''Talune'' has been the name of three vessels. This article refers to the first SS ''Talune'', built in 1890 and scuttled in 1925.
A second SS ''Talune'' was built in 1930 for the Union Steamship company of New Zealand and sold in 1959 to Transporte de Minerales, Panama, which renamed it the ''Amos''.
A motor launch named ''Talune'' was built in Hobart, Tasmania in 1914 and destroyed by fire at her moorings at Maria Island, Tasmania on 6 July 1929.
The first ''SS Talune''
The first SS ''Talune'' was a passenger and freight
steamship
A steamship, often referred to as a steamer, is a type of steam-powered vessel, typically ocean-faring and seaworthy, that is propelled by one or more steam engines that typically move (turn) propellers or paddlewheels. The first steamships ...
employed in the
Tasman Sea
The Tasman Sea (Māori: ''Te Tai-o-Rēhua'', ) is a marginal sea of the South Pacific Ocean, situated between Australia and New Zealand. It measures about across and about from north to south. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer Abe ...
and
South Seas
Today the term South Seas, or South Sea, is used in several contexts. Most commonly it refers to the portion of the Pacific Ocean south of the equator. In 1513, when Spanish conquistador Vasco Núñez de Balboa coined the term ''Mar del Sur'', ...
trades in the last decade of the 19th century and the first two decades of the 20th century. It was a typical ship of its time and type in every way. It would be unknown except that it was the ship that brought the deadly 1918
Spanish flu
The 1918–1920 influenza pandemic, commonly known by the misnomer Spanish flu or as the Great Influenza epidemic, was an exceptionally deadly global influenza pandemic caused by the H1N1 influenza A virus. The earliest documented case was ...
pandemic
A pandemic () is an epidemic of an infectious disease that has spread across a large region, for instance multiple continents or worldwide, affecting a substantial number of individuals. A widespread endemic (epidemiology), endemic disease wi ...
from
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
to
Samoa
Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands (Manono Island, Manono an ...
and other Pacific islands.
SS (steamship) ''Talune'' was built by Ramage & Ferguson, of
Leith
Leith (; gd, Lìte) is a port area in the north of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, founded at the mouth of the Water of Leith. In 2021, it was ranked by '' Time Out'' as one of the top five neighbourhoods to live in the world.
The earliest ...
, Scotland, for the
Tasmanian Steam Navigation Company
Tasmanian Steam Navigation Company Limited was an Australian steaming company, formed in Hobart in 1853 and defunct in 1922 after a series of acquisitions. It operated a shipping service from Tasmania to the Australian Mainland, later expanded ...
of
Hobart
Hobart ( ; Nuennonne/Palawa kani: ''nipaluna'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Home to almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-small ...
,
Tasmania
)
, nickname =
, image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdi ...
, entering service with the company in 1890. It was of 2,087 tons, about 230 feet long, coal fired, and powered by a
triple-expansion steam engine
A compound steam engine unit is a type of steam engine where steam is expanded in two or more stages.
A typical arrangement for a compound engine is that the steam is first expanded in a high-pressure ''(HP)'' cylinder, then having given up he ...
. It had passenger accommodation for up to 175 people and a crew of around 56.
[New Zealand Maritime Index](_blank)
/ref>
Initially the Talune was employed on the Hobart-Sydney run for its parent company.
In 1891, the ship was taken over by the Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand
Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand Limited was once the biggest shipping line in the southern hemisphere and New Zealand's largest private-sector employer. It was incorporated by James Mills in Dunedin in 1875 with the backing of a Scot ...
when it absorbed the Tasmanian company and its assets. The ''Talune'' worked thereafter between New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
and Australia, and later between New Zealand and the Pacific Islands.
Early service
No complete record of the ''Talunes many voyages has been found, but the ship appears in a number of records from the time. In November 1891, the ''Talune'' took the British poet and writer Rudyard Kipling
Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)''The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English novelist, short-story writer, poet, and journalist. He was born in British India, which inspired much of his work.
...
from 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 me ...
to Bluff, and then on to Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
as part of a world tour.
His opinion of the ship is not recorded. New Zealand poll tax
A poll tax, also known as head tax or capitation, is a tax levied as a fixed sum on every liable individual (typically every adult), without reference to income or resources.
Head taxes were important sources of revenue for many governments fr ...
records show that in May 1896 it brought one Ah Lun, a 34-year-old Cantonese man to 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 me ...
from Sydney. In June 1897, it carried Carl Hertz from Bluff to Hobart. Hertz was an American "Illusionist
Magic, which encompasses the subgenres of illusion, stage magic, and close up magic, among others, is a performing art in which audiences are entertained by tricks, effects, or illusions of seemingly impossible feats, using natural means. It ...
and Prestigidator" who was the most successful early exhibitor to show motion pictures in New Zealand. In 1901, the ''Talune'' was the setting for a lethal poisoning reported in the ''Otago Witness'' in April.
