After having four ships on the stocks in 1869, Patrick Henderson remained content with his fleet until 1874. His ships were always painted black with gold stripe and gingerbread work, whilst Shaw, Savill’s were painted green. When the two firms amalgamated in 1882, all their ships came out with painted ports and lead colour under the ports.

The Origin of the Albion House-flag.

The Albion house-flag, a French flag with a small Union Jack in the centre, is supposed to have originated during the Crimean War. It is said that one of their early vessels carried both French and British troops at the same time, and for this reason flew a Union Jack and a French tricolour side by side on separate flagstaffs on the stern—this being later improved upon by the well-known Henderson house-flag.

The New Zealand Shipping Company.

During the early years of the Colony Shaw, Savill and P. Henderson had practically all the carrying trade in their hands. Occasionally an outsider took a load of emigrants out to New Zealand, such as the White Star liner Chariot of Fame, but the big Liverpool emigrant ships were really too big for the small volume of trade at that time. However, as both emigration to and trade with New Zealand increased, it was felt that the service of ships could well be improved, and at last in 1873, with this object in view, a number of merchants and run holders in the Colony decided to go in for shipowning and managing, and formed themselves into a company under the style of the New Zealand Shipping Company.

Full of enthusiasm, push and go, the promoters of the N.Z.S. Co. were determined from the first to have a line worthy to class with the Blackwall frigates of Green & Wigram. They had, of course, a great deal to learn, and mistakes were made but never repeated; and so great was their energy that in the first three years of their existence they chartered and despatched no less than 150 ships, carrying 28,675 passengers to the Colony. And before the company was ten years old it owned 16 up-to-date iron clippers, most of which had been built specially for them.

From the start the N.Z.S. Co. proceeded on generous lines, their ships being always well found, well manned and most liberally kept up. Their officers, also, considered themselves the aristocrats of the trade and rather looked down on the more economical Shaw, Savill and Albion clippers, whom they nicknamed the “Starvation Stars,” in allusion to the stars in their house-flag, which by the way is the proper New Zealand flag which Queen Victoria presented to the Maoris.

The ships built for the N.Z.S. Co. were none of them specially fast; they aimed chiefly at safety and comfort for their passengers.

All these ships were built of iron, the finest and fastest of the fleet being the beautiful little Turakina, which originally belonged to George Smith of the well-known City Line, being then called the City of Perth, I shall deal with her in more detail presently.

The Pareora was broken up in 1889.

The Waitara came to her end by colliding with the Hurunui in the English Channel on 22nd June, 1883.

The Rangitiki was sold to the Norwegians and renamed Dalston. She was resold in 1909 for £1500 and went to New Caledonia as a hulk.

The Waimea was sold to the Norwegians and wrecked on the South African Coast in 1902.

The Mataura brought the first cargo of frozen meat from New Zealand, arriving on 26th September, 1882, being fitted with Haslam’s patent dry air refrigerator. She was then rigged as a barque. She was eventually sold to the Norwegians and renamed Alida. On 24th August, 1900, she was dismasted in the Pacific and abandoned.

The Raikaia also went to the Norwegians and was renamed Marie. She was again sold, to Boston shipowners, for 4850 dollars, and is once more sailing the seas under her old name.

The Waikato was sold to the Germans and her name changed to J. C. Pfluger. They sold her in 1900 to Californian owners, who sailed her out of Frisco rigged as a barquentine. She is now a hulk disguised under the name of Coronado.

The Waimate, from noon on 26th November to noon 27th November, in 1881, covered 354 miles in the 23½-hour day running the easting down in lat. 47° S. In the p.m. the sea was smooth and the wind gradually freshening, Captain Mosey who was making his first voyage in the ship, hung on to his main royal until the first watch, the wind being on the port quarter. By daybreak the wind was dead aft with bright sunshine and a clear sky, but with a very big sea running.

Her best week’s run was from the 27th November to 3rd December, being 1807 miles.

Waimate was a skysail yarder, and with the wind abaft the beam could be made to travel, but she was nothing extraordinary with the yards on the backstays.

She was once in company with Shaw, Savill’s Marlborough off the Snares. With the wind free she had the best of it, but as soon as they hauled up to stand along the New Zealand Coast the Marlborough passed her without any trouble.

Two years later Waimate, with Captain Mosey still in command, ran from Lyttelton to the Scillies in 71 days. She was sold by the N.Z.S. Co. to the Russians and renamed Valkyrian. She went missing in 1899.

Waitangi is still afloat flying Norwegian colours under the name of Agda.

Hurunui is also, I believe, still afloat under the Russian flag, her name being Hermes.

Orari was sold to the Italians in 1906 and converted into a hulk in 1909.

“Otaki’s” Record Passage Home.

Otaki is famous for her wonderful run home in 1877. She left Port Chalmers with Captain J. F. Millman in command at 4 p.m. on 11th March; was becalmed for four days off the New Zealand Coast; was then 22 days to the Horn; reached the Lizard 63 days out from her departure, and docked in London 69 days out. During this passage she only had eight hours of head winds. Otaki was nothing special in the way of sailing and never made more than 10 knots, so her passage must really be put down to amazing good luck. She was bought by the Germans and renamed Dr. Siegert, being wrecked in 1896.

Waipa went to the Norwegians in her old age, and I believe she is still afloat under the name of Munter.

Wairoa was bought by the Russians and renamed Winnipeg. She went missing in 1907 whilst bound from Pensacola to Buenos Ayres.

Opawa and Piako were two beautiful little ships. In 1877 Opawa went from the London Docks to New Zealand and home again with wool in 6 months 9 days. And in 1893 she made the passage New Zealand to Liverpool in 83 days. She was still afloat in quite recent years under the name of Aquila and Norwegian colours. The sister ship Piako went missing in 1900 on a passage from Melbourne to the Cape, being then German owned.

The Wanganui, last ship built for the firm, was still afloat when the war started as the Norwegian barque Blenheim.

“Turakina” ex-“City of Perth.”

I have left the Turakina to the last, as she deserves a longer notice, being one of the most beautiful little iron ships that ever left the ways. She was built of extra thick plates and launched in May, 1868, for Smith’s famous City Line to Calcutta.

The following interesting account of her in her early days appeared in the Nautical Magazine in 1917:—