Thursday, February 9, 2012

the first ship of the Union Steam Ship Company of NZ, the SS Maori


The first ship of the Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand when formed in 1875, SS Maori, was built by Blackwood and Gordon and launched in 1868 at Port Glasgow, Scotland, 174 tonnes gross. She was 144 feet long (43.9 metres), and powered by a compound steam reciprocating inverted direct acting engine giving her a speed around 9 knots. Her accommodation at sea allowed for 20 passengers. In 1913 she was scuttled after sinking at her moorings at Saluafata, Samoa. This oil painting by Wallace Trickett shows her leaving Port Otago in her prime during the late 1890s.  For more, see our books.

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