tsmv. Manoora

Official Number	Date	Builder	Tonnage	L	B	D	Fate
153959	1935	Alexander Stephen & Sons	10856	463.5	66.2	29.8	Sank on the way to the breakers 1972

Built for the Adelaide Steamship Company, the name Manoora was derived from the name of a large sheep station in South Australia owned by Sir Walter Duncan, a Director of the Adsteam.

1934	??.07.1934 - Keel laid.

	25.10.1934 - Launched

1935	07.02.1935 - Completed, entered service on the Cairns to Fremantle run.

1939	11.10.1939 - Requisitioned by The Royal Australian Navy. Sent to Garden Island in Sydney to be refitted for service as an armed merchant cruiser (AMC). She was fitted with, 7 x 6-inch guns; 2 x 3-inch anti-aircraft guns and 2 x Lewis light machine guns.

	12.12.1939 - Commissioned into the R.A.N. under the command of Commander Arthur Spurgeon.

1940	05.02.1940 - Refit completed, underwent sea trials in Port Phillip Bay, Victoria. After conducting further exercises off the Queensland coast and in the Coral Sea, Manoora sailed for Macassar

	01.04.1940 - Arrived Masassar and conducted patrols to prevent the breakout of German merchant ships from Dutch East Indies ports.







1942	30.09.1942 - Arrived Sydney, converted to a Landing Ship, Infantry (LSI), fitted with 1 x 6-inch gun, which was later replaced by 2 x 4-inch guns, 2 x 3-inch anti-aircraft guns, 8 x 20mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft guns.

1943	02.02.1943 - Refit completed, officially an LSI.



1944	10.09.1944 - Manoora embarked 1272 men at Maffin Bay

	15.09.1944 - Arrived Morotai

	16.09.1944 - Sailed Morotai for Humboldt Bay, New Guinea.

	18.09.1944 - Arrived Humboldt Bay.

	10.10.1944 - A full scale rehearsal of the landing was carried out at Tanahmerah Bay.

	13.10.1944 - Sailed Humboldt Bay for Leyte.

	20.10.1944 - Arrived off Panaon Island in the province of Southern Leyte.

	30.11.1944 - As part of Transport Group 'A', she embarked troops and stores for the Lingayen landings. . Transport Group 'A' then proceeded to Lae where, in company with Landing Group 'B', practice landings were carried out. The ships then sailed for Manus Island.

	31.12.1944 - Sailed Manus Island for Luzon Island in Lingayen Gulf.

1945
	08.01.1945 - Arrived off Lingayen Gulf. As the ships made their final approach to the gulf they came under air attack.

	09.01.1945 - The troops were landed, supported by a heavy bombardment. The LSI's discharged their cargoes rapidly and left the area that evening to avoid further air attack, returning via Leyte to Morotai.

	12.01.1945 - Arrived Leyte, the decision was made to repaint Manoora in a "dazzle" disruptive camouflage paint scheme as she had been found to be too conspicuous at Lingayen Gulf.

	21.01.1945 - Arrived Morotai

	27.04.1945 - Sailed Morotai for the landings on Tarakan towing a Landing Craft Tank (LCT)..

	30.04.1945 - Arrived Tarakan and the LCT was slipped.

	01.05.1945 - The landings took place, the LSI's finished discharging their cargos the next day then sailed for Morotai to load more cargo for the landing beaches at Tarakan.

	04.05.1945 - Sailed Morotai, in company with a large group of American vessels for Brunei.

	10.05.1945 - Arrived off Brunei and commenced landing her embarked troops on Green Beach before unloading her cargo.

	11.05.1945 - Sailed Brunei for Morotai.

	14.05.1945 - Arrived Morotai from Brunei.





	01.07.1945 - Arrived Balikpapan, disembarked troops and unloaded her cargo.

	01.07.1945 - Sailed for Morotai at 19:30.

	04.07.1945 - Arrived Morotai, embarked reinforcements.

	04.07.1945 - Sailed Morotai.

	07.07.1945 - Arrived Balikpapan. The remainder of the war was spent on transport duties around New Guinea, the Philippines and Borneo.

	??.09.1945 - began post war operations repatriating troops from New Guinea, New Britain, Morotai and Borneo. This work continued until April 1946, when she made the first of four trips to Japan.

1947	06.12.1947 -Paid off from the R.A.N.

1949

	31.08.1949 - Returned to her owners. She then underwent a major refit at Cockatoo Island Dockyard to fully restore her to merchant service. This involved fully overhauling her machinery, removing all military features and modernising her crew and passenger accommodation.






1961	26.08. 1961 - Sailed Melbourne for Indonisia, she had been purchased by the Indonisian Government and renamed TSMV Ambulombo. She was refitted as a pilgrim ship for the carriage of pilgrims to Mecca.



1965	.1965 - sold to another Indonesian company, PT Affan Raya, renamed TSMV Affan Oceana

1966	.1966 - sold to PT Perusahaan Pelajaran and renamed TSMV Ambulombo.

1970	1970 - laid up

1972	1972 - sold to Taiwanese ship beakers.

	18.11.1972 - Whilst on route to the breakers in Kaohsiung, under tow by the Japanese tug Fujisan Maru, Ambulombo sprang a leak and foundered at 18°19’ N-120°34’ E.