State Shipping Service of WA

This service was established in 1912, for operation as far north as Darwin and south to Albany and Eucla in its early years.

At the start of the Second World War the service had three ships:

Ship

Built

Gross Tons

In Service

Kybra 1926 858 1926-1958
Koolinda 1926 4227 1926-1958
Koolama 1938 4068 1938-1946

While Koolinda assisted in evacuations from Darwin in December 1941, Kybra was requisitioned by the Royal Australian Navy on 21 June 1940 as an anti-submarine vessel. Koolama, requisitioned on 16 January 1942, operated until 29 February in northern troop re-supply and civilian evacuation duties, but on that date, near Wyndham, was attacked and disabled for the remainder of the war, being scuttled at sea in 1946.