HMS/USS Krakatoa

HMS or USS Krakatoa was a naval tramp steamer launched in 1918 and destroyed in 1953 under US Navy ownership. She was originally named SS North Star.

History (SS North Star)
North Star was launched from Harland & Wolff of Belfast, Northern Ireland, in 1918 after WWI had finished.

History (HMS Krakatoa)
After being bought by the RN in 1919, SS North Star was renamed HMS Krakatoa, after the Indonesian volcano.

History (USS Krakatoa)
After WWII, the RN gave Krakatoa to the United States Navy and kept her name. She underwent a US$100,000 refit to meet USN specifications, including removal of Marconi wireless in April, 1948. In 1950, she was refitted with new amour plating after the 20 year old armour plating installed to the ship under RN service rotted away. When the Korean War broke out, she started service as a supply vessel and kept deliveries up with the transport planes. In 1953, she was destroyed at Portsmouth Harbour after a spark from her chimney (some dust from her coal burning days) set fire to munitions on the pier. She was decommissioned by the USN due to her damage being beyond repair and was scrapped at Portsmouth a year later. The first ship scrapped in Nerlish waters.

Basis
HMS/USS Krakatoa is based on a 1910s tramp steamer used by the British. Her service is believed to have been based off SS Kentuckian, also known as USAT Kentuckian and USS Kentuckian. Krakatoa's described nickname "unsinkable" came from RMS Titanic, that sank in 1912.

Trivia
Krakatoa is named the Indonesian volcano that blew itself apart.

Unlike most tramp steamers, Krakatoa served for a navy during the Korean War, all would have been privately owned or scrapped.

Krakatoa is one of a few ships in the series that had more than one name.

Spite there being an SS North Star in the Rev. W. Awdry's Railway Series, the two ships are not related, spite having the same name.

This Krakatoa was inspired by the naval tramp steamer in the 1989 TV show 'Tugs', which is also named 'Kraka-Toa'. Both ships did have the same fate, destroying during their loading.

Ideas on how Krakatoa was to sink in her moorings changed in 2021 with the idea of her hull breaking in half, as her cargo would be enough to cause an explosion so powerful, it would tear the keel in half.

McConnell generally feared the Krakatoa whenever it was in port. This could refer to its namesake, the Indonesian volcano.