The “Muritai”

Progress, Volume VI, Issue 9, 1 July 1911, Page 730

The “Muritai”

The new steamer “Muritai,” which was launched the other day by Messrs. S. Wood & Co., was built by them to the order of the Wellington Steam Perry Company, and should help materially to relieve the pressure of traffic on busy days in the harbour. She is to be a general utility vessel, and will be used for towing as well as passenger carrying. She is to have a large water tank aft, capable of holding 14 tons, for carrying fresh water out to vessels in the stream, and will also be fitted with a Duplex twocylinder horizontal pump, capable of throwing 4500 gals, of water per hour, which will be of use in case of fires occurring to shipping or on the waterfront, and also for salvage jobs. Her principal dimensions are: —Length, over all, 77ft. 6in. ; length, water line,

bridge deck, ventilators, companion ways, skylights, etc., has been added, she will have quite another appearance. The whole of the after space will be taken up with engine-room, tanks, and bunkers, so the accommodation for crew is forward. She will have one mast, for signalling and derrick purposes. I have to thank Messrs. Wood & Co.’s kindly foreman, Mr. W. E. Bowen, who showed me over the vessel. The pictures show “Muritai” on the ways just before launching, and a group of the owners, etc., which speaks for itself. The thing which strikes me most about this locally built ship is the fact that while they had her built here, the United Kingdom supplied the machinery. Surely a local foundry could have done as good work, I would like to correct an utterance of Mr. A. E. Mabin at the launching ceremony of the “Muritai,” reported in “N.Z. Shipping and Commerce” of the 26th ult., that the last vessel built in Wellington was the s.s. “Opawa,” fourteen years ago. This is incorrect. Messrs. Bringings & Bailey launched a 30-ton auxiliary, the “Sally,” subsequent to this. I saw her last year at Nelson.

72ft.; breadth, 16ft.; draught (normal), Bft.; least freeboard, 3ft.; freeboard, bow, 6ft. 6in. As may be imagined, for towing work her construction is of the strongest, and is a credit to the builders. The keel, kelson and sternpost, are of Ironbark, while the stem is cut from a single piece, a natural grown crook of Rata. The planking is Kauri, fastened to double steam-bent Spotted Gum frames. The deck beams and earlines are Jarrah, as are the hatch combings and rail capping, while the deck planking is 2Gin. by bin. Kauri, caulked and payed with pitch as usual. The topsides are finished in black, with a white boot-topping, and the bottom is muntz metal sheathed. Her power, which is being installed by Messrs. Cable & Co., is a single screw triple expansion job, of 130 i.h.p., built by Plenty & Sons, of Newbury, as was the multi-tubular marine type boiler. As the “Muritai” lies at present alongside the Ferry Wharf, she does not look much like a ferry boat, but in about two 'weeks’ time, when the superstructure of