MV Dunedin Star was a British refrigerated cargo liner. It was built by Cammell Laird and Co in 1935–36 as one of Blue Star Line's -class ships, designed to ship frozen meat from Australia and New Zealand to the UK. It served in the Second World War and is distinguished for its role in Operation Halberd to relieve the siege of Malta in September 1941. Dunedin Star was lost at the end of November 1942 when it ran aground at Clan Alpine Shoal in the South Atlantic on the Skeleton Coast of Namibia, then South West Africa. A complex sea, air and land operation overcame many setbacks and rescued all of its passengers, crew and gunners. An aircraft, a tug and two of the tug's crew were lost in rescue attempts. It took a month for the last of Dunedin Stars crew to reach Cape Town, and more than two months for the last of the rescuers to return. Building Cammell Laird and Co in Birkenhead, England built Dunedin Star, launching it on 29 October 1935 and completing it in February 1936. It was owned by Union Cold Storage, a ship-owning company controlled by Blue Star Line. The Imperial Star class were motor ships. Dunedin Star had a pair of 9-cylinder, two-stroke, single-acting Sulzer Bros marine diesel engines developing a total of 2,516 NHP and driving twin screws. Its navigation equipment included wireless direction finding, an echo sounding device and a gyrocompass. Second World War service After the United Kingdom entered the Second World War in September 1939 Dunedin Star initially continued its cargo liner service between Britain and Australia. As it was a fast merchant ship, it sailed unescorted until November 1940. On 10 October 1939, the ship left Liverpool for Brisbane. It called at Las Palmas, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, East London, Durban, Lourenço Marques, Sydney and Rockhampton, and reached Brisbane on 26 November. Three days later, the ship began its return voyage, and called at Newcastle, New South Wales, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide. It spent Christmas of 1939 sailing west across the Indian Ocean and New Year's Day of 1940 in Cape Town, then called at Las Palmas. On 18 January, it reached London. On 31 January 1940, Dunedin Star left London for Brisbane again. It called at Las Palmas and Gladstone, Queensland, and reached Brisbane on 10 March. It began its return voyage six days later,