Territory Stories

Melchor Jaruvilla

Details:

Title

Melchor Jaruvilla,

Name

Melchor Jaruvilla,

Also known as

Jaruvilla, Melchor, Jarobilla, Melchor,

Collection

WWII Roll of Honour, HistoryNT, Second World War, 1939-1945,

Date

0000-00-00,

Occupation

3rd Engineer,

Unit

USAT Don Isidro,

Date of death

1942-02-19,

Place of death

USAT Don Isidro,

Cultural heritage

Filipino,

Biographical notes

Malchor Jarubilla was 3rd Engineer on the Don Isidro. The Don Isidro was built in 1939 at Krupp Germania, Kiel for the De la Rama Steamship Company, Manila. It was 3261 gross tons in weight. In 1941 it was under contract to the US Army. The Don Isidro left Brisbane on 27 January for Corregidor via South Australia. It stopped at Fremantle for engine repairs on 3 February. It left the following day, heading for Batavia. It arrived at Sourabaya, on 9 February, and departed 13 hours later. On 18 February 1942, at noon, about 80 miles north of Wessel Island, an enemy bomber attacked the ship twice without damage. Captain Cisnero then changed course for Darwin. On 19 February 1942, at about 9.15 am 25 miles north of Bathurst Island, seven fighter planes strafed the Don Isidro. Despite the defensive fire of the American army unit on board, all the life boats and rafts were destroyed and several members of the crew were wounded. At about 1.30 pm a Japanese Float plane dropped two bombs which missed the Don Isidro. Some time later, nine dive bombers set the ship on fire. The ship drifted ashore at Bathurst Island, still burning, on 20 February. Eleven crewmen died, and Lieutenant Kane of the 453d Ordnance Company was severely wounded. He later died of gangrene in Darwin.,

Notes

Metadata: Attribution International 4.0 (CC-BY 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0,

Language

English,

Subject

Second World War, 1939-1945, Bombing of Darwin, Roll of Honour, Northern Territory history,

File type

image/tiff,

Use

No known copyright,

Copyright owner

Library & Archives NT, Library & Archives NT,