ID this Navy ship

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ID this Ship

A little help need – anyone able to name the NZ Navy ship in this 1930 photo ? location possibly near Kawau Island. Photo ex Roger Guthrie, those father Ivan & frien Dean Ellingham were in training at HMNZS Philomel at the time

Update from Russell Ward

Interesting one. Based on the disposition of the masts and the wheelhouse that overhangs the skipper’s accommodation and funnel height, she’d have to be HMNZS Wakakura or the Sanfords trawlers Currell or Cosgrove that were requisitioned in 1939 -notice she has the fishing trawler’s gallows fore and aft. Because of the raised focsle, I’d go for Wakakura. Jack Harker writes a lot about Wakakura in his book The Rockies. She was the navy’s training ship 1925 – 47 and certainly kept the marine repair shops busy with machinery and hull repairs -the latter mostly because of collisions with wharfs or other ships alongside. She was bought by the Tasman Steam Ship Co Ltd in 1947 and was knackered early 1953.

I have asked colleagues who know more than I and will report back if I am wrong.

16.08/2013 –  General consensus from the Workboat Study Group is that she is the Wakakura. Dear old thing. Got a lot of men sea experience ready for WW2. What sort of long range planning is that?

Update / critique from Ray Morey of the above photo – 16/08/2013

“That pic at Mansion House bay, The boat boom is up and the boat ladder is down.boat must be ashore. Bridge wings unclothed, popgun at the ready, monkey island awning ridge pole up but awning only rigged over the cargo boom.Possible party tonight. Trawl gallows in up position , provisioning boom stowed in crutch. All of those earlier ships had cantilevered bridges because the nets were hauled aboard there in the waist. The later vessels had single mast and davits aft for provisioning and workboat/lifeboat. I have another pic of her at the wharf in Auckland and also another of her with a full wheelhouse, the wings have been enclosed and roofed over”.

1925 Anniversary Regatta “bona fide cruisers over 9 knots” Race.

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1925 Anniversary Regatta “bona fide cruisers over 9 knots” Race.

The 4 boats nearest the camera, from left ROMANCE II (W C Mills….winner by miles), ROSEMARY (Leon Warne), ALL BELL leading (Alf Bell….NO Collings in this one…it’s All BELL….lots of angst between Mr. Collings and Mr. Bell post WW1), and CARMINE (ex-MAUDIE..Bailey & Lowe). At the rear are, on left, CAVALIER (Bell brothers, Alf and his brother whose name I’ve temporarily forgotten but great uncles of Dick Coughlan) at left and KATHRYN R (built by Leon Warne for W J Reid, Des Townson’s grandfather) on the right. Big St Mary’s Bay representation, 2 Warne boats and two Bell boats (and 2 Bailey & Lowe boats)

2nd photo of Romance II ‘at full chat’ crossing a finish line in 1925 (possibly the same race as above)

3rd photo shows Romance II not moving fast at all – high & dry near Coromandel one Easter, she re-floated on the next tide with no damage other than the crews egos, the owner Frank Aspden was in Sydney at the time. The next crew meeting would have been a dozy 🙂

Anniversary details ex Harold Kidd, photos ex ‘Sir George Grey Special Collections (Auckland Libraries)

Harold Kidd Update:

ROMANCE II cheekily entered the next race too, the “Open Speed Race” against the flyers of the day, Chas. Collings’ FLEETWING JR (120hp Hall-Scott), MISS VIRGINIA (220hp Hispano-Suiza), MISS AUCKLAND (ohc Masport), MISS EILEEN (6 cylinder Buick), MISS DEVONPORT (90hp Curtiss), MISS MILFORD (ex-FLEETWING I), and FIREFLY Colin Wild-built, 6 cylinder Studebaker). Some of these hydroplanes were running war surplus aero engines of course. ROMANCE II was given 20mins and won on handicap.

She will see some action this season after Pauline and I have had a sad time in the past 18 months with family matters and my bloody arthritis. She’s out at Gulf Harbour right now for antifouling and a tidy up. She was built for 17 knots and still does that (and quite a bit more if you have the courage to push the Morse to the bulkhead). Basically she’s a standard Bailey & Lowe 35 footer hull, but fined down forward and with a flatter run aft. It may not be your classic planing, but it sure feels like it!

Maritza II

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Maritea II

MARITZA II

The launch Maritza II on her journey to Lake Waikaremoana.

