SOLD TO THE EAST

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 49, 26 August 1933, Page 10

SOLD TO THE EAST

UNION COMPANY'S QUOTA

OVER MANY YEARS

■ Vessels leaving these waters for trade in other lands, except in '-few cases, pass into the limbo of forgotten things. Especially this appears to be so when their destination is the East. Since as far back as 1896 there- has been a flow of Union Company steamers to these parts, and with, the sale of the Eatoa, which has not yet left Wellington, the total is brought to twenty-eight. It is, therefore, with a view to giving those who.have had associations with these ships a knowledge of where they have . gone that a complete list of U.S.S. Co. sales lias been obtained. Perhaps readers may. be able to supply some further details. ;. Sales over tho last 37 - years have been made to a variety of buyers, many of whom operate in Hong ■ Kong. Up till 1927; traffic to.the East1 had been small, but since that, year seventeen vessels have been soldl to owners in China and Japan. ; NEARLY 70,000 TONS GROSS. '.Of ..tho. 28 vessels which have seen service'in the Dominion qnd have takon the trail eastwards only four have been over 4000 tons, gross register, and of these four only one- has been over 5000

•tons.■■■:■ In:gerieral they have-been small, and-in the region "6t 2000 tons gross. _. .! Thor smallest iras the first; Orowaiti,' ! a-steamer of 453 ions, which' was: among the early stagers built in 1882. The largest, and incidentally the most modern, is tho Waitemata, which was sold this year. Her gross registex: is 5729 tons and she was built ir. 1919. The oldest vessel,,was the Manapouri, which was built in 1881 and sold in June, 1915. | The aggregate gross tonnage sold by the Union Company to Eastern buyers is in the, neighbourhood of 70,000, and included..' in this total «;re fourteen' vessels .which are each under 2000: ■tons. ■ ' •■■■,-■.■■. ' ■ ■' From 1928 to 1931 the majority .ofsales wero made to Hong Kong, to firms which, it is understood, are mainly operated by one person. Earlier sales were largely concentrated around the years 1903 and 1915, many of them' b.eing through brokers. Details are" lacking in some cases as to what actual-' 4y. became of them before they dis-' .appeared from Lloyd's. ,■. ~ . • GOOD SERVICE YEAKS. On arrival in the East the newlybought vessels are thoroughly overhauled; many replacements being made, with the result-that an additional fifteen service years, may be,;.obtained from vessels about'twenty or. .twenty-five years old. A number, of the ships turn collier or'venture north 'beyond Korea in search of trade. ,In -and. out of ports between Singapore'and Manchuria they may be seen over'long years, per.haps mere shadows .of' their . former selves, rusty arid unpainted. Authorities responsible for marine : legislation - ;ipi certain Eastern waters' are evidently not pressing in i,ho' matter of depriving .semi-derelicts of the right to trade, for many of these once well-known ships in Dominion waters are reported to have' been seen ill service long after they were due. for breaking-up. - ■ As far as can be ascertained, fifteen of tho 28 vessels sold East are still iri' existence. . DETAILED LIST. ' : The following is a detailed 'list of sales up - to', 1927, giving ' tonnages, buyers, arid the.new; names:-1- ! MoretOn, 581. ton's,, bought by Dodwell and Go.,' Hong Kong, in. 1896, and renamed the Eilbek. • She was '.bought by the Union Company in 1891 from the Tasmanian Steam Navigation Company. t Janet Nicoll, 748 tons, bought by the Eastern Shipping Company, of Penang, in 1903. Her name remained the same. Omapere, 625 tons, bought by Eastern Shipping Co., of Penang in 1903. Her name remained the same. Orowaiti (first), 453 tons, bought by a company- in - Penang -in-1903 and - renp.med the Pulo Bimau, She was bought by. ;the Union Company ii 1887 from the Westport Coal. Company., ■ Kotokino, -2128 tons, bought -by Jonzayemon, of Kono," in 1905, and xc-1 named the Nanyetsu Maru, No. 2. Hauroto, 1988 tons, sold' in April, 1915, to- a Sydney broker: and subsequently sold to a company' in. Hong Kong. The Hauroto had an adventurous career, and once caught fire in Auckland Harbour. This mishap occurred on, December 12, 1912,, in the early hours of the morning, tho vessel suffering extensive damage. Most of her superstructure was destroyed, but the flames were fortunately got under control before they reached the forehatch, where coal was stored. Pukaki, 1444 tons, sold in April, 1915, to brokers in Melbourne. She is now known as the Foo Kong and is owned by Wen Kee and Co., Shanghai. Manapouri, 1960 tons, sold in June, 1015, through brokers to N. E. A. Moller nnd renamed the Lindsay Moller. She was subsequently bought by. Chin Sen Hong, of Hong.Kong, and renamed the Fook Hong. Moura, ex -North Lyell, 2067 tons, was sold in September, 1915, to brokers and renamed the Hai Hong. She was later sold to a company in Manilla and renamed the- Mactan. Warrimoo, 3578 tons, sold in, .November, 1916, through brokers to Kiam Aikj Singapore. She had been bought by tho Union Company in 1901 from the New Zealand Shipping Company. Waimarino (original), ex Wyandotte, ex Lord Eoberts. 4769 tons, sold in June, 1926, to Shan Yang Ban, of Shanghai, and renamed the King Sing.

She was later, sold,to N. E. A. Moller,' of Shanghai, and renamed the Daisy Moller. ' . . Kokiri, ox Lauderdale, 1251 tons, sold in September, 1927, to Madrigal and Co., Manilla, and renamed the Josefina,. being later called the Taurus 11, under which she was running at most recent report. Waihora (second), 4706-tons,' soldm December,: 1927, to Naigai Kisen K.K. of Amagasaki, being •renamed / the Tairyu'Maru. The first Waihora whs sold to' a' German firm in 1903. .-= Details of tho remaining Union Com-1 paiiy vessels which-have been sold East1 since 1927 will be given next week. |