A NEW STEAMER.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume V, Issue 1427, 9 September 1918, Page 8 (Supplement)

A NEW STEAMER.

TRIAL TRIP OF THE OPIHI. The trial trip of tin* a.s. Opihi took place at Lyttelton on Saturday. The Opilii was formerly 1111“ sailing ship Lilia, built at Rostock in 1S8(i, and was subsequently used as a hulk by the I'liiou Company, from whom she was purchased by her present owners, Messrs Reese Bros., of Christchurch. Soon after the purchase the work of converting her into a steamship was undertaken, Mr 1). Reese having secured at an auction at Greymouth the whole of the main engines, boilers, winches, stee ring engine, and all auxiliary machinery salved from the Opouri, which was wrecked on September i!, 11)17, at. (he entrance to Greymouth. This latter vessel was regarded by competent .judges as the best all-round little steamer of her class then trading on the New Zealand coast. Her main boilers weighed 2-1 tons each, the total weight of machinery and boilers salved being Hit) tons. After all the machinery had been landed, the deck houses were removed, as well as the funnel and many of the hull plates, over 100 tons of which were salved. The hull of the hulk, which was much larger than (hat of the Opouri, and of relatively finer linos, was in a splendid state of preservation. Mr Reese secured the services of Mr Charles Rawson, superintendent engineer of Messrs R. S. Lamb and Co, Sydney, who superintended all the reconstruction work at Lyttelton, and it is now almost impossible to realise that the Opihi had been once a sailing ship. The engineering work was carried out by Messrs Anderson, Ltd., of Lyttelton, in such a manner that everything was found on Saturday to work with the greatest accuracy and precision. Mr J. D. Miller was entrusted with the shipwright's work.

Re-measured, the Opihi Ims a gross tonnage of 1116, and a net registered tonnage of 037. Her measurements are: Length 20Sft., beam 34ft., depth 20ft. The interior of the vessel everywhere presents a finished appearance, the woodwork being nicely grained, and varnished, while the various requisites for officers and other members of the crew are of the most modern type. On the outside the vessel's sides are painted black above and red below the water-line, with a white dividing line, the funnel being yellow, with a black top. On the whole the transformation of the vessel is perhaps one of the most enterprising and successful ventures ever entered upon in New Zealand shipping circles.

During the morning, with a stiff south-west wind blowing, the vessel was taken out to the stream to undergo a speed test, and, with the wind in" her favour, she covered some miles at the rate of 10.3 knots an hour. When homeward bound against the wind she registered 9.3 knots, which must be regarded as a highly satisfactory performance, as the vessel was carrying a considerable quantity of cargo. On the invitation of the owners, a number of Lyttelton and C'hristchureh residents were taken for a cruise in the afternoon. About 150 guests were present, amongst the number being the Mayor of Lyttelton( Mr W. T. Lester) and Mrs Lester, Captain Colonna (Lloyd's surveyor), Messrs C. Cunningham (Union Steam Ship Company), Mr J. Gerrard (Kinsey and Co.), "P. G. Anderson and J. Anderson (Anderson's, Ltd.), J. J. Cower, W. C. Cleary, J. T. Norton, E. Langley, and J. Flood (president and secretary of the Waterside Workers' Union), R, L. Scott, J. Greig, P. Graham, C. J. Ronaldson, C. W. Tanner, N. Heath, P. Mansell, J. McDowell, C. Perrier, J. Le Cren, N. D. Hood.' C. Rawson, C. Perrier, P. E. Bean, I). !■;. L. Collett, Captain Dewhurst, Captain Munro, and Captain MacDougall, Leaving the wharf at 2.20 p.m., the Opihi passed through' the moles 10 minutes later. After covering about five miles she rounded the whistling buoy, returning to port, where she arrived at 3.45 p.m. Mr John Anderson congratulated *Mr Rawson on the efficient manner in which the engineering work had been executed, and also Mr D. Reese on his enterprise. A general cargo, comprising tallow, pelts, rabb.it skins, 11ax. etc., is being shipped at Lyttelton for under the supervision of Mr C. E. Johnston. Captain R. A. Campbell, late of the s.s. Inga, will be in command of the vessel, associated with him being Mr J. Robinson as chief officer, Mr J. Candlish as second officer, .Mr .1. Hunter as chief engineer, Mr T. McLeod as second, and Mr «L Root as third.