Okahu Bay Late 1950’s?

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OKAHU BAY LATE 1950’s?

Timespanner photo & details ex Russell Ward  

Left to right, who can name the launches?
Russell feels  the photo most likely dates from the late 1950’s as over at the Devonport Naval Base, the minesweeper Stawell is alongside, astern of the Loch Class (Rotoiti?) and she was put into mothballs July ’59 which means she would have been moved inside the wharf.

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13 thoughts on “Okahu Bay Late 1950’s?”

  2. The rock wall was Depression relief work job. 1933 is about right. The RichmondYC’s clubhouse has 1940 on the side and that’s the date these buildings were completed (see Robin Elliott’s and my histories of PonsonbyCC and RichmondYC for more detail). The portion of the rock wall in the image was there much later, until the Westhaven Marina was fully developed into its present form.

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  3. Now that we’ve got that one sorted, who could tell me when the breakwater was built ? I have been poring over photos to try and get some sort of an idea,the oldest I could get was a launching c.1933 with the breakwater visible. I know the rock came from the quarry on Rangitoto as did for the Tamaki Drive seawall. When were the yacht club buildings built ? I have a childhood memory of 1943???? ish and they were there then. As was the Navy tanker NUCULA moored in Shoal Bay

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  4. Yep. Definitely Westhaven: Taken from Pt Erin. Dunno why I suggested it was Okahu, yer can’t even see the naval base from that angle from Okahu. Now the ship inboard of Black Prince might be last of the Isles Class trawlers by the looks of her raked funnel and they were all scrapped in the ’50s in the lighter basin, so it is confirmed 1957 pic. Dunno why the dressed ship -a Navy Base open day, Queen’s birthday? Must have been taken by a posh dude -we all had Box Brownies in those days if we had a camera at all. I might post it on the RNZN oldies FicePuke page and see if there are any alive who can say.

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  5. Have just enlarged the photo by 800% & the “WIRIHANA/LADY GAY,” I can now see, by the enlargement is not either of those boats, it is too short, the forward deck line is all wrong, the boat is sitting with the tuck “rolling under” above the waterline which nether of those boats do, & it appears to have some sort of low profile wheelhouse, or possible structure, above the main deck line a little forward of midships line, however I have know idea which boat it in fact could be. — KEN RICKETTS

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  6. I’ve had a more studied & detailed look & there is no doubt in my mind it is definitely Westhaven & was known as such, as far as I know, in that era. I agree with alanse that it faces northeast, which further confirms this, in my view — that is definitely the Westhaven rock wall I recall which used to have the poles as visible along it way back which may have ben to supply the navigation lights at the entrance

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  7. Hi Roger
    Wirihana had them stern mounted for at least one season & to support this there is evidence of the mounted location still to be seen on her. When I have a spare mo I’ll tell an interesting tale about Wirihana’s davits.
    Alan

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  8. Wirihana always had the davits on the side.There was another boat that looked the same and could be differentiated only because that one had davits on the rear.

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  10. Received an email from a ww follower (Alanse) who also raised the question about the location of the photo i.e. appeared to be looking northeast & also the construction of the breakwater – wood/rock.

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  12. Inside the Loch class frigate is a Dido class cruiser, probably BLACK PRINCE. Can’t agree on WIRHANA/LADY GAY. Wrong shaped tuck. Launch on the right looks a bit like the C&B MARGURUITE (spelling?) recently sold to Great Barrier and featured on WW.

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  13. It looks like Westhaven to me, as there was no rock wall at Okahu Bay, it was timber, & the boats left to right are MAKURA, WAIRIKI, WIRIHANA or LADY GAY ((probably WIRHANA as LADY GAY spent much of her life in those days in Wakatakataka Bay) MARGARE T S (in the foreground) & not certain of the far right launch — KEN RIVKETTS

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