In the days before we had the boys from ‘Boat Haulage’ on the scene 🙂

photo ex classicboatnz

Harold Kidd Update:

The penny has dropped. It’s not MARITEA II but MARITZA. She was built by Peter A Smith, the Alpha marine engine agent in St. Mary’s Bay for himself in 1923. Like W R Twigg, Smith contracted to build launches, his input being the engine which usually cost over half the total price. He contracted out hulls to local builders, usually those handy to his premises in St. Mary’s Bay. This hull was built by Dick Lang before he left for Sydney during the transition of his business to Sam Ford so Sam Ford took some credit in advertising. She was 37ft x 9ft and was fitted with a 25hp Alpha (Danish) engine. Smith named her CYRENA. She was launched around Christmas 1923.

Smith sold her to the Manukau in September 1924. F G “Boy” Bellve of Herne Bay bought her and brought her back to the Waitemata in January 1926 and had her until he commissioned the keel yacht CYRENA from Collings & Bell in late 1938. 

Bellve sold the launch CYRENA to A M White of Ngatapa, Gisborne who renamed her MARITZA (II) and had her trucked over to Lake Waikaremoana on 6-7 October 1938.

PS I’m pretty sure the truck is a Diamond T with a locally-built cab.

Nga Toa & Queenie

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Nga Toa & Queenie

Nga Toa & Queenie

Two old classic’s – only one of which has survived.
Queenie C1 – Logan Bros 1904. Currently moored at Whangaroa, Northland.
Nga Toa A17 – wrecked in Wellington in the 1980’s.

Location – Tauranga?

Harold Kidd Update: 

Probably during the Tauranga Regatta that followed the Auckland-Tauranga race during the 30s.

photo ex Roger Guthier

Snapper fishing on the waitemata

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If you were like me & a little confused as to what all the noise was about the proposed cuts to NZ’s recreational fishing, you have to watch the youtube clip from ‘deacker on sport’. It explains it all & gives some telling insights into the politics behind this PROPOSED cut.
Watch the video & then send the link to all your friends. You can also show our support at http://www.legasea.co.nz

 

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Rangitihi & Patiti

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Rangitihi & Patiti Hauled Out

Photo from Roger Guthrie’s grandfathers collection & shows Roger’s father aged approx. 14 so the date of the photo must be c.1925/6. The location could be Tauranga area??

Harold Kidd Update:

Lake Tarawera; PATITI was built by Bailey & Lowe in July 1904 for the Government Tourist Dept. RANGITIHI was built for Tarawera but transferred later to Rotomahana. I’m pretty sure she was built by Bailey Lowe too.

PS PATITI was built by Bailey & Lowe for the Government Tourist Dept and completed in July 1904 alongside her twin IRINI which was intended for the Lake Rotomahana tourist trade. Both were railed to Rotorua in mid July and taken to their respective lakes, by bullock wagons, I assume.

PPS She was called PATITI after Guide Joe Warbrick (Patiti is maoriisation of Warbrick),one of the Warbrick brothers, heroes of the 1884 NZ Rugby team who played Australia in 1884 and the New Zealand Native Team that toured the UK in 1888-9. He had been killed in the eruption of the Waimangu Geyser in 1903.

Russell , Bay of Island Jan 2 , 1927

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6 Jan 1927 Russell, Bay of Islands 

Seems a large % of the Auckland classic launch fleet had head north in Jan 1927, the above photo shows an impressive collection of classics anchored off Russell for the regatta.

photo ex ‘Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries

Blokes & their boats

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Blokes & their boats

Sailing ‘pond’ yachts has been a hotly contested hobby for as long as the models bigger cousins have been around. Des Townson took it to another level with his radio controlled Electron yacht, production of which continues today under the expert hands of CYA deputy chairman Bruce Tantrum. Racing takes place at several venues across Auckland, details on upcoming events & Bruce’s contact details found here http://www.electron.co.nz/#

Some rather nice dinghies on display in the b/w photo, I imagine the dinghy maneuvering was an ‘event’ in its own right.

b/w photo ex classicboatsnz

The 5 Knot Rule

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The 5 Knot Rule

Seems that some boaties have been flaunting this rule for years. The photo above is another example of how some of our forebears did little for the cross-cultural motor boat / yacht relationship 🙂

Thanks to Harold Kidd for this photo