PASSING OF OLD SHIPS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3804, 8 February 1927, Page 8

PASSING OF OLD SHIPS.

MOANA’S INGLORIOUS END. NOTABLE FAST PASSAGES. An inglorious end awaits the Union Company’s famous old passenger liner Moana, which was towed to a berth at Port Chalmerq. on Thursday, morning to .%» - entirely ' stripped/-.of "■ : aUi'-’’her once

elaborate and much-adpiired fittings. A ship that made history in New Zealand’s maritime world in the early part (of the present has, therefore, ended a period of over 25 years’ useful, service. In'.a month -or two practically only the shell of the Moana will be left. -' What the ultimate fate of the hull will be remains'to. be seen. Like other.-old-time ships that have disappeared for all time, the hull of the Moana may possibly find a restine place at the bottom of the sea. The Sloana was one -.of-/XtKe' bestappointed units of the Red Fiinncl fleet between 15 and 20 years ago. career-is notable for the number ;df'.record

passages placed to her credit. The Moana made her first appearance at Dunedin on November 27, 1900, and at that time was the largest ship owned by the Union Company, and the largest and most elaboratelyfitted vessel engaged in the intercolonial trade.

She was built by Messrs Deiiny Brothers at Dumbarton in 1896, and launched on Christmas Eve of that year, is a steel single-screw steamer of 3915 tons gross register, with engines of the three-cylinder triple expansion type of 4500 indicated horse-powtr,' and speed of 161 knots. She was built 1 spt<iially for the San Francisco mail and passenger service in place of

the Monowai, which was transferred to the intercolonial trade after the Moana reached New 'Zealand. Tho Moana left Glasgow on April 10, 1897, and arrived at Sydney on May 22, after a passage of 41 days. To mark the advent of such a fine vessel, a luncheon and reception was given on board. Many distinguished guests were present, including the then Admiral of the Pacific Squadron. The Moana left Sydney on her first trip to San Franeisco. on June 7, and made her first call at Auckland on June 11. She was inspected by large crowds, who paid a small charge to go on board, the proceeds being devoted to charity.- On her maiden

trip across the Pacific sho made a record passage, landing her mails at San Francisco two days ahead of contract time. On tho return trip she made the passage to Auckland in 17 days 15 hours, beating the record previously held by the Oceanio Steamship Company’s liner Alameda by, three hours, and landing her mails two days and six hours under contract time.On her next trip to San Francisco the Moana had a narrow escape from a. serious casualty. A dock, the largest in the United States, had just been completed, and arrangements had been made to place the vessel in it. The dock caught fire about two hours before she arrived, and burned very rapidly, a vessel which then occupied it being completely destroyed. The Moana would probably have shared the same fate had she reached San Francisco three hours earlier. In December, 1898, the Moana established a record on the trip from Auckland to Sydney, steaming the distance in 3 days 4-j hours. She was withdrawn from the San Francisco service in 1900. owing to the operation of the American Navigation Laws. When the Sandwich Islands and Pago Pago (American Saoma) were annexed by the United States they were brought under these laws, which were constituted to foster America’s comparatively small mercantile marine. These laws required that trade between American ports should be carried on American ships. As the San Francisco service was maintained with the Mariposa, Alameda, and Moana, the latter being the British-owned ship of the trio, other arrangements had to be made for carrying on the service. In consequence the Moana was zv ’ r^? s ” ferred to the intercolonial route. On rsovember 21, 1900, she left Melbourne on her first trip in this service, and made a record passage from Hobart to 131utt m 2 days 11 hours. This time would have been reduced had the ship not encountered a dense fog on making l and - ' Jn November 30 the Moana lowered all previous records for the trip from Lyttelton, to Wellington, steaming a distance from heads to beads in 10 hours 15 minutes. In 1901 the Union Company secured an interest in the Vancouver mail and passenger service. The Warrimoo was withdrawn and the Moana was placed on the run. On her first trip she arrived at Vancouver two days ahead of contract time. It was a most creditable start in a service that is now known the world over as the Canadian-Australian All-Red route, and the Moana’s initial trip was marked by a luncheon and reception held on board at Vancouver. . , . It was in 1903, while engaged in this service, that the Moana received considerable damage. The steamer was entering the quarantine dock at Victoria (Vancouver Island), when she ran aground, and her rudder post was badly damaged. Refloated, she went to Vancouver to undergo repairs. She was placed in dry dock immediately on arrival, but before a start could be made to repair the damage orders ■were issued for her to make room for H M.S. Flora, a first-class cruiser, which was badly damaged through striking the rocks near Victoria in a fog. The Moana lay at anchor for about a week while a huge coffer dam was built round her stern. Over 60,000 ft of lumber was used in the structure. When finished the water was pumped out, and the Moana’s stern raised out of the water. The necessary repairs were then successfully carried out. lhe undertaking was certainly a novel one. The repairs embraced a new steel forging weighing 75 tons; the rudder had to be unshipped, straightened, and replaced with new pintles; and in addition a new tiller weighin'* two and a-half tons had to be forged. Altogether the repairs cost in the vicinity of £15,000. The Moana remained in the Vancouver service until replaced by the Makura -a much larger and more modern steamer in 1908. The older vessel subsequently ran in the intercolonial service for some time. At the end of 1904 she put un a fine performance by beating the Spreckels American mail liner Ventura —a new vessel, which had replaced the Mariposa in the San Francisco service—on the trip from Auckland to Sydney. Leaving Auckland, at 6 p.m. on September 5, the Moana reached Sydney at 5 a.m. on September 9, while the Ventura, sailing from Auckland at 10 a.m. on September 6, arrived at Sydney at 10.30 p.m. on September 9. The Moana’s steaming time was 84 hours, and the Ventura’s 86 uours, the former thus upholding her reputation as a fast steamer. In 1911, when the new mail and passenger service from San Franeisco to Wellington and Sydney was inaugurated, the Moana was placed in the running, and she remained in this trade until 1920. when she was replaced by the Tahiti. After a few trips in the intercolonial trade, the Moana was withdrawn and placed on the lay-up berth at Port Chalmers, arriving there on March 13, 1921, from Wellington.