SERVICE TO SYDNEY

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25092, 25 January 1947, Page 6

SERVICE TO SYDNEY

TRIPS TO BE MADE BY WAHINE

(P.A.) WELLINGTON, January 24. The Union Steam Ship Company announced to-day that an interim service between Wellington and Sydney would be provided by the Wahine, which is scheduled to leave Wellington on the initial trip on Friday, February 14, and to leave Sydney on the following Friday. Other dates arranged for the Wahine’s sailings from Wellington are February 28, March 14, March 28, April 11, April 24, May 9, and May 23. The trans-Tasman trip will take the Wahine about, four days. The ship cannot be booked to its full capacity, which is about 600 on the inter-island service, because of catering difficulties, but will carry about 300 passengers. The amount of cargo carried is expected to be limited to passengers’ luggage and mail at present because extra oil and water will have to be carried.

No sailings will be made between Auckland and Sydney. An official of the Union Steam Ship Company said there was no possibility of another ship being put on the Tasman run because none was available.

The Wahine will be replaced by the Hinemoa in the inter-island service on February 11, and will spend four days preparing for the (intercolonial service. She was overhauled in December and will not need a further overhaul before starting the new run. The Wahine is nearly 34 years old and has seen service in many parts of the world. She was built in 1913 by W. Denny and Brothers, of Dumbarton, for the Union Steam Ship Company, and is a turbine steamer of 4436 tons. The vessel was designed on experience gained in working the Maori, and entered the service late in 1913, replacing -the Mararoa. She rapidly gained popularity among patrons of the service because of the extra speed and comfort she offered. War Service

Soon after the outbreak of World War I the Wahine was requisitioned by the Admiralty and went to England. During the Gallipoli campaign she was employed in dispatch and mail running between Malta and Mudros. Subsequently she became a minelayer and carried out extensive mining operations in the North Sea. She re-entered the Wellington-Lyt-telton service in February, 1920. In 1931, with the arrival of the Rangatira, the Maori was withdrawn from regular service, and the Wahine and Rangatira have carried out the service ever since.

During the last war the Wahine made a number of requisitioned trips to the Pacific with troops, and in 1942 she made a trip from Wellington to Sydney carrying Japanese civilians. During the ’ war years she carried thousands of service passengers on her regular inter-island route on normal runs and special trips. Towards the end of 1945 she was engaged in bringing Air Force and other service passengers back from the Pacific islands.

PASSAGES FROM AUSTRALIA

“NO HOPE OF BERTHS” (P.A.) WELLINGTON, Jan. 24. No person should visit Australia unless for urgent business reasons, and then only after making sure of a return air passage before leaving New Zealand, says a cable message received yesterday by the Government from the New Zealand Trade Commissioner in Sydney.

The message added that because of the mishap to the Wanganella, the shipping service was certain to be interrupted for some time. There were 4000 bookings for future sailings of the Wanganella, and at present there were no hopes of passages for even the urgent cases among those persons.