‘At last, his resting place is known’: Andrew Hastie’s tribute to great uncle lost on SS Montevideo Maru, as WWII wreckage discovered
Andrew Hastie releases a moving tribute to his great uncle who was one among over 1000 Australians who perished on the ship.
Saturday’s discovery of a ship that sank 81 years ago during WWII with more than 1000 Australians on board, of whom 850 were service people, is welcome news to families across the country who finally know where one of their own rests.
Among those relatives is opposition defence spokesperson Andrew Hastie, who released a moving tribute to his great uncle.
The SS Montevideo Maru was a Japanese merchant vessel used to transport prisoners and was sunk off the coast of the Philippines on 1 July 1942.
The shipwreck marks Australia’s largest loss of life at sea.
The government on Saturday said the wreckage of the ship was found, after a search led by not-for-profit Silentworld Foundation and deep-sea survey specialists Fugro, with support from the Defence department.
“The War Memorial lists the final resting place of NX52913 Private Neill Ross Callaghan, my great uncle, as being ‘Known unto God’,” Mr Hastie said.
“As of this morning, his resting place is also known to my family, at last.
“Uncle Neill lays alongside his mates from 2/22nd Battalion, on the lower decks of the SS Montevideo Maru, which we now know is 4000 metres beneath Philippine waters, 110 km north west of Luzon.”
War memorial chair Kim Beazley described the discovery as a “monumental moment in war history” and said his uncle, Syd Beazley, was also among the Australians aboard the ship.
“This has solved a Second World War mystery and my family’s history,” Mr Beazley said.
“Finding the site of Australia’s most devastating loss at sea and land will help heal Australia’s collective memory for generations.”
Mr Hastie, a former SAS troop commander, said the loss of his great uncle had “always disturbed my family”.
“Some time before the family heard official news of the sinking of the great transport ship in 1942, my grandfather had a vivid dream about Neill that woke him in a cold sweat. That he’d held out his hand as a brother, and said, ‘Reg, I‘m not coming home’.
“Worse, there was a persistent rumour that Neill had died in Rabaul, used in bayonet practice by the invading army. Thanks to the work of the National Archives of Australia, we know he was on the ship’s manifest.”
Mr Hastie said his great uncle Neill was one of 1396 Australians who were trying to defend Rabaul, now in Papua New Guinea, from the Imperial Japanese Army when he was captured.
“He survived the battle and was taken prisoner on the Japanese transport ship, only to be torpedoed, in the fog of war, by USS Sturgeon, who were oblivious to its passengers. The ship sank in 15 minutes, and there were no known Australian survivors,” he said.
“Neill left behind his young wife, Nell, who also lost her brother, James Walker, who was also aboard the Montevideo. Nell was twice bereaved by two men she loved dearly, at such a young age. It’s hard to imagine her grief.”
Mr Hastie thanked the search effort.
“My grandfather, Reginald, had been a happy soul, but he never got over the loss of his brother,” he said. “I know that pain lingers in families across Australia, which includes my friend the Hon. Kim Beazley. I hope today’s news of the finding of SS Montevideo Maru would have brought many a degree of peace.
“We thank the Silentworld Foundation, Fugro, and the Australian Defence Force for their efforts in locating our lost servicemen.”
Anthony Albanese said he hoped the discovery “brings a measure of comfort to loved ones who have kept a long vigil”.
“The extraordinary effort behind this discovery speaks for the enduring truth of Australia’s solemn national promise to always remember and honour those who served our country,” the Prime Minister said. “This is the heart and the spirit of Lest We Forget.”
Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles acknowledged the “generous support” from the Philippines in permitting the search.
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For more than 80 years, hundreds of Australian families have waited for news of the Montevideo Maru.
— Richard Marles (@RichardMarlesMP) April 21, 2023
This week, thanks to an extraordinary search effort, the ship’s final resting place has been discovered. pic.twitter.com/NSn3bNjJXm
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