Booya (ship)

	Booya as Argosy Lemal, c. 1940
History
Name	De Lauwers (1917–20); Argosy Lemal (1920–49); Ametco (1949–52); Clair Crouch (1952–64); Booya (1964–74);
Owner	Argosy Shipping & Coal Co Ltd, Newcastle upon Tyne (1920–23); Yorke Shipping Pty Ltd, Port Adelaide (1923–42); Australian Government (1942–49); Australian Middle East Trading Co (1949–52); M B Crouch & Co Ltd (1952–64); Mornington Island Fishing Co (1964–68); Denham Island Transport Co (1968–74);
Operator	Owner operated except:-; United States Army (1942–49);
Port of registry	Amsterdam 1917–20; Newcastle upon Tyne 1920–23; Port Adelaide (1923–42); United States Army (1942–49); Australia (1949–74);
Builder	Gebroeders van Diepen, Waterhuizen, Netherlands
Launched	1917
Identification	UK Official Number 144888; Code Letters KGHS (1930–33); ; Code Letters VJDF (1933–45); ;
Fate	Sank 24 December 1974
General characteristics
Tonnage	254 GRT (Argosy Lemal)
Length	117 ft 5 in (35.79 m)
Beam	24 ft 5 in (7.44 m)
Draught	10 ft 4 in (3.15 m)
Propulsion	Sails, 1 × 2SCSA oil engine, 130 bhp (97 kW) (Argosy Lemal)
Sail plan	Schooner

Booya was a steel-hulled three-masted schooner with an auxiliary oil engine built in the Netherlands in 1917 and originally named De Lauwers. The schooner was renamed Argosy Lemal in 1920 and carried that name until 1949. As Argosy Lemal the ship served as one of the early United States Army communications ships from 1942–1949. In 1949, on return to civilian use, the vessel was renamed Ametco, Clair Crouch and finally Booya in 1964. Booya was last seen anchored off Fort Hill wharf in Darwin Harbour at about 8.00pm on 24 December 1974, the evening Cyclone Tracy hit Darwin. Nearly twenty-nine years later, in October 2003, she was discovered by chance in Darwin Harbour, lying on her starboard side in about 20 metres of water.

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