This is a website that is dedicated to the memory of the 2/15th Battalion
Second AIF.

The Battalion History states that the battalion was carried on MV Indrapoera from Bombay to Egypt in January/February 1941.  The AWM states that they were transported on HMT Rohna on this leg of their journey.  Until this issue is resolved, details on both ships will be shown in these pages.

The History is not very complimentary when it talks about this ship, with the only benefit being that its closeness allowed the battalion to bond together.

MV Indarpoera

The ship was Dutch-built for the East India routes, and was popular with travellers between the Wars. More can be found on this page.

"In mid September 1940, the transformed Indrapoera left Sidney (sic) harbour in her new wartime role. During the first days of the voyage the crew, who as non-combatant members of the merchant navy had no knowledge of naval warfare, were given instruction in the use of the gun. For many this was a very serious turn of events and one which drove home to them the real dangers to which they would inevitably be exposed.

After stopping at Fremantle to embark Australian and New Zealand troops, the Indrapoera sailed, as part of convoy US5, to Colombo where she served as the Convoy Commodore's ship. In Colombo more troops were taken aboard and these were taken through the Suez Canal to El Kantara.

The Indrapoara sailed on to Haïfa, via Port Said, and there discharged the rest of the troops. These men were to guard the oil pipelines in and around Haïfa. The Indrapoera, meanwhile, continued her journey back through the Suez Canal and on to Bombay where she arrived in early November 1940."

Convoy US5 also included the ship Christiaan Huygens. " US" was the prefix given t convoys from Australia to Europe and the Middle East until after December 1941, when they became prefixed by "OW".