The Otago Museum for many years has displayed the models of the TSS Wahine (1913-1951) and TEV Wahine (1966-1968), sister ships of the Union Steam Ship Company which ran the ferries between Wellington and Lyttelton.
TSS Wahine was the second bespoke ship of the line to be added to the service after the first bespoke ship, Maori, started the Wellinton to Lyttelton service in 1905.
Much is known about TEV Wahine and her demise in Wellington Harbour in 1968.
Her sister, TSS Wahine, started her service in 1913. During World War 1 it was used as a mine sweeper, and in World War 2 it was used as a troopship carrier. In 1951 she was drafted into service to carry NZ Troops to the Korean War.
She sailed from Wellington in August 1951, after a tumultuous send-off by Wellingtonians and Prime Minister Sydney Holland, who made the troop committment to Korea.
She was laden with 600 volunteer adventurers, who after 5 weeks basic training and a week of home leave embarked on the Wahine. She replenished at Cooktown and Darwin before sailing onward to Korea. After 2 days sailing into uncharted waters in the Arafura Sea Indonesia, she struck a reef.
The captain, initially seeing the reef, ordered her speed up to run the Wahine up on the reef to hold her fast, otherwise she would have sunk. The soldiers were evacuated by life boat onto an oil tanker which did the rescue, but before the rescue Indonesian natives approached the Wahine in their canoes and tried to climb aboard.
The officers ordered the fire hoses to be used to hose them off the sides, and they left. Later, when all troops were safely on the tanker, the natives returned and stripped the Wahine of everything moveable.
The Wahine was carrying in her hold 25-pounder artilliery guns, the troops' rifles and a great tonnage of Speights beer, as troops had a daily ration of 2 bottles a day. The guns' breeches were put out of action by a volunteer who dived into the flooded hold. He was later awarded a decoration for his cool work.
The troops were taken back to Darwin and airlifted to the Korean war theatre.
• The article is from Mr Peter MacDonald, of South Dunedin, who was a 23-year-old soldier on board the Wahine. Mr MacDonald is a member of the Dunedin RSA.
