Of the American war-built Victory ships I mentioned last week, only two were seen here in commercial service.
The first to call was the 7746gt Nankin, on January 7, 1949. Completed as Mount Holyoke Victory in March 1945, it was bought by the Eastern and Australian Steamship Company in January 1947.
The ship inaugurated a service to Japan on its first visit, one that it also ended when it arrived for the fourth time on June 12, 1952.
Two other E&A ships on the same run, the British-built Empire-type sisters Eastern and Nellore, between them added another three calls to this short-lived service.
P&O's 7673gt Karmala was the other Victory ship to call here.
It berthed at Dunedin on January 20, 1955, to load for Dunkirk and London.
It started life when it was completed in July 1945, as Sheepshead Bay Victory, then for a brief spell in 1947 carried the name Stanholme.
It was one of 92 vessels of its type built by the Bethlehem-Fairfield shipyard at Baltimore, Maryland.
This same yard also had the largest output of Liberty ships, 385 in total, of which 22 later called here.
In contrast to the Victory type, 50 Liberty ships made 129 postwar visits to this harbour from 1946 to 1966.
But before the war ended one of these vessels spent nine weeks at Port Chalmers, from March to July 1945, undergoing repairs resulting from two collisions near Noumea.
The vessel named John Deere had been completed in October 1942, for the United States War Shipping Administration.
It was towed here by a sister ship that had started life three months later as John M.
Palmer, but was renamed Draco when taken over shortly after by the US Navy.
As a matter of interest, John Deere, after languishing in a reserve fleet after the war, was broken by Japanese breakers after it arrived at Hirao on March 6, 1961.
Draco on the other hand was sold to a South African company in 1947, and later traded for other interests before it arrived at Kaohsiung, Taiwan, for demolition in April 1968.
The first Liberty to call here in peacetime was Sammex, on May 4, 1946.
It was one of 12 "Sam ships" visitors that each made only one call.
Under lease-lend terms, over 200 Liberty ships were loaned to Britain during the war.
All were on bare-boat charter to the Ministry of War Transport, London, and were placed under the management of British liner and tramp companies.
Samsylvan, which berthed at Port Chalmers on July 11, 1946, later came back on two calls as Shaw Savill's Tropic.
And Samcalia, which arrived on August 1, 1946, returned to Port Chalmers on September 16, 1952, as Furness Withy's Pacific Liberty to load 9000 bales of wool.
Disposals of surplus Liberty to shipping companies gained momentum early in 1947.
And the first British purchase to appear here was the Bank Line's 7269gt Marabank on September 25, 1947.
All 12 Liberty ships bought by this company in 1947 called here, mainly to discharge phosphate from Makatea, Nauru and Ocean Islands, or to offload sulphur and general cargo from United States Gulf ports.
Together these 12 ships accounted for 74 of the Liberty ship visits.
The last of these ships to call here on its seventh visit was the 7265gt Edenbank, on October 16, 1959.
When thinking of these ships, I am reminded of other sisters seen here.
Seven from the Ellerman fleet, Shaw Savill's Cufic, Federal's Leicester and Stafford and the Port Line's Port Albany.
Add to these Counties' Mill Hill and Stamford Hill, J&C Harrison's Harpagon and Ropner's Rudby: British-owned Liberty ships that have long since ended their days and were operated by owners who have also passed into maritime history.
