 Wahine at sea
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 New Zealand | |
| Name | TEV Wahine |
| Namesake | Māori: woman |
| Owner | Union Steam Ship Company[2] |
| Route | Wellington–Lyttelton |
| Ordered | October 1963[3] |
| Builder | Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering[3] |
| Yard number | 830[2][3] |
| Laid down | 14 September 1964[3] |
| Launched | 14 July 1965[2][3] |
| Completed | June 1966[1] |
| Maiden voyage | 1 August 1966[3] |
| Identification | 317814 |
| Fate | Wrecked 10 April 1968 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Ferry[2] |
| Tonnage | 8,948 GRT[2] |
| Length | 488 ft (149 m)[2] |
| Beam | 71 ft (22 m)[2] |
| Decks | 6[3] |
| Propulsion | |
| Capacity | 927, over 200 cars[3] |
| Crew | 126 |
TEV Wahine was a twin-screw, turbo-electric, roll-on/roll-off passenger ferry. Ordered in 1964, the vessel was built by the Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, in Govan, Glasgow, Scotland for the Union Steam Ship Company's Wellington-Lyttelton Steamer Express Service in New Zealand.[4]
The Wahine began transporting passengers on day and overnight trips on New Zealand's inter-island route between the ports of Wellington and Lyttelton in 1966. The Wahine was permitted to carry a maximum of 1,100 passengers on day trips, or 927 berthed passengers on overnight trips.[4][5]
On 10 April 1968, near the end of a routine northbound overnight crossing from Lyttelton, Wahine was caught in a fierce storm stirred by tropical cyclone Giselle. She ran aground on Barrett Reef, then drifted and capsized and sank in the shallow waters near Steeple Rock at the mouth of Wellington Harbour. Of the 734 people on board, 53 people died from drowning, exposure to the elements, or from injuries sustained in the hurried evacuation and abandonment of the stricken vessel.[6]
The unfolding shipwreck drama was covered by radio and television crews, as the Wahine ran aground within a short distance of New Zealand's capital city, Wellington. Newspaper crews, and other journalists and photographers, provided immediate news coverage documenting the passenger rescue and loss of life.[7]
- ^ "Possession tomorrow". Press. Papers Past. 14 June 1966.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Cameron, Stuart; Strathdee, Paul; Biddulph, Bruce; Campbell, Colin (2002–2013). "Wahine". Clydebuilt database. Clydesite.co.uk. Archived from the original on 9 November 2004. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ a b c d e f g h i Castell, Marcus (31 July 2007). "The Turbo Electric Vessel WAHINE, 1966–1968". The New Zealand Maritime Record. Archived from the original on 8 March 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2013.
- ^ a b "Wahine facts". The Wahine and Captain Robertson. Archived from the original on 24 January 2023. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
- ^ "New drive-on steamer arrives". Press. 25 July 1966. p. 1 – via Papers Past.
- ^ "Recognition for 53rd Wahine victim". Stuff. 31 January 2009. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
- ^ "New Zealand National Film Unit presents Wahine Day (1973)". New Zealand National Film Unit. 1973.