Maheno’s history in Brief

Built at W.M Denny’s Leven Shipyard in Dumbarton Scotland, Maheno was launched on 19th June 1905 .Fit-out of the still empty hull ( number 746)  would take until early September at a final cost of 141,500 pounds. Fitted with direct drive Turbines, the coal hungry furnaces pushed the 5323 ton , 400 foot vessel through the water at 17 knot during her trials, but struggled to maintain 14 knots on her delivery voyage. This, coupled with damaging her centre screw mid voyage was a disappointing result and earned Maheno the dubious title as the slowest turbine steamer built to date (remembering the technology was in its infancy). This was a time of strained relations between the shipyard and her owners, The Union Steamship Company of New Zealand and some stern correspondence would see Maheno as one of the last ships contracted between the companies that had shared a 30 year relationship. The company’s disappointment in the vessel was short lived though, with her taking out the Trans-Tasman speed records in both directions within months of entering service, proving that even the slowest turbine steamer was faster than the steam reciprocating powered vessels on the Australia /  New Zealand   “horse shoe” route . 

The triple screws on the vessel caused a weird cavitation effect that (combined with her tall masts) caused the ship to have an un-natural rolling motion at sea which made her unpopular with  less seasoned travellers.  Her speed and beautiful fittings saw her well patronized though until taken out of service in 1914 to be re-engined. Her troublesome direct drive turbines were replaced with more economical geared turbines and her screw arrangement reduced to twin propellers .This reduced fuel consumption from 160 tons to 95 tons of coal per day, greatly reducing the load on the strained Firemen and Trimmers. Poor boiler room working conditions would see Maheno plagued by strikes and walk-offs her whole career. The refit only reduced her service speed by 1 knot and had the added bonus of rectifying the ships sickly roll.

The outbreak of World War One saw the vessel requisitioned by the New Zealand Government only months after re-entering service. She was sent to Port Chalmers to be stripped of her luxury furnishings and re-fitted as a hospital ship. Dispatched directly to the Middle East, Maheno arrived at Gallipoli on 25 August 1915 and would return to the peninsular at least five times over the ill-fated campaign .The remainder of the war would see her evacuate 16 000 wounded from the battle fields of France plus ship countless numbers of convalescent patients home to New Zealand.

Returned to civilian service in 1919, Maheno enjoyed a prosperous 1920’s and was converted to Mix burning (Coal/oil) in 1926 which ended many of her industrial troubles. Rising Fuel prices and the onset of the Great Depression would see Maheno laid-up by the early 1930’s and the introduction of newer, faster liners on the Tasman route saw the writing on the wall for the aging,  out-classed vessel.

Offered for sale by Banks Bros Shipbroker in Sydney, Maheno was sold to Myachi Kiesen .K.K, a subsidiary of the Amazuka Bros. Shipbreaking firm of Kobe Japan in July 1935.  The company also purchased the aging Union Liner Oonah and after failing to secure a tow for the 2 vessels in Sydney, decided to tow the Maheno with the smaller 1800ton Oonah the 4600 km back to Osaka. The un-insured venture was the longest tow attempted by the company to date and enjoyed fair weather until reaching Queensland waters on the 6th of July where the conditions quickly deteriorated to cyclonic winds and mountainous seas. Oonah began to experience steering problems at the height of the storm causing the vessels to swing wildly until the tow line parted in a rising sea on the Afternoon of July 7th.

Oonah quickly lost sight of the powerless Maheno which was listing heavily with green water crashing over the fore deck leaving the skeleton crew of seven at the mercy of the sea. They rigged sea anchors to keep the head of the ship into the wind and in an amazing feat of seamanship, rode out the storm until land was sighted during a brief break in the weather on the morning of July 9th. The ship drifted stern first parallel with the coast line until she bumped heavily on a sand bar causing the hull to turn broadside to the waves which quickly carried her towards the beach .Both anchors were let go but were no match for the pounding swell and snapped instantly, casting the vessel high onto the Eastern Beach of Fraser Island at 2pm on 9th July 1935 to begin her second life as a tourist attraction, starting with groups of sightseers arriving on the beach the next morning. As they pondered the towering hull before them, few could have imagined how ingrained the Maheno would become in local folklore or that we would still be celebrating the wreck 80 years later!