M.V.WAIMATE
Ship no 398
M.V.WAIMATE, was the first, of a three ship order from the Union Steamship Company of New Zealand.
At 3506 tons, she was a large vessel for the yard at the time and she had a length between perpendiculars of 325 feet and a beam of 50 feet, along with a design draught of 33 feet and 9 inches.
She was different to the other K class ships except Waimea in that she had tween decks. She was also powered by two diesel engines with electro-magnetic couplings driving a single screw. During the manouvreing operation, one engine would be run ahead and one in reverse. This was a similar system as used on Wairata. It was the first British ship to be built with this arrangement. She was designed as a more versatile ship to be able to run to the Pacific Islands and India. Sold to Phillipine interests in 1972 and scrapped in 1980. Picture taken at Apia in 1961. (Courtesy of www.nzshipmarine.com/)
No comments:
Post a Comment