SALE OF THE WESTMEATH.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19500, 8 June 1925, Page 11

SALE OF THE WESTMEATH.

AN INTERESTING RECORD. TAKEN BY ITALIAN OWNERS. (Feom Out. Own Correspondent.) ■ LONDON. April 21. The Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand have sold their steamer Westmeath for £30,000 to Italian owners, and under the name of Nordico she has gone to the River Plate to help lift the season’s grain. So ends, as far as the British flag is concerned, a very interesting history—at least, it is as interesting to those who can see as much romance in cargo ships, about which Kipling writes, as in the giant liners. Built in 1903 by Furness Withy for the Moulder Line, in those days she was known as the Everton Grange, her tonnage of 7000 odd making her one of the crack ships in the Moulder fleet. She was specially designed to carry frozen meat and cattle, and had a dead-weight capacity of 11,000 tons. Like all the ships of this company and this builder, she was well built, and had specially long shell plates amidships, in those days the biggest shell plates ever rolled. Her engines were of massive design in order to carry her over the long Indian Ocean run without danger of breakdown, and, in addition to her insulated holds, she had accommodation for 750 head of cattle under the shade deck. Her general passage was from Avonmouth to Adelaide, with numerous intermediate calls, but in 1912 she was with her Australian consorts and Moulder’s interest in the Australian trade, by the New Zealand Shipping Company. Her owners did not want to give her one of the Maori names which were usual in the fleet, Wit christened her Westmeath until they could dispose of her. TORPEDOED IN THE CHANNEL. Before they could do this she stranded at Egremont, and the successful efforts of salvage are remembered in the Mersey to-day. In the spring of 1913 she was sold to the Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand, with her three consorts, and transferred from the Australian to the New Zealand run. Immediately war broke oui she was taken over by the Government for service with the Expeditionary Force, her huge ’tween decks and roomy insulated holds making her particularly useful. In 1917 she was torpedoed in the Channel, but her builders baa done their work well, and she held until she made port, where she was hastily repaired and returned to the all-important meat trade. In the spring of 1920 she was returned to her regular service, with intervals of diversion to the United States and the Mediterranean ports. It was towards the latter end of last year that die was sent to the Mediterranean with a cargo, and whilst there she attracted the attention of her purchasers, who saw in her characteristics just the qualities that they required, and wore accordingly willing to give a very good price for a ship of her tonnage. On the New Zealand trade she has been replaced by the more economical and up-to-date motor ship, but this does not say that she has not got quite a useful life before her under the Italian flag.