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Pensacola Convoy PlacePrint Page 
Pensacola Convoy Place commemorates the vessels known as the Pensacola Convoy which arrived in the Brisbane River on 22 December 1941 during World War Two
Following the Japanese military attack on Pearl Harbour and other targets in the Asia-Pacific region, a convoy of seven cargo and troop ships escorted by the USS Pensacola, that had been en route to re-equip the United States base in Manila,in the Philippines diverted towards the east coast of Australia. Near New Caledonia, the convoy was joined by the Australian Navy cruisers "Canberra" and Perth" and the New Zealand cruiser "Achilles". The convoy and escorts arrived in Moreton Bay in the early hours of 22 December, 1941.
Location
| Address: | Kingsford Smith Drive, Bretts Wharf, Hamilton, 4007 |
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| State: | QLD |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -27.439973 Long: 153.062048 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Park |
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| Monument Theme: | Conflict |
| Sub-Theme: | WW2 |
| Actual Event Start Date: | 22-December-1941 |
| Actual Event End Date: | 22-December-1941 |
Dedication
| Actual Monument Dedication Date: | Thursday 22nd December, 2022 |
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Plaque :
Pensacola Convoy Place
This Place is dedicated to the memory of the vessels known as the Pensacola Convoy - and those who served on them - who found safe harbour in the Brisbane River on 22 December 1941.
Following the Japanese military attack on Pearl Harbour and other targets in the Asia-Pacific region, a convoy of seven cargo and troop ships escorted by the USS Pensacola, that had been en route to re-equip the US base in Manilla, diverted towards the east coast of Australia. Near New Caledonia, the convoy was joined by the Australian Navy cruisers "Canberra" and Perth" and the New Zealand cruiser "Achilles". The convoy and escorts arrived in Moreton Bay in the early hours of 22 December, 1941.
An excerpt from the official US Army history of World War 2 reads, "From Moreton Bay, a sheet of blue water broken by small green island and edged by palm fringed yellow beaches, Brisbane is 14 miles up the Brisbane River. As the Pensacola and her convoy steamed upriver, the men at the rails saw cheering crowds along the banks. This was because they were the first US soldiers on Australian soil, at a time when Japanese forces were seen to threaten Australia".
Berthing at Newstead Wharf and Hamilton Wharves, soldiers and airmen transferred to tent city quarters at the racetracks of Ascot and Doomben.
The USS Pensacola was a heavy cruiser. The ships in the convoy under her protection that berthed in Brisbane were :
SS Admiral Hahtead
SS Coast Farmer (charted commercial freighter)
MS Bloemfontein (Dutch passenger - cargo liner)
USS Chaumont (US Navy transport)
USAT Meigs (US Army transport)
USS Republic (US Navy troopship)
USAT Willard A Holbrook (US Army troopship)
Brisbane was established as the base from which the Allied fight back in the Pacific was planned and executed, under the command of General Douglas MacArthur.
