Dauntless AK2233

Posted on by

ak2233-02

dauntless-ak2233-05

Dauntless AK2233

The above photos of Dauntless are from the Tudor Collins, Auckland Museum collection, emailed to me by Ken Ricketts.
Can any of the woodys provide more details on Dauntless & also the photo location, if my life depended on it, I would guess Whangaroa, but I have been wrong before 🙂

Interesting the passengers on board, not really looking like a day out fishing, maybe they were heading out to meet / greet a bigger vessel ?

Harold Kidd Input

There have been a lot of launches called DAUNTLESS over the years. This one bears a 4 figure Auckland fishing boat registration number of the type issued in the early 1930s but phased out by about 1935, so the date of the pic is around that period.
This is the DAUNTLESS that was game fishing out of Whitianga and Tauranga between 1927 and 1945 at least, run by Steedman and Chadban. I had always thought that this DAUNTLESS was the one built by Bailey & Lowe in 1911 for E. W. Morrison of Auckland, a standard Bailey & Lowe 35 footer like PRINCESS etc but these pics show a sloping transom that is quite unlike a B&L product. Maybe the stern was extended for gamefishing and maybe this is the DAUNTLESS that finished up at the Maritime Restoration School at Opua with the stern chopped off to a 32 footer?
Maybe it was chopped because the extension failed?
I’ve never been sure where this boat came from or went to, but Baden or Brian Worthington should know.

PS Maybe Charlie Millett did the stern extension? It’s the sort of thing he did during the winters in Tauranga.

05-10-2016 Paul Drake Input

Pics below showing DAUNTLESS at Taupo. She is the moored boat in the foreground in the first photo.

In the second photo, she appears on the extreme left, and the tumblehome is evident.

dsc04123

dsc04124

11-02-2017– Photo below ex Baden Pascoe

dauntless

 

20 thoughts on “Dauntless AK2233”

  2. The photo below of Dauntless afloat shows her in 2003 in the movie “Perfect Strangers’ that featured Kiwi Sam Neil. The other photo is her today, just arrived back at Careys Bay on the slip for inspection to see what is required for restoration.
    Owner Ross Sander is interested in any info on her the woodys can provide.

    Like

  5. Interesting reference to Taupo. The Taupo DAUNTLESS, owned when she was here by the Dickie family, certainly has similar excessive tumble home. But otherwise a fair bit of imagination is required. Still…. Now at Milford. Photos sent.

    Like

  7. Hi we have a 1948 Dauntless, at one point it was based in careys bay fishing. currently has a 4/71. we were told she was built by the navy for a liberty boat, she has twin masts and a round wheelhouse, we were told it was decomissioned in 1972. would this maybe the same boat you are talking about.

    Like

  8. Dodgy yes in areas. Nonetheless the boat pictured was certainly based at Milford recently. Brian’s site has her with a talll cabin, whereas now she is lower, more like Rongotai etc.

    Like

  9. Surely the Drakes will know more. The History Site for Boats of Taupo entry for her is a bit dodgy I think.

    Like

  10. Merv is right. This is Whitianga and I would say this photo was taken from the old Hotel Wharf.
    Unusual transom?

    Like

  11. Brian should know yes. She was a BOP charter boat, and was even chartered by Zane Grey. 38f x 13ft, went to Taupo in 1956.

    Like

  12. There was another one, just 2 or 3 west of where the beauty of which you speak is berthed. She had huge belting/sponsons and a long raised cabin, with dodger aft. Sponsons to make up for that extreme tumblehome. In lots of Taupo photos also

    Like

  13. Reckon you are right with location Nathan, however there is a Dauntless still in Milford Creek – just not this one.

    Like

  14. PS Maybe Charlie Millett did the stern extension? It’s the sort of thing he did during the winters in Tauranga.

    Like

  15. There have been a lot of launches called DAUNTLESS over the years. This one bears a 4 figure Auckland fishing boat registration number of the type issued in the early 1930s but phased out by about 1935, so the date of the pic is around that period.
    This is the DAUNTLESS that was game fishing out of Whitianga and Tauranga between 1927 and 1945 at least, run by Steedman and Chadban. I had always thought that this DAUNTLESS was the one built by Bailey & Lowe in 1911 for E. W. Morrison of Auckland, a standard Bailey & Lowe 35 footer like PRINCESS etc but these pics show a sloping transom that is quite unlike a B&L product. Maybe the stern was extended for gamefishing and maybe this is the DAUNTLESS that finished up at the Maritime Restoration School at Opua with the stern chopped off to a 32 footer?
    Maybe it was chopped because the extension failed?
    I’ve never been sure where this boat came from or went to, but Baden or Brian Worthington should know.

    Like

  16. This is a picture of another Dauntless, which was a trawler out of Careys Bay , this is in the late 70’s . She was 40 foot, powered by a 4/71, when I skippered her , allegedly built by Lidgards and used as a small tug during WWII , she had strengthened double planked hull and bulwarks.

    Richard Allen

    Like

  17. It is Whitianga harbour, first picture looking into what is known locally as Back bay, the second one looks towards Ferry landing with the Ferry landing old stone wharf just out of the picture on the left.

    Like

  20. Newly launched from Lane’s on Whangaroa harbour with owner’s and Lane’s launching ceremony party on board?

    Like

Leave a comment