Bombay in WW2 History | World War II Database

4 Mar 1942

India

British submarine HMS Rover (Lieutenant Commander G. H. Reynolds, RN) arrived at Bombay, India where her refit was to be continued by the Bombay Dockyard. A lot of her equipment was lost at Singapore and had to be shipped from the United Kingdom. It would therefore take considerable time before Rover would be completed. Her completion date was delayed several times due to other priorities and equipment that was being sent from the United Kingdom being lost. ww2dbase [Bombay | HM]

10 Aug 1942

India

Police in Bombay, India opened fire on a mob rioting following the arrest, on the previous day, of Mohandas Gandhi, Pandit Nehru and Dr. Maulana Azad, and all the members of the Indian Congress Party who attended the 5 August 1942 Bombay meeting. ww2dbase [Bombay | AC]

4 Mar 1943

India

The Dutch Submarine HNLMS K XI commenced a long overdue refit at Bombay, India. K XI had last been refitted from Aug to Dec 1940. The refit lasted until early Feb 1944 due to low priority and lack of skilled labour and supervision at the Bombay Royal Dockyard. ww2dbase [Bombay | HM]

29 Oct 1943

India

SS Loraine, carrying troops of US Army 1688th Detachment, arrived at Bombay, India. ww2dbase [Bombay | CPC]

14 Apr 1944

India

The British cargo ship, Fort Stikine, carrying 1,400 tons of explosives and 124 gold bars worth £1 million, caught fire in Bombay harbour, India and exploded, showering the docks with blazing debris. The blast and tidal wave which followed sank four ships and damage a further eleven, one of which, a troopship, was hurled out of the water and onto the roof of a warehouse. Half an hour later, the wreck of the Fort Stikine was devastated by a second massive explosion which threw debris 3,000 feet into the air and over a square mile of the docks and city. The two explosions killed 231 and injured a further 476. The bodies of more than 500 dock workers and civilians were also recovered, another 1,000 people simply disappeared and 2,000 were hospitalised. Eleven ships were lost. In 1960 a dredger working in the harbour recovered a single gold bar. ww2dbase [Bombay | AC]

Photo(s) dated 14 Apr 1944

People running for safety near the cargo ship Fort Stikine explosion, Victoria Dock, Bombay, India, 14 Apr 1944

Smoke rising from Victoria Dock, Bombay, India during the cargo ship Fort Stikine explosion, 14 Apr 1944

Timeline Section Founder: Thomas Houlihan
Contributors: Alan Chanter, C. Peter Chen, Thomas Houlihan, Hugh Martyr, David Stubblebine
Special Thanks: Rory Curtis

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