Sold to the Breakers

Manawatu Times, Volume 61, Issue 65, 18 March 1936, Page 13

Sold to the Breakers

STEAMER TASMANIA WELL-KNOWN IN NEW ZEALAND LONDON, Feb. 13. The New Zealand Shipping Company has sold to Messrs. Metal Industries, Limited, the steamer Tasmania, which made many trips to the Dominion. The price is reported to be £l-1,000. This ship originally belonged to the Deutsche Australiseho Company, having been built for them in 1913 under the name that she still bears, aud with her gross tonuago of about 7,500 and speed of 11 knots she was one of the biggest ships of their fleet. She was put on the Australian trade to begin with. On the day that war broke out she arrived at Antwerp in the course of a voyage from Macassar to Hamburg aud was immediately,- detained by the Belgian'authorities, remaining there until the end of the war. Four days before tho Armistice, when it had been announced that tho Allies would demand the German .Mercantile Marine in reparation for the submarine campaign, she arrived at Rotterdam seeking refuge, but she was given up and in. the summer of 1919 was allocated to Britain and put under the management of Eitson’s Branch Line. They employed her principally oil the Gulf trade, but in 1921 she was sold to tho New Zealand Shipping Company, aud although she had a number of minor mishaps she was a particularly useful unit of their various cargo services. Bhe was withdrawn some months ago and laid up at Falmouth, whero she has been until she was purchased for scrapping.