One hundred years of change.
Visitors to Port Chalmers, the log ship Lake Deer in June and the container ship Hansa Salzburg last month, are two newer vessels that only entered service this year. In contrast, a visitor to Port Chalmers 60 years ago next Thursday had been fitted out at the Workman, Clark yard at Belfast 40 years earlier.
The vessel, completed in November, 1911, was the Shaw, Savill and Albion Company's 8129gt steamer Waimana. These three ships illustrate changes in cargo operations at the port.
The steamer represents an image from the past, one directly connected to the evolution and development of conventional steam and diesel refrigerated cargo liners that were familiar here over a very long period. Today's diesel-engined box carriers and log ships are types that have only been calling here since the latter half of last century.
With its vertical stem, counter stern, two tall masts and funnel, Waimana was typical of the classic steamer profile of the day. The ship had six cargo holds and when completed was regarded as being one of the world's finest refrigerated liners. While comfortable accommodation was provided for first class passengers in the bridge deck, 1000 emigrants could be carried in the tween decks.
A coal-burner for its entire career, twin-screw propulsion machinery comprised two three-cylinder, triple expansion engines whose combined output of 5600ihp gave a services speed of 13.5 knots.
On its only postwar visit, Waimana arrived here from Cardiff, via South Africa, in 1951. After loading cargo it left for Lyttelton seven days later. By then, time was running out for the veteran, and after returning to London it was sold for demolition. It arrived at Milford Haven in 1952 to be broken up.
Over the years the ship was in service it had enjoyed an interesting career, beginning with its maiden voyage. After sailing from Liverpool on Christmas Eve, 1911, it ran into gales and lost one of its lifeboats. This caused great alarm as to the ship's safety when it was found on the Cornish coast. These fears were dispelled when the steamer, not equipped with wireless, arrived at Teneriffe.
In World War 1, the only brush with the enemy took place in the Mediterranean in 1917 when attacked with gunfire from a submarine. But after a spirited attack from the steamer's only gun, the enemy broke off the attack and fled the scene.
After the war, Waimana resumed the peacetime role of carrying cargo and emigrants, the latter to 1925. In 1926, it was renamed Heminius when chartered by the Aberdeen Line for its Australian service. It reverted to its original name in 1932.
Laid-up at Gareloch when war broke out in 1939, Waimana was one of three older Shaw, Savill steamers bought by the Admiralty for conversion into dummy warships. With wood, canvas and the bare minimum of steel, which included the fitting of a dummy cruiser stern, Waimana was mocked-up to resemble a Royal Sovereign class battleship. As a decoy the vessel was deployed in the Firth of Forth until 1941.
By February 1942, it had been converted back to a merchant ship but as the Ministry of War Transport's Empire Waimana. The ship was then placed under the management of the Shaw, Savill Line until 1946 when it bought it back and gave it back the original name.
But just before they bought the steamer back, Empire Waimana established something of a transatlantic record when it took 21 days from London to St John, New Brunswick. The ship encountered hurricane conditions most of the way, and the master hoped the sand ballast it was carrying would not shift and it did not run out of coal. And Cunard's Aquitania, still on trooping duties, is said to have passed the vessel three times.
It was a prouder episode for the vessel when in February 1951, it went to the rescue of the 7176gt, Panamanian-flag Liberty ship San Leonardo. This vessel, bound for Adelaide, had lost its propeller five days earlier and was in danger of drifting ashore in South Australia.
Waimana came to the rescue and towed the disabled vessel nearly 500km to Melbourne. This was surely the veteran steamer's swan song in its twilight year of service.
