merchant Cruiser. She would retain the ability to hold a limited amount of troops, but would also gain a hospital area in the main superstructure and four BL 4-inch Mk.VII guns, two fore and two aft.
Upon the completion of this refit she would commission as the HMAS Berrima on the 17th of August 1914.
On the 19th of August she would leave Sydney, she would be carrying 500 RANR personnel in addition to her crew and 1000 men from 1st Battalion. She would arrive on the 21st of August at Moreton Bay, but would later depart to rendezvous with the HMAS Sydney off Sandy Cape, where they would proceed to Great Palm Island. From here amphibious landings were practiced, in preparation for the Invasion of German held New Guinea.
She would sail for Port Moresby on the 2nd of September 1914, in company with the HMAS Sydney, Encounter, AE1 and AE2, arriving on the 4th. They would meet other RAN vessels, such as HMAS Parramatta, Warrego, Yarra, and Kanowna. The wounded from this operation would be taken aboard the Berrima, due to her medical facilities. This would include one German POW. This operation would be successful, and the Berrima would depart for Madang, arriving on the 24th. She would later sail for Townsville with other RAN vessels operating in this area, arriving on the 13th of October 1914.
She would be decommissioned on the 20th of October 1914, for conversion into a troopship, with her guns being removed. She would recommission as the HMAT (His Majesty’s Australian Transport), Berrima, with a pennant of A45. She would take ANZAC forces to the Middle East across three voyages between December 1914 and December 1916.
During this period she would make visits north to the UK, this would result in her torpedoing on the 18th of February 1917 in the English Channel by the U-84. She would be badly damaged, but only four lives were lost, although the HMS Forester would tow her into Portland Harbour, where she would be beached due to the lack of dry-dock facilities. She would be relinquished by the Australian Government on the 10th of October 1917 after repairs, only for her to be taken over by the British Shipping Controller, for munition transport across the Atlantic.
She would be returned in 1920, however on her voyage back to Australia for handover, she would be beached off Margate due to Pilot error. She would be refloated, and would return to commercial service on the P&O line, by the 24th of March 1920.
On the 26th of April 1929, P&O would shut down the UK-AU route via Capetown, and the Berrima was laid up for sale. She would eventually be sold for scrap on the 26th of July 1930.
| General Characteristics: | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name: HMAS Berrima | |||||
| Country: Australia | |||||
| Type: Armed Merchant Cruiser | |||||
| Class name: Berrima | |||||
| Year of commission: 1914 | |||||
| Refit: 1914 | |||||
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | |||||
| Dimensions: | |||||
| Length: 500 ft 2 in (152.45 m) | |||||
| Beam: 62 ft 3 in (18.97 m) | |||||
| Draught: 38 ft (12 m) | |||||
| Displacement: 11,120t | |||||
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | |||||
| Propulsion: | |||||
| Powerplant: Quadruple expansion steam engines, 9,000ihp (6,700kW) across two screws | |||||
| Speed: 14kt | |||||
| Endurance: Unknown | |||||
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | |||||
| Armament & sensors: | |||||
| Compliment: Unknown | |||||
| Primary armament: 4x1 BL-4 Inch Mk.VII | |||||
| Secondary armament: -nil | |||||
| Tertiary armament: - nil | |||||
| Radar: - nil | |||||
| Sonar: -nil |
Sources
Gillett, R. (1983). Australian and New Zealand Warships 1914-1945 (p.53)
Plowman, P. (2003). Across the Sea to War (pp.54, 80)
HMAS Berrima - Wikipedia
Screw Steamer BERRIMA built by Caird & Company in 1913 for Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Company, London, Passenger / Cargo
https://seapower.navy.gov.au/history/units/hmas-berrima
https://researchcentre.army.gov.au/library/australian-army-journal-aaj/volume-20-number-3/without-it-were-stuft
https://poheritage.com/collections/c7645905-d82b-3cf1-b8bb-1f987a7f887c/