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powered ships in the world. On her trials the ship averaged 23 knots. The passenger accommodation was the last word in convenience, and, included in her equipment, radio telephony for communication between ship and shore was installed. In July, 1940, the ship was taken over by the Ministry of War Transport and then commenced to make several voyages to Vancouver. On the 27th October she left Vancouver, touching at Honolulu, Manila, Hong Kong, Singapore (24th November, 1941, fourteen days before the Japanese entered the war), Colombo, Mombassa, Cape Town, Trinidad, and Liverpool, at which port she arrived on the 18th January, 1942. She left Liverpool on the 15th February, 1942, and proceeded to Freetown, Durban, and Bombay, and arrived back at the Clyde on 29th May, 1942. The ship then proceeded from the Clyde on 29th June, 1942, for Durban, Cape Town, Bermuda, and Halifax, from which port she left on 22nd August, 1942, under convoy, but at about 10.30 p.m. the same day the destroyer escort attempted to pass through the line of convoy and ahead of " Awatea," with the result that the ship's bow struck the destroyer with a severe impact, causing an explosion on the destroyer. The ship suffered damage and put back to Halifax for repairs. She left this port again on 29th September, 1942, and arrived at Glasgow on 7th October, 1942. She left this port on the 24th October, 1942, to join up with the big convoy in connection with the Allied landing on the North African coast, and it was while engaged in this operation that she was attacked by enemy bombers, and after a gallant action by the members of the crew she was torpedoed off Cape Carbon, North Africa, on the 11th November, 1942. Fortunately, no lives were lost, and several members of the crew were awarded decorations for their gallant service. " Limerick " This was the last ship lost as the result of enemy action, on the 26th April, 1943. The " Limerick," of 8,724 gross tons, was built at Port Glasgow in the year 1925 to the order of the Union Steam Ship Co.. of "New Zealand, Ltd. Although this ship was registered at London, she had been trading on New Zealand articles of agreement since the year 1935 between New Zealand, Australia, and North American west coast ports and carried a New Zealand crew of fifty-seven. She was a steel refrigerated cargo-ship, being taken over by the Ministry of War Transport in October, 1940, and carried many valuable cargoes during the war period. Unfortunately, two lives were lost when the ship was torpedoed off the Australian coast. HOSPITAL SHIP " MAUNGANUI " This veteran of two world wars was built at Govan, Scotland, in the year 1911, of 7,527 gross tons, was employed for the first few years in the old horse-shoe run between New Zealand and Australia. At the outbreak of World War I she was comandeered as a transport and conveyed the Headquarters staff of the Main Body, N.Z.E.F., from Wellington to Alexandria, arriving at the latter port on the Ist December, 1914. During the whole of the period of the 1914-18 War she made numerous voyages as a troopship, and after hostilities had ceased she resumed her running between New Zealand and Australia. In January, 1941, Government decided to take this ship over for a hospital ship, and as such she commenced her first voyage from Wellington on 21st April, 1941. In all she made nine voyages from Wellington to Suez, four to Italy and Mediterranean ports, and one voyage to Glasgow from Italy, one to the island of Leyte (Philippines), one to Hong Kong and Manila, and her last voyage as a hospital ship was made to the United Kingdom, from which she returned to Wellington on the 23rd March, 1946. The " Maunganui " was well worth the cost of converting her to a hospital ship, as she was instrumental in conveying large numbers of seriously wounded men in comfort to their homeland with a minimum of inconvenience and delay. She is at present making a further trip to the United Kingdom not as a hospital ship, but as a transport for the purposes of conveying the NeW Zealand contingent for the Victory Celebrations. This vessel carried 10,000 patients on seventeen voyages as a hospital ship and steamed 400,000 miles.

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