STEAMERS FOR EAST.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20898, 13 June 1931, Page 10

STEAMERS FOR EAST.

UNION COMPANY SHIPS. " KAITUNA AND KAMONA. PURCHASED FOR HONGKONG. [BY TELEGRAPH.—OWN CORRESPONDENT.] WELLINGTON, Friday. Two more of the Union Company's old steamers, the Kaituna and tho Kamotia, havo been sold to Eastern buyers. Both vessels havo been bought by Captain S. T. Williamson, of Williamson and Company, shipowners, Hongkong. Captain Williamson has now purchased a considerable number of tho Union Company's older cargo steamers. Ho has visited Wellington several times for this purpose in the past few years, the most recent occasion being in February of last year, when he purchased the Ivaitangata and the Kaiapoi. Another Union Company steamer purchased by him last year was the Kamo, which had been laid up at Sydney. Captain Williamson will arrive in Wellington from Sydney next Monday by the Makura to complete tho purchase, and to make arrangements to take his new ships to the East. Other old Union Company ships now running under the Williamson flag are the Koromiko, the Karori, the Kittawa and the Whangape. The Kaituna and the Kamona, which wero very well known on the New Zealand coast, and were usually engaged in the coal trade, have both been laid up for some time past, the Kaituna at Auckland and the Kamona at Port Chalmers. HISTORY OF THE SHIPS. NEARLY THIRTY YEARS OLD. The Kaituna is undergoing overhaul and refitting at Western Wharf. Tho vessel has been laid up at Auckland since November owing to the 1 slackness of trade. She was removed from the anchorage off Hobson Bay to tho Western Wharf on Wednesday. The Kaituna is a vessel of 2042 tons and was built at Sunderland by Messrs. Osbourne, Graham and Company in 1904. Hor former name was tho Needwood, and she was purchased with two other steamers, the Ladywood and tho Hollywood, by the Union Company. The three vessels originally were constructed to carry iron ore from Spain to England, but all were bought before being required for that trade. When they were transferred to their new owners their names were changed. The Hollywood was renamed Kaiapoi and the Ladywood was renamed Kiiitangata. After spending their whole career in the company's intercolonial and coastal cargo service the Kaiapoi and Kaitangata wero sold to Eastern buyers. For the first three years in which the Kaituna was under tho Union Company's flag she was regularly engaged in the South Island service carrying coal and timber from Greymouth to Lyttelton. Afterwards she was utilised in both the coastal and intercolonial trades, mostly as a coal carrier. On two occasions the Kaituna has been ashore, but was refloated each time without much damago being done. The first accident happened a good many years ago when she ran. ashore at Farewell Spit in Cook Strait. The second mishap occurred when she.was entering Tauranga. Harbour on October 10, 1926. She grounded on a sandy beach near the entrance to the harbour, but was refloated five hours after. Tho worst accident was when the Kaituna and the. Nprwegian steamer Selje collided at sea about 120 miles from Port Phillip Heads, Melbourne, on March 29, 1929, The Selje, which had on board.a cargo of 114,000 bags of wheat, valued at £75,000, sank in 25. minutes, and the Kaituna was badly damaged. No lives were lost. The accident occurred at 10 o'clock in the evening. Tho Norwegian vessel filled so rapidly that the captain and some of the members of her crew had to jump overboard. They wero rescued by the Kaituna's boats. The Kaituna was so smashed up at tho bow that if her forward bulkhead had not held she would .have sunk as well. As it was she had difficulty in making port. The' Kamona is a steel single screw steamer, She was built at Grangemouth in 1901 by the Grangemouth and Greenock DrVkyard Company. She has a gross tonnage of 1425, and a net tonnage of 903.