In its early years, the ''Talune'' was involved in two recorded salvage operations. In 1898, it rendered assistance to the SS ''Ruapehu'', stranded on Farewell Spit
Farewell Spit ( mi, Onetahua) is a narrow sand spit at the northern end of the Golden Bay, South Island of New Zealand. It runs eastwards from Cape Farewell, the island's northernmost point. Farewell Spit is a legally protected Nature Reserve ...
. In 1899 the ''Talune'' fell in with the 5,500-ton ''Perthshire'', which had gone missing on a voyage from Sydney to Wellington. For eight weeks, the ''Perthshire'' had been drifting helplessly without power in the Tasman Sea
The Tasman Sea (Māori: ''Te Tai-o-Rēhua'', ) is a marginal sea of the South Pacific Ocean, situated between Australia and New Zealand. It measures about across and about from north to south. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer Abe ...
with a broken tailshaft. The ''Talune'' towed the larger ship back to Sydney.
First World War service
The ''Talune'' saw service in the First World War
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 ...
as His Majesty's New Zealand Transport 16 (HMNZT 16) transporting at least one contingent of troops to Western Samoa. At some time after 1916, the ''Talune'' reverted to civilian service and resumed its ordinary voyages.
Stranding
''Talune's'' only known stranding occurred on 12 March 1917, in the Egeria Channel, off Nukualofa. The ''Talune ''was carrying general cargo and 15 passengers, so by this time may have already reverted to civilian service after serving as a military transport. There was £400 worth of damage done to plates and frames. The Court of Enquiry found the ''Talune'' struck an uncharted pinnacle rock, and there is no record of the Master (J. Morrison) being censured.
Influenza in the Pacific
On 7 November 1918, the ''Talune'' arrived at Apia
Apia () is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Samoa, as well as the nation's only city. It is located on the central north coast of Upolu, Samoa's second-largest island. Apia falls within the political district (''itūmālō ...
in Western Samoa, on one of its regular Pacific voyages from Auckland, New Zealand, successively calling at ports in 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 ...
, Samoa, Tonga
Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...
, Nauru
Nauru ( or ; na, Naoero), officially the Republic of Nauru ( na, Repubrikin Naoero) and formerly known as Pleasant Island, is an island country and microstate in Oceania, in the Central Pacific. Its nearest neighbour is Banaba Island in Ki ...
, and then Fiji again before returning to Auckland.
At that time the Western Samoan islands were administered by New Zealand, which had seized them from Germany at the start of the First World War
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 ...
in 1914. The United States of America controlled the Eastern islands.
At the time of the ''Talune''s departure from Auckland, pandemic influenza was spreading rapidly in New Zealand, resulting in many fatalities. Before leaving Auckland two crewmen had reported sick and were sent ashore, but by the time ''Talune'' reached 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 ...
in Fiji on 4 November several more crewmen had influenza.
As none of the local passengers was stricken, they were allowed ashore and the cargo unloaded while the ship remained in quarantine alongside the wharf, the Port Health officer having heard reports of the severe epidemic in New Zealand. As was the custom of the time, about 90 Fijian labourers were taken on board to work the cargo as the ship proceeded on its planned voyage. By the time the ''Talune'' reached Apia
Apia () is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Samoa, as well as the nation's only city. It is located on the central north coast of Upolu, Samoa's second-largest island. Apia falls within the political district (''itūmālō ...
in Samoa on 7 November, most of the Fijian labourers were ill (Rice 200).
The ship's quarantine at Suva was apparently not mentioned on arrival in Apia (Cliff 137) and the acting Port Health officer at Apia was not aware of the epidemic in Auckland (Rice 200). After what seems to have been a somewhat cursory examination the ship was granted pratique
Pratique is the license given to a ship to enter a port, that indicates to local authorities (on assurance from the captain) that it is free from contagious disease. The clearance granted is commonly referred to as ''free pratique''. A ship can s ...
and passengers allowed to disembark. " he''Talune's'' captain told the medical officer, Doctor Atkinson, that nothing was serious, but that "'One old reverend told me he had been sick back in Auckland, but he seems fine now. Two Samoan kids, Tau and Faleolo, had headaches yesterday but are up and around again today.'" The doctor "questioned the pastor and two boys as they went by", but no one complained of being ill. Two hours later the yellow flag was lowered. The ''Talune'' had a clean bill of health."
By 31 December, at least 7,542 Samoan people had died from the virulent influenza, and deaths from influenza continued into 1919. A commission of enquiry calculated a final death toll of about 8,500, about 22% of the whole population of Western Samoa (Rice 201). While the impact of the pandemic was undoubtedly amplified by the Samoan cultural response to illness, which requires the fono (family) to gather around a sick person, the New Zealand administrative response to the pandemic was certainly at least inept. Much more could have been done to reduce the impact on the population, such as prohibiting travel within and between islands.
