Diary of the 1917 voyage of HMA Troop ship TSS Ulysses from Australia to Great Britain - Part II

At 12 noon next day we weighed anchor at sailed out of the Sydney Heads to commence our long voyage. Heading south east we of the convoy formed in two lines, as leader HMS ‘Encounter’ with torpedo destroyers ‘Parramatta’ and ‘Yarra’ following in our wake.

On our port side we the ‘Marathon’, ‘Port Sydney’ and ‘Paheka’. We, the ‘Ulysses’ following the ‘Encounter’ with ‘Durham’, Tuarakina’ coming astern of us.

On Saturday morning we sighted Wilson’s Promontory and heading SW we were in the thick of dirty weather. We picked up the other convoy from Melbourne just before sundown and by Sunday morning had formed into three lines. On port side ‘Marathon’, ‘Port Sydney’, ‘Clan McGillivray’, ‘Tofua’. Starboard side ‘Ascanius’, ‘Durham’, Tuarakina, ‘Pakeha’ and astern of us the ‘Shropshire’ and ‘Benalla’.

We are all getting our sailing faculties tried to their utmost with mal-de-mer which laid quite a few of us on our backs until we got our sea legs. We lost sight of our light craft, the weather being too heavy, and rolled and tossed, getting the occasional sea over us, though we seem to be more fortunate than some of the others.

It is a picture we are not likely to forget to see them labouring in the heavy seas.

We rolled into Fremantle in a mistry rain on Monday Morning, May 21, at 10am and anchored in the harbour awaiting orders. We did not have any opportunities to pass an opinion of the seaport for Perth as we did not berth or have the option of going ashore. We could only admire its beauties from our ship.

We weighed anchor at 4pm and made for sea on another stage of our voyage. By the next morning we found we had as guardian of our convoy HMS ‘Doris’, the ‘Encounter’ having returned at Fremantle. We had also dropped the ‘Durham’ and ‘Port Sydney’ and picked up the ‘Suffolk’.

We were now somewhere at sea with games and concerts and cards, anything to pass the time. Before calling at Fremantle we selected a committee to look after our welfare and to conduct sports etc on board; also appointed two delegates to go ashore to make enquiries about certain business connected with our contracts. They had the misfortune to be left behind along with some military officials (we having been ordered off before the time arranged) but were all fortunate to get aboard some of the other ships.

The routine on board was much the same day after day, grand really getting into fine weather. (There was a burial of a soldier on May 28). Nothing but water with the odd flying fish and whales until Tuesday June 5 we rounded close by Mauritius and there exchanged our guardian for two Japanese cruisers.

(Another soldier died and buried at sea June 9).

More from George Kennedy’s diary in next week’s edition.