VOYAGES OF MAHENO

Otago Witness, Issue 3398, 30 April 1919, Page 17

VOYAGES OF MAHENO

WORK AS HOSPITAL SHIP. With this trip the hospital ship Maheno, which arrived at Auckland last week, completed a splendid record of noble service on behalf of the New Zealand Government (says the N.Z. Herald). Since she was first commissioned as a hospital ship in July, 1915, she has been employed continuously in oarrying invalided soldiers, and although for part of the time she was in dangerous waters in the Mediterranean and the English Channel, she met with no mishap either through enemy aotion or ordinary sea perils. This fa*t reflects the greatest credit upon Captain D. M'Lean. who commanded her from the outset until the completion of her second last trip, when he suffered a serious illness, and had to be replaced by Captain Nevill. Captain M'Lean has now recovered, and is in oommand of the Niagara. During the Maheno's first charter, lasting from July, 1915, to January, 1916, she travelled 32,837 miles and conveyed over 3300 patients. After she reached Suez, where 76 New Zealand nurses disembarked, she was ordered to.Anzac, where urgent work awaited her. Between August and October she carried wounded between Gallipoli, Lemnos, and Alexandria. She then went to Southampton for overhaul, and returned to the Anzac service, in which she remained until the middle of November, when she left Malta with her first draft of wounded for New Zealand, reaching Auokland on January 1, 1916. LARGEST LOAD 1142 PATIENTS.

The vessel left on her second trip in January, 1916, and was absent until December 20. Most of the time was spent in carrying wounded from Franco to England. She "made 23 trips across the English Channel, and conveyed no less than 15,822 men. Her largest load was 1142 patients, when there was a rush at the beginning of the "big push" of that year. In December, 1916, the Maheno reached New Zealand with her second home draft. During this oharter she steamed 52,229 miles. Since then she has remained solely on. the run between 'England and New Zealand, the present completing her sixth voyage since that date. On each occasion she has carried a draft of about 400.

The Maheno'a service as a hospital ship extends over a period of three years and nine months, and during that time she carried between 25,000 and 26,000 patients. If there are included day patients at Gallipoli, the total number on ner records will be about 29,000. ' During her voyages she called at the following oversea ports: Adelaide, Albany, Colombo, Bombay, Aden, Port Said, Suez, Alexandria, Durban, Capetown, Sierra Leone, Malta, Mudros, GalliEoli, Gibraltar, Havre, Boulogne, Marseil3s, . Avonmouth, Southampton, Liverpool, Colon, and Tahiti.

TWO VESSELS CONVEY 50,000 MEN. The Marama was in use as a hospital ship for three years and one month. She first left New Zealand on December 5, 1915, and concluded her New Zealand charter at the end of January last. She called at all the places visited by the Maheno, with the exception of Tahiti, Liverpool, Mudros, and Gallipoli, with the addition of Cetto, Salonika, Stavros, in the Mediterranean, Dublin, Easter Island, and Dakar. Tho Marama carried an approximate total of 21,000 patients, her record charter being her first, when sh© 'conveyed 13,219 men, mainly in the Channel service. The total for both ships is, therefore, about 50,000. Men of practically every race in the Empire have been conveyed by the New Zealand hospital ships. The list includes Canadians, Newfoundlanders, South Afrioans, Australians, men of the United Kingdom, Indians, Sikhs, Ghurkas, and Pathans— Bermudans, NigerianSj Fijians, besides Belgians and German prisoners. The Maheno ha 3 now made her last voyage as a New Zealand hospital ship, but she is to return to England under Imperial charter, to be used as an ambulance transport.