Magnetic Island boat "Paluma" was once a support vessel for the Coastwatchers during WW2

MAGNETIC ISLAND BOAT "PALUMA"
WAS ONCE A SUPPORT VESSEL FOR THE COASTWATCHERS
DURING WW2

visits since 4 January 2003

Paluma was built by Mat Taylor. After the war, it was used by Taylor as a commercial operation.

Image number: 115963 State Library of Queensland

Paluma being fitted out, Townsville, 1942. Castle Hill can be seen in the background.

"Paluma" complete with a deck gun
at Nissan Island in 1944.

The launch "Paluma", 45 tons gross, was 66 ft long, with a 14 foot beam, draught of 5 ft 6 ins, and with a top speed of 11 knots. It was fitted with two 0.5" Browning Machine Guns, two .303" Bren Guns and two Mk. VII DC's. It was requisitioned by the Army on 11 September 1941 and purchased on 1 June 1942. It was initially used as a Channel Patrol Boat and was then later allocated to the Allied Intelligence Bureau for Special Operations. It was used as a support vessel for the Coastwatchers.

Paluma was sold by the Military on 30 April 1946.

There was another much larger vessel called Paluma. It was 120 ft long Survey Ship of 420 tons. It was launched on 5 February 1946 and originally called AV2073 Elsa. It was used by the Army and then transferred to the RAN.

On 15 December 2005 Michael, great grandson of Matt Taylor advised as follows:-

Les Taylor (Matt's son who also helped to build her) worked her around Townsville during the 70's. She sat in Townsville's Ross Creek for a few years as Les's health deteriorated, and she was eventually sold to a group of businessmen who did a little home renovation on her, the most heartbreaking of which (To Les, that is) was to cut out many of her ironbark supports to lighten her up.

They then took her over to Perth as yet another boat watching the defence of the America's cup.

She somehow found her way back to the East coast, and spent some time as a charter-boat out of Airlie Beach. I saw her moored once, but unfortunately there was no-one on board. The locals said the owner was fascinated with her history and was collecting as much info on her as he could find. He was in negotiations with the Maratime Museum in Brisbane for her sale when she was heading back to her mooring after refuelling and caught alight. Nobody was hurt as far as I am aware, but she burnt to the waterline and nothing remains.

On 18 September 2006 Raymond McQueen told me that Paluma had been used as a Dive-boat. It was based at Airlie Beach in the Whitsundays and operated by a company called Tallarook Sail and Dive. Paluma burned to the waterline about 8 years ago and sank in Pioneer Bay. Her sister ship, Malanda, was a rotting hulk beached on the mud in Boathaven ("Muddy") Bay also at Airlie Beach having steamed across from Hamilton Island many years ago. Malanda was recently broken up and removed as part of the development of that Bay into a marina.

Colin Jones told me on 18 May 2005 :-

Taylor's Paluma was 66 feet long. She was taken up by the Royal Australian Navy before she ever went into service. She was never used as an island ferry as Bob Hayles kept the Malita on the run as best he could during the war and despite the Navy's dismissive comment that the island population was now minuscule so that a proper ferry service was not required.

Of Hayles other boats, the Malanda was taken up by the Navy in Cairns, so the Merinda was left to him for services between Cairns and Cooktown.

The two Brisbane boats were taken up by the army.

When he extracted the Malanda from the Navy's grasp he demanded compensation for the way they had treated her and the Navy gave her to Taylor to survey to ascertain what they might owe him. Hayles was incandescent!

I remember the Paluma in the early 1950s offering a 'walk the reef' cruise.

Stanley Gage contacted me on 10 February 2006. Stanley had joined the Coastwatchers in 1943. He joined Paluma from Camp Tabragalba in March 1944 after being outfitted at Milton Tennis Courts. They travelled to Port Moresby only to find his posting had been cancelled. After doing some odd jobs such as escorting stores to Lae he returned to Australia in October 1944 and was eventually posted to the Lugger Maintenance Section, in Darwin.

I'd welcome any more information on "Paluma"
or any Hayles boats that were used by the military during WW2

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I'd like to thank Michael Tracey for his assistance with this home page. Michael's grandfather was a coastwatcher with the American forces in the islands during WWII. Michael often travelled to Magnetic Island in the 1960's on "Paluma" when he used to play in rock group at dances on the island.

I'd also like to thank Colin Jones and Raymond McQueen for their assistance with this home page.

REFERENCES

"Royal Australian Navy; A - Z Ships, Aircraft and Shore Establishments"
by J.H. Straczek