TSS ''Wahine'' (meaning "woman" in Maori) was a Union Steamship Company passenger steamship that was launched in Scotland in 1912 and wrecked in the

Arafura Sea The Arafura Sea (or Arafuru Sea) lies west of the Pacific Ocean, overlying the continental shelf between Australia and Western New Guinea (also called Papua), which is the Indonesian part of the Island of New Guinea. Geography The Arafura S ...

in 1951. She spent most of her career on inter-island ferry route between

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by metr ...

and

Lyttelton, New Zealand Lyttelton (Māori: ''Ōhinehou'') is a port town on the north shore of Lyttelton Harbour / Whakaraupō, at the northwestern end of Banks Peninsula and close to Christchurch, on the eastern coast of the South Island of New Zealand. As a landing ...

. She was a

minelayer A minelayer is any warship, submarine or military aircraft deploying explosive mines. Since World War I the term "minelayer" refers specifically to a naval ship used for deploying naval mines. "Mine planting" was the term for installing control ...

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, and a

troop ship A troopship (also troop ship or troop transport or trooper) is a ship used to carry soldiers, either in peacetime or wartime. Troopships were often drafted from commercial shipping fleets, and were unable land troops directly on shore, typicall ...

in World War I,

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

and the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

William Denny and Brothers William Denny and Brothers Limited, often referred to simply as Denny, was a Scottish shipbuilding company. History The shipbuilding interests of the Denny family date back to William Denny (born 1779), for whom ships are recorded being buil ...

built ''Wahine'' in

Dumbarton Dumbarton (; also sco, Dumbairton; ) is a town in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, on the north bank of the River Clyde where the River Leven flows into the Clyde estuary. In 2006, it had an estimated population of 19,990. Dumbarton was the ca ...

as yard number 971. She was launched on 25 November 1912 and completed on 9 April 1913. Her registered length was , her beam was and her depth was . As built, her

tonnage Tonnage is a measure of the cargo-carrying capacity of a ship, and is commonly used to assess fees on commercial shipping. The term derives from the taxation paid on ''tuns'' or casks of wine. In modern maritime usage, "tonnage" specifically r ...

s were and . ''Wahine'' had three screws, each driven by a steam turbine. High-pressure steam powered her port and starboard turbines. Exhaust steam from them powered a low-pressure turbine that drove her middle screw. To help her berth at Lyttelton, ''Wahine'' had a rudder on her bow as well as one in the conventional place at her stern. HMS Wahine 1917 IWM SP 423

The UK Admiralty chartered ''Wahine'' in July 1915. She was a troop ship, including in the Gallipoli campaign. In May 1916 she was converted into a minelayer. In March 1919 the Admiralty returned her to her owners, and in February 1920 she returned to the inter-island route. In November 1941 ''Wahine'' became a troop ship again. In January 1942 she was evacuating mostly women and children from Fiji to

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...

when a Japanese submarine tracked her. A US

Flying Fortress The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is a four-engined heavy bomber developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). Relatively fast and high-flying for a bomber of its era, the B-17 was used primarily in the European Theater ...

on escort duty sank the submarine with depth charges. On 19 December 1942 ''Wahine'' rammed and sank the minesweeping trawler '' South Sea'' inside Wellington Harbour. There was no loss of life. After World War II the Admiralty returned ''Wahine'' to her owners again. In 1946 she was refitted, and in February 1947 she was transferred to the

Trans-Tasman Trans-Tasman is an adjective used primarily to signify the relationship between Australia and New Zealand. The term refers to the Tasman Sea, which lies between the two countries. For example, ''trans-Tasman commerce'' refers to commerce betwee ...

Sea service between Wellington and Sydney. She served this route until the end of 1948, when she returned to Wellington as the relief ship for the route to Lyttelton. In July 1951 the New Zealand Government chartered ''Wahine'' to take

New Zealand Army Service Corps The Royal New Zealand Corps of Transport (RNZCT) was a corps within the New Zealand Army that provided logistical support to combat and combat support elements of the Army. Tracing its history back to 1910 when the New Zealand Army Service Corps ( ...

troops to Korea. On 2 August she left Wellington carrying 577 troops. She called at Cairns,

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

and Darwin, Northern Territory, where she left on 14 August. At 5:40 a.m. on 15 August she ran hard aground on the Masela Island Reef off Cape Palsu in the

, being held as far aft as her engine room. In response to her distress call, Standard Vacuum Oil Company tanker ''Stanvac Karachi'' rescued all aboard. Salvage attempts were unsuccessful and the ship was abandoned as a total loss.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wahine 1912 ships Cook Strait ferries Korean War ships Maritime incidents in 1951 Ships built on the River Clyde Ships of the Union Steam Ship Company Shipwrecks in the Pacific Ocean Steamships of New Zealand Troop ships World War I minelayers World War I ships of New Zealand World War II ships of New Zealand