SS Loongana

SS Loongana was a Bass Strait passenger ship owned by Union Steamship Company of New Zealand. Transferred to Tasmanian Steamers Pty Ltd. in 1922. In service between 1904-1934, it was the first ship registered in the Southern Hemisphere with steam turbine propulsion. During the 1912 North Mount Lyell Disaster it crossed the strait in 12 hours and 46 minutes at 22 kn, carrying rescue gear from Victorian mines.

Loongana is an Aboriginal word meaning to be swift or to fly.