 Contemporary portrayal of the wreck
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | S.S Tararua |
| Owner | Union Steam Ship Company |
| Builder | Gourlay Brothers, Dundee |
| Launched | 21 April 1864 |
| Completed | 1864 |
| Maiden voyage | Unknown |
| In service | 1864 |
| Out of service | 29 April 1881 |
| Fate | Struck fast to Otara Reef at Waipapa point on 29 April 1881 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Screw-driven steamer |
| Tonnage | Originally 523, Increased to 563 |
| Length | 222.6 ft (67.8 m) |
| Height | 222.6 Feet{67.8m} |
| Depth | 16.2 ft (4.9 m) |
SS Tararua was a passenger steamer that struck the reef off Waipapa Point in the Catlins on 29 April 1881, and sank the next day, in the worst civilian shipping disaster in New Zealand's history.[1] Of the 151 passengers and crew on board, only 20 survived the shipwreck.[2]
- ^ New Zealand Disasters – SS Tararua Shipwreck, Christchurch City Libraries. Accessed 20 January 2008.
- ^ Gerard Hutching. Shipwrecks – SS Tararua, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Updated 21 September 2007. Accessed 20 January 2008.