MISSION SHIP

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 100, 14 May 1937, Page 4

MISSION SHIP

Southern Cross Visits Napier MUCH INTEREST SHOWN Several Hastings and Napier people paid a visit to Glasgow WhaTf yesterday to see tbe Melanesian Mission motor-yacbt Southern Cross, wbieb arrived sbortly after noon. Tbe seventb mission vessel to bear tbe name in 80 years, the Southern Cross is used in mission work in tbe Solomon Islands, and earries a native crew. Sbe is 110 feet long, motor-driven, and divided into watertight compartments by steel bulkbeads. Weather conditions to-day made it doubtful if tbe vessel would continue to Gisborne and tbence Auckland late tbis afternoon as intended, but sbe is at present scbeduled to • leave for tbe islands on May 31. Her master is Captain R. A. Williams. A result of Bisbop Selwyn 's visit to England in 1854, was tbe first Southern Cross, a scbooner of 100 tons, built at Soutbampton at a cost of £1800. She made her first voyage to Melanesia in 1856, but after four years of useful service was wrecked on tbe New Zealand coast on June 18, 1860. For a timo tbe mission bad to be content witb chartered sbips. Tben, in 1863, tbe second Southern Cross was bougbt — a yawl-rigged brigantine of 93 tons— at a cost of £3932. For 10 years sbe . served tbe mission, but progress was so rapid tbat it was deeided to acquire a vessel witb auxiliary power. So tbe brigantine was sold to an islands trader for tbe small sum of £200. Tbe third Southern Cross, built at Auckland in 1874, and fitted 'with an auxiliary engine, cost £5000. For 18 years sbe was known among tbe islands for her seaworthiness and speed, She was "eventually sold to a trader for £900, and, as tbe Ysabel, was destroyed by fire in eastern Polynesia in 1928. Tbe fourth Southern Cross was not such a successful venture, Built in England in 1891, sbe cost £10,453. Sh9 was badly damaged by storm on ber first voyage in tbe English Channel, ^nd in time ber running cost was found to be too much for tbe mis' sion. In 1900 Bisbop Wilson made an appeal for funds for a new vessel. Tbe engines of tbe fourth ship were transferred to tbe Gale. Sbe herself eaught fire, and was blown up wben carrying benzjne from Sydney to Hobart. Tbe fiftb Southern Cross was built in England in 1903 as a cost of £20,000. Witb advancing age, bowever sbe, too, became too expensive to maintain. Her last voyage was in 1932, and towards tbe end of tbat year she was sold by public tender to be broken up. The fate of tbe sixtb Southern Cross is well known. Launcbed in 1932, sbe was much smaller tban ber predecessor, being intended only for sbort voyages among the islands. On ber maiden voyage from Auckland sbe was wrecked on the island of Aneityum. However, through tbe work of an English committee and supporters of tbe mission in different parts of tbe world, tbe money was found to build a new vessel — tbe modern yacbt now at Napier.