Shipping History In Museum

Press, Volume C, Issue 29436, 11 February 1961, Page 11

Shipping History In Museum

WELLINGTON, Feb. 10.

An excellent cross-section of New Zealand’s shipping history lies well preserved behind glass cases at the Dominion Museum, Wellington. This unique collection. together with examples of overseas vessels, provides an endless attraction to young and old. The highlight of the display of more than 40 ships is a recent acquisition, a 10ft model of the Monowai, which recently went to the shipbreakers at Hong Kong. The smallest exhibit is an Arab dhow.

The company with the most ships represented is the Union Line, with one of its earliest and most graceful steamers, the Rotomahana standing side by side with another veteran, the Mararoa, These two ships, well known to an older generation, are complete in every detail. The Rotomahana, which was built in 1879, was known as the “Greyhound of the Pacific” and, after serving on the run between New Zealand and Australia, the WellingtonLyttelton ferry service and on the Australian coast, was sold to the shipbreakers after a life of 46 years. The model shows a wealth of detail, from the elaborately carved figurehead to her counter stem. It provides invaluable material for research students. The Mararoa. which also served in the same trade and also between New Zealand and

North America, was scuttled in Cook Strait in 1931.

Other Union Company vessels represented are the'7sB4ton Tahiti, a liner of 17 knots which lost her propeller and sank in the Pacific in 1930. the Wahine, wrecked during a voyage to Korea in 1951, and the Awatea. The Awatea, which held the Tasman speed record of 55 hours 28 minutes, was sunk in the North African landings on November 11, 1942. The Shaw Savill and Albion Company is represented by their clipper bowed, pioneer steamer Arawa, with its black hull, two funnels and counter stern. Japanese Gift A number of warships provides part of the collection. The largest of these is a model of the Japanese battle-ship Ibuki. presented to New Zealand by the Japanese Government in "happy remembrance of co-operation of the two nations during the Great War, 1914-1918.” Built in 1907, the Ibuki is a good example of the predreadnought type of capital ship. It acted as a convoy escort for an Anzac contingent. Other warships consist of the 2790-ton light British cruiser Sentinel, a 25$ knot ship built by the Vickers Naval works before the First World War, a waterline model of the battlecruiser H.M.S New Zealand and two ships

which have borne the name Maori.-The latter consists of a First World War torpedo boat destroyer and the other a Second World War destroyer. Model Gunboat

There is also a fine detailed model of the gunboat H.M.S. Spa'rrow with her black hull, white superstructure and yellow funnel. It was made by Captain T. M. Devitt. An interesting ship is a six foot representation of an early paddle wheeler. A working model called the Emily, it was built in 1863 and made a trial trip at 3J knots. It won the First Order of Merit at the New Zealand exhibition in 1886.

Other ships consist of the H.M.S. Endeavour, H.M.S. Bounty, Elizabeth Jones, a Spanish galleon, Arab dhow, Foochow junk, Greek Trireme, U.S.S. Constitution. Burmese paddy boat, Viking ship and Egyptian galley. Several of these were made by Mr J. H. Skelley of Wellington. One of the oldest models is that of the sailing ship Woodlark, made by her captain on a voyage to New Zealand over 100 years ago.