RED FUNNEL STEAMERS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20450, 3 July 1928, Page 4

RED FUNNEL STEAMERS.

SOLD TO EASTERN BUYERS. THREE WELL-KNOWN TRADERS. Having passed their period of usefulness in the New Zealand trade, thiee cargo steamers, Whangape, Waipori and Karori, have been sold by the Union Steam Ship Company., Ltd., to Eastern buyers. The two first-named have been tied up at Auckland and the Karori at Wellington for some months. It is understood that Chinese crews are on their way to the Dominion to man the ships, which will depart shortly for their respectve destinations. The oldest and probably the best known of the trio is the Whangape, which has carried many thousands of tons of coal from Newcastle to New Zealand during the last 28 years. The Whangape was built at Middlesbro’ in 1900 by Sir Roylton Dixon and Co., Ltd. She was originally named Ariadne and later Asaba, but before she left the builders’ hands was purchased by the Union Company. She left England in March, 1900, and called at Table Bay and Durban on her way out to Sydney, where she arrived in July of that year. Her first commander when she entered the intercolonial trade was the late Captain J. W. Courbarron. Since 1900 the Whangape has been employed chiefly in the coal trade between Newcastle, New South Wales and New. Zealand ports. The Whangape is a single-screw cargo steamer of 2931 tons gross and 1901 tons net register. The Waipori, a steamer of 1970 tons gross register, was built in 1901 by the Campbeltown Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., at Campbeltown, Scotland, for the timber trade between New Zealand and Australia Under the command of Captan M. Irvine, who' brought a number of new steamers out to New Zealand, including the Anchor Company’s Waimea in 1009, the Waipori left Britain on April 4, 1901, and proceeded via Dclagoa Bay and Mauritius to Newcastle, New South Wales, where she loaded coal for New Zealand. During the last 27 years the Waipori has been veriously employed in the Newcastle-New Zealand coal trade, the intercolonial timber trade and the New Zealand coastal coal trade. The Karori was built by Craig, Taylor and Co., at Stockton-on-Tees, and was launched in February, 1902, as the Minas. She was purchased the following year by the Union Company and renamed Karori. Sailing from West Hartlepool on July 27, 1903, she arrived at Sydney on October 2, and was placed in the intercolonial coal and timber trade, her first commander being the late Captain J. D. Watson. Two other union cargo ships laid up at Wellington arc the turret deck steamer Koromiko, which has been swinging at an anchorage off Kaiwarra for the last 12 months, and the Kittawa, which has taken the place of the scuttled Rakanoa as a store ship. The Kittawa was built 30 years ago at Sunderland and launched as the Glosterhill. She was purchased by the Union Company, who employed her for many years in the West Coast coal and timber trade. The Koromiko is 21 years of age, having been built in 1007 by W. Doxford and Sons, Ltd., at Sunderland, for the Union Company. She, has been employed chiefly in the Newcastle, and Westport coal services. Her future fate has not yet been decided.