The SS Fingal was a Norwegian merchant vessel built in 1923 at Moss Værft, Norway. She had a tonnage of 2,137 tons, reflecting her sizable cargo capacity typical of merchant ships of her era. As a cargo steamer, Fingal played a role in maritime trade and wartime logistics, particularly during World War II. During her service, Fingal experienced significant wartime damage in December 1941 when she was attacked and damaged by Japanese bombing while en route between Rangoon and Calcutta. Despite this earlier setback, she continued her operations, and by May 1943, she was under charter to the Australian Government. At that time, she was engaged in a cargo and ammunition run from Sydney to Darwin, an essential supply route in the Pacific theater. The vessel was crewed by 31 men, predominantly Scandinavians, with six Australians onboard, including two Royal Australian Navy gunners. Fingal’s notable and tragic end occurred on 5 May 1943 off Nambucca Heads, New South Wales. While escorting her was USS Patterson, the ship was attacked by the Japanese submarine I-180, which fired two torpedoes that struck her hull around 1:35 pm. The attack caused the Fingal to sink within about a minute. The sinking resulted in the loss of twelve crew members, including the captain, chief officer, and all the engineers, marking a significant wartime casualty. Survivors, after clinging to debris for approximately four hours, were rescued by an RAAF aircraft, an Avro Anson from No. 71 Squadron, which had been escorting the convoy. The aircraft, piloted by Sergeant Geoffrey Gillmore, with Flying Officer Max Sharrad and Sergeant "Poppa" Hall aboard, located the survivors, provided aid, and relayed their position to USS Patterson. The survivors were subsequently rescued and taken to Newcastle on 6 May 1943. The SS Fingal’s sinking underscores the peril faced by merchant shipping in wartime and highlights her role in the broader maritime conflict in the Pacific, marking her as a vessel of historical maritime significance.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.