CARGO VESSEL WITH WAR HISTORY

Chronicle (Levin), 7 October 1946, Page 5

CARGO VESSEL WITH WAR HISTORY

AUCKLAND, Oct. 6. One of the small fleet of dummy warships employed by the Admiralty early in the War to deeeive the -enemy, the . Hhaw Savill and Albion steamer Pakeha of 8115 tons, arrived at Auckland from London today. The steamer is malung her first postwar voyage under her oio name, having served since 1939 as tne Etnpire Pakeha. She last visked Auckland in 1943. Built in 1910, the Puketia, is one of the oldest freighters in the regular trade between England ana New Zealand and is distinguished by an uiiusually tall funnel. In Septemoer, 1939, slie was laying-up at Gareloch ana a fevv days after the outbreak of war, she was purchased by tlie Admiralty for conversion into a (lunimy of the 29,OOU(on Batt leship Reveuge. A steel cruiser slern was built and tlie funnel whicn liappened to lie in exactly the correci position, was shortened. Jngenious use of considerable quant ities of wood and canvas completed the transformatioxi. Manned by a naval "runner" crew, tne Bakelia was used with others of tne force known as fleet tenders, as bait for U-boats and as an aerial decoy to draw an attack from real warships based on Scapa Flow and the Firth of Forth. By 1941, the dummy warships had serveu their purpose and the Pakeha was ruconditioned as a merchantman". Her cruiser stern and other features, however, were i-etained. In June, 1941, a-> tlie Empfre Pakeha, she was handed back by the Ministry of War Transport to her former owners for managemeni. She was recently purchased again by the Shaw Savill and Albion Company and renamed before leaving England on the present voyage. The master is Captain H. C. Snxith.