HMAS Manoora ( F48 ) HMAS " Manoora " ( F48 / C77 ) was a passenger liner that served in the Royal Australian Navy ( RAN ) during World War II . Built in Scotland in 1935 for the Cairns to Fremantle coastal passenger run for the Adelaide Steamship Company . She was requisitioned by the RAN for naval service in 1939 . " Manoora " was initially converted into an Armed Merchant Cruiser ( AMC ) , operating primarily in Australian , New Guinea , and Pacific waters , with deployments to Singapore and the Bay of Bengal . In 1942 , the ship was converted into the RAN ' s first Landing Ship , Infantry ( LSI ) . After extensive training , " Manoora " was involved in most of the Allied amphibious operations in the Pacific during 1944 and 1945 . After the war ' s end , the ship was used to transport occupation forces and refugees until 1947 , when she was decommissioned from naval service and returned to the Adelaide Steamship Company . " Manoora " continued to operate in Australian waters until 1961 , when she was sold to an Indonesian company and renamed Albulombo . The ship was sold for scrap in 1972 . Design and construction . The passenger liner was in length overall , with a beam of , and a draught of . " Manoora " had a tonnage value of 10 , 900 gross tons . She had a twin - screw propulsion system , with diesel engines supplying to drive the ship at . " Manoora " was built by Alexander Stephen and Sons in Govan , Scotland for the Adelaide Steamship Company . The ship was laid down in July 1934 , launched on 25 October 1935 , and completed in 1935 . Operational history . " Manoora " entered service on the Cairns to Fremantle coastal passenger run . Armed Merchant Cruiser . On 14 November 1939 , the liner was requisitioned by the RAN for use as an armed merchant cruiser ( AMC ) . The AMC conversion consisted of the addition of seven 6 - inch main guns , two 3 - inch anti - aircraft guns , and equipment to operate a Supermarine Walrus amphibious aircraft . " Manoora " was commissioned into the RAN on 12 December 1939 , although the conversion was not completed until 5 Febriary 1940 . She was assigned the pennant number F48 . Initially , the ship was used to patrol Australian waters , but during March 1940 , she was redeployed to the China Station to operate with the Malaya Force . During the ship ' s return to Australia in early April , " Manoora " intercepted four Norwegian merchant vessels and escorted them to Brisbane ; Norway having recently fallen to the Germans , and the Allies wanted to ensure as many Norwegian - flagged vessel came under their control as possible . On 12 June , shortly after Italy became involved in the war , " Manoora " intercepted the Italian passenger vessel " Romolo " , which was scuttled off the Solomon Islands . The AMC then provided assistance to United States cargo ship " Admiral Wiley " , which had run aground at Kitava . Between the end of 1940 and September 1941 , " Manoora " s operated around the north and east coasts of Australia , around New Guinea and New Britain , and to the Solomons , Nauru , and Ocean Island . In December , the AMC transported Admiral Sir Guy Royle to Singapore , then transited to the Bay of Bengal for escort duties . On 1 March 1942 , the ship left Colombo for Australia , with a convoy of troopships returning from the Middle East . Landing Ship , Infantry . In mid - 1942 , " Manoora " was marked for conversion into the RAN ' s first Landing Ship , Infantry ( LSI ) at Garden Island Dockyard . Her AMC armament was removed and replaced with a single 12 - pounder gun , six 40 mm Bofors , and eight 20 mm Oerlikon s . The Walrus amphibian was removed , and the ship was modified to carry landing craft : 17 LCVPs , and two LCMs . " Manoora " was initially able to carry 850 soldiers , but later modifications increased this to 1 , 250 . The ship was recommissioned on 2 February 1943 with the pennant number C77 , and after spending six months on amphibious warfare training in Port Phillip , was deployed to New Guinea . After further training and exercises near Milne Bay , " Manoora " participated in her first amphibious landing on 22 April 1944 ; the Operation Reckless landings at Tanamerah Bay . Following Operation Reckless , the LSI saw service in most of the amphibious operations in the Pacific theatre . On 17 May , " Manoora " operated as part of the Battle of Wakde , followed by the landings at Morotai on 15 September , and Leyte during October . At the start of 1945 , the ship participated in operations at Lingayen Gulf , followed by the Borneo campaign , with landings at Tarakan on 1 May , Brunei Bay during 9 and 10 June , then Balikpapan on 1 July . After this , " Manoora " sailed to Australia , and was in Sydney when World War II ended . After the war ' s end , " Manoora " was used to transport the soldiers and equipment of occupation forces , and return evacuees from the East Indies region to their homes . The LSI ' s naval service ended on 6 December 1947 , when she was decommissioned from naval service . She received six battle honour s for her wartime service : " Indian Ocean 1941 – 42 " , " Pacific 1942 – 45 " , " New Guinea 1944 " , " Leyte Gulf 1944 " , " Lingayen Gulf 1945 " , and " Borneo 1945 " . Post - war career . After two years of maintenance and refit at Cockatoo Island Dockyard to remove the wartime modifications , " Manoora " was returned to the Adelaide Steamship Company on 31 August 1949 . In August 1969 , the ship was sold to an Indonesian company , who renamed her " Albulombo " . The ship was sold for scrap to a Japanese firm in October 1972 , and broken up in Taiwan .