S.S. WAINUI

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 60, 2 June 1927, Page 8

S.S. WAINUI

Sir, — Your par referring to the “Old Ship” is not quite perfect. The Wainui was built to the order of Captain W (“Bully”) R. Williams, owner of the Black Diamond Line, who owned and sailed a fairly fine fleet of steamers, including the Moa, Maitai, Manawatu, Mawhera and Grafton down the West Coast of the South Island, and from Dunedin up the East Coast, calling at all ports en route to Greymouth, with headquarters at Wellington. Sailing vessels also constituted a goodly portion of the fleet with coal from Newcastle to New Zealand, which included the Australind, wrecked at New Plymouth; Wellington, wrecked at Lyall Bay, off Cook Strait; G. M. Tucker, Edwin .Bassett, all barques, and a few other hookers manned by “sailors.” The whole fleet was purchased by the Union Steamship Co., funnels, sails and personnel, and “Bully” still at the helm at Wellington as a director to the associated companies. The Wainui was his latest addition, and, as you remark, was the pride of the fleet and the old man’s heart, too. I have a doubt, though, whether she ever sailed under the Black Diamond flag, but of this I am confident, she arrived in New Zealand with it, and her first work was down the West Coast. BLACK SQUAD.