Territory Stories

Pak Fung

Details:

Title

Pak Fung

Name

Pak Fung

Also known as

Fung, Pak

Collection

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

Date

2021

Occupation

Seaman

Unit

MV Neptuna

Date of death

1942-02-19

Place of death

MV Neptuna

Biographical notes

Fung Pak was a seaman on the MV Neptuna. Further information on his life has yet to be discovered.

History

The Neptuna had a Hong Kong registration, and had been doing the Hong Kong - Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) run, which explains her predominantly Chinese crew. She arrived in Darwin Harbour loaded with two hundred depth charges and a very large quantity of anti-aircraft shells for the Navy and Army. When the Japanese air attack began the Neptuna was berthed alongside the main wharf awaiting maintenance. The first bomb hit the ship below the waterline and she began taking on water; she then received a direct hit causing her to catch on fire. When the fire entered No. 3 and No. 4 hatches, the Neptuna blew apart, creating a huge mushroom cloud caused by the explosion of the ammunition she was carrying. Most of the surviving ship's company were rescued from the wharf and the harbour and taken aboard HMAS Platypus, a depot ship being used as a casualty clearing station. Thirty-six of the ship's crew were killed, including the Master, Captain William Michie.

Notes

Metadata: Attribution International 4.0 (CC-BY 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0; Photo from Australian War Memorial, Public Domain.

Language

English

Subject

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

File type

image/jpeg

Use

No known copyright

Copyright owner

Australian War Memorial

License

https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/pubic-domain/pdm

Related links

https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=334209&S=9&R=0 [Darwin Raids - Casualty Lists and Enquiries]; https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C48281 [Australian War Memorial : Photograph 128107, Second World War, 1939-1945]; https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=334209&S=9&R=0 [Darwin Raids - Casualty Lists and Enquiries]; https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C48281 [Australian War Memorial : Photograph 128107, Second World War, 1939-1945]; https://hdl.handle.net/10070/844064 [WWII Military Units : MV Neptuna]

Parent handle

https://hdl.handle.net/10070/839265

Citation address

https://hdl.handle.net/10070/840508