CALLIOPE DOCK

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22942, 21 January 1938, Page 8

CALLIOPE DOCK

50 YEARS' SERVICE MANY SHIPS ACCOMMODATED r \ ■r " ■ CELEBRATION SUGGESTED - v.- - & —..'i:; V, v iv£ A suggestion that the jubilee of Calliope Dock, which was opened- on " February 16, 1888, should be observed in a suitable manner has been • made S by Mr. Robert Sinton, of 2Waterview '"^ 4 Road, Stanley Bay. Mr. Sinton states that the celebration of "this milestone in the history of the dock, Devonport* and the City" should afford an opportunity for the organising of a carnival in aid of some worthy object, such as the Wilson Home, and suggests that swimming, cricket and-other athletic sports should be held. Y Many incidents attach to the history of Calliope Dock which, at one time or another, has aeeoTwmodate<Ua great number of the vessels in the New Zealand coastal and overseas trade. In the past much confusion hafs occurred as to the origin of the dock's nam# a popular belief being that, it was named after H.M.S. Calliope, whiqh was the only one of several warships of different nationalities make the open sea during the terrific hurricane at Apia, Samoa, in 1889. Actually : this ship was thj first to use the new basin, but the dock took its name from Calliope Point, out of which it was excavated, while the point, in. 'turn, was named after an earlier JI.M.S. Calliope, cJne of the first naval vessels to call at Auckland after the settle ment was founded. j Cost of Construction Calliope Dock was constructed atia cost of £135,000, but shortly after the opening an additional expenditure of £20,000 was made to complete certain portions which had been left wn finished. Since then the Auckland Harbour Board has had to make alterations to provide for vessels needing urgent repairs. In March, 1915, when the Union Company had to dock the Niagara, which had lost a propeller, a small excavation was made in the concrete at the head of the dock to clear the « forefront of the vessel, and it was even necessary to put the rudder hard ow to fit in tha 544 ft. liner. Then, in March, 1927, the Northum berland struck an uncharted rock ofl the East Coast, near Gisborne, and a % further recess was made at the heml of the dock. The Northumberland's « overall measurement was 554 ft., apd when a great amount of concrete aw' sandstone had been cut away, the'flooi of the dock was lengthened a further 34ft. The most recent alteration to th»dock was made in 1936, when it wa> lengthened by a further 13ft. in ordei to accommodate the cruisers Achille* and Leander, which replaced H.M'.S. Dunedin and H.M.S. Diomede on tb«» New Zealand station. , One Serious Accident . Only one serious accident mare th«history of Calliope Dock, this having occurred on November 2", 1906, when the Shaw, Savill and Albion Com pan vj steamer Mamari, of 7062 tons, was being cleaned and painted. About 50 men were engaged on the job, working down the ship's side from rafts which gradually sank lower and lower;as the water in the dock receded. When the water was still about 6ft- deep the vessel suddenly lurched forward on the chocks, and the unexpected movement caused the water to swirl, taking met and loose timber with it. Two of thi men were drowned, and 30 were in ■ jured, one of whom subsequently,.died Among many ships which hare : ha** extensive repairs made to them at Calliope Dock was the steamer Kai para, of 7392 tons, which struck .an uncharted rock in the Rnngitoto Channel when leaving the harbour without a pilot in January, board was a cargo of butter and tallow, part of which had to be jettisoned After 13 days of strenuous labour the vessel was refloated and was taken to the dock. v