The MV ''Queen Salamasina'' was an inter-island ferry which was operated in Samoa by the

Samoa Shipping Corporation The Samoa Shipping Corporation is a government-owned company in Samoa which provides freight and passenger services between Savai'i, Upolu and American Samoa. Established in 1974, the corporation is managed as a public trading body under the Publ ...

from 1977 to 1999. The ''Queen Salamasina'' was constructed for the Australian government at the Dillingham Shipyard in Perth,

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

and completed in 1977. On completion, it was gifted to the Samoan government, which then leased it to the Samoa Shipping Corporation. Shortly after arriving in Samoa it damaged its propeller shaft in Apia harbour and had to be taken to

Suva Suva () is the capital and largest city of Fiji. It is the home of the country's largest metropolitan area and serves as its major port. The city is located on the southeast coast of the island of Viti Levu, in Rewa Province, Central Divi ...

Fiji Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...

for repairs. In September 1978 it added trips to Salelologa to its scheduled sailings to Pago Pago. Over its career it also sailed to Tokelau, Tonga, Niue, Rarotonga, Wallis and Futuna, Fiji, and New Zealand. In February 1990 during

Cyclone Ofa Severe Tropical Cyclone Ofa was a powerful tropical cyclone that caused severe damage in Polynesia in February of 1990. The system was first noted on January 27, 1990, near Tuvalu, as a shallow tropical depression that had developed within the Sou ...

the ferry broke its moorings in Apia harbour and was washed ashore on the Apia waterfront. It was refloated in July 1990 and towed to

Nelson, New Zealand (Let him, who has earned it, bear the palm) , image_map = Nelson CC.PNG , mapsize = 200px , map_caption = , coordinates = , coor_pinpoint = , coordinates_footnotes = ...

for repairs. Increased maintenance costs and safety concerns following the repairs caused the Samoan government to ask the government of Japan to design and construct a replacement vessel. The ''Queen Salamasina'' made its last trip for the SSC in January 1999 and was replaced on the Apia - Pago Pago route by the MV ''Lady Naomi''. In November 1999 it was sold to Fijian company

Patterson Brothers Shipping Company Patterson Brothers Shipping Company LTD is Fiji's longest running inter-island ferry operation bridging the gap between Viti Levu, Vanua Levu, and Ovalau daily, They also provide trips to Kadavu and Koro Island. The company is a family ...

. It was renamed ''Island Navigator''.

References

Ships of Samoa 1977 ships Ships built in Australia Maritime incidents in 1990 {{Samoa-stub