The original decision to allow the ''Talune''s passengers to land, along with other events during New Zealand's administration of Samoa, was the subject of an apology from the New Zealand Government delivered at a state luncheon in Apia in June 2002.
The impact on Western Samoa was particularly poignant in view of the success of the American authorities in preventing pandemic influenza from gaining a foothold in islands under their administration (even though these were only about from the New Zealand-administered islands. Without orders from his government (but based on what he learned from a radio news service) the governor of American Samoa, Navy Commander John M. Poyer, instituted a rigorous quarantine policy. When he heard of the outbreak on Western Samoa, he banned travel to or from the neighbouring islands. Poyer persuaded the island's natives to mount a shore patrol to prevent illegal landings. People who disembarked from ships sailing from the American mainland were kept under house arrest for a specified period or examined daily. Aspects of the quarantine continued into mid-1920, a year after Poyer departed to the sound of a 17-gun salute. There were no influenza deaths on American Samoa.
The ''Talune'' went on from Apia
Apia () is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Samoa, as well as the nation's only city. It is located on the central north coast of Upolu, Samoa's second-largest island. Apia falls within the political district (''itūmālō ...
to Tonga
Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...
(calling at Neiafu, Vava'u, Ha'Apai) and to Nuku'Alofa in Tongatapu
Tongatapu is the main island of Tonga and the site of its capital, Nukualofa. It is located in Tonga's southern island group, to which it gives its name, and is the country's most populous island, with 74,611 residents (2016), 70.5% of the nation ...
, where it arrived on 12 November 1918. Within a few days of the ''Talune''s arrival, the disease had spread with heavy loss of life; estimates vary between 1,800 and 2,000 died, or about 8% to 10% of the Tongan population. After Tongatapu the ''Talune'' sailed for Nauru
Nauru ( or ; na, Naoero), officially the Republic of Nauru ( na, Repubrikin Naoero) and formerly known as Pleasant Island, is an island country and microstate in Oceania, in the Central Pacific. Its nearest neighbour is Banaba Island in Ki ...
, where once again the first cases of influenza appeared ashore within a few days of her departure.[
]
Disposal
Nothing is known of ''Talunes employment after its disastrous 1918 voyage until 1921, when Union Steamship Company records show it was laid up.
In 1925 the ship was hulked, and in November of that year was filled with rocks and scuttled to form the foundation of a breakwater at Waikokopu
Waikokopu is a small coastal settlement in the north of New Zealand's Hawke's Bay Region, where the Waikokopu stream forms a small tidal estuary between two prominent headlands. The name Waikokopu translates from Māori language, Māori as "water ...
, a small port in northern Hawke Bay
Hawke Bay ( mi, Te Matau-a-Māui), formerly named ''Hawke's Bay'', is a large bay on the east coast of the North Island of New Zealand, surrounded by the Hawke's Bay region. It stretches from Māhia Peninsula in the northeast to Cape Kidnapp ...
, on the east coast of the North Island
The North Island, also officially named Te Ika-a-Māui, is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but much less populous South Island by the Cook Strait. The island's area is , making it the world's 14th-largest ...
of New Zealand.Encyclopaedia of Australian Shipwrecks – New Zealand shipwrecks
/ref>
Remains
The port of Waikokopu is no longer in use, and the wharf and the breakwater
Breakwater may refer to:
* Breakwater (structure), a structure for protecting a beach or harbour
Places
* Breakwater, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria, Australia
* Breakwater Island
Breakwater Island () is a small island in the Palme ...
have been reduced to rubble by southerly swells. The foundations of the breakwater where the last vestiges of the ''Talune'' lie can be seen on Google Earth
Google Earth is a computer program that renders a 3D computer graphics, 3D representation of Earth based primarily on satellite imagery. The program maps the Earth by superimposition, superimposing satellite images, aerial photography, and geog ...
at .
External links
References
*Cliff, A, Hagget P, Smallman-Raynor, M, ''Island epidemics'', Oxford University Press, USA, 2000,
*Rice, G, ''Black November – the 1918 influenza pandemic in New Zealand'', 2nd edition, Canterbury University Press, Christchurch, New Zealand, 2005,
*''Ferry to Tasmania, A Short History'' by Peter Plowman, .
{{DEFAULTSORT:Talune
Talune
''Talune'' has been the name of three vessels. This article refers to the first SS ''Talune'', built in 1890 and scuttled in 1925.
A second SS ''Talune'' was built in 1930 for the Union Steamship company of New Zealand and sold in 1959 to Trans ...
Shipwrecks of New Zealand
Spanish flu
History of Samoa
History of the Hawke's Bay Region
History of Tasmania
Maritime history of Australia
Scuttled vessels
World War I merchant ships of New Zealand
Ships sunk as breakwaters