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New Zealand Shipping Co
NZSC Page 4: 1950-1973
This page is one of a series devoted to postcards and photographs of the New Zealand Shipping Company (NZSC).
An alphabetical list of ships
shown on this page is shown below. Below the table is a
Fleet List
in chronological order. There is a table of individual ship histories on the
NZSC Header Page
.
The New Zealand Shipping Company (NZSC) was formed in Christchurch, New Zealand in 1873. They initially purchased four sailing ships, followed by 12 more built new for the company in the years up to 1877. All were just over 1000 gross tons. Two further secondhand sailing ships were also acquired in 1876 and 1882. Many additional ships were chartered, chartered tonnage often outnumbering owned ships in the ratio two-to-one. The passage times between London and New Zealand for sailing ships were between 74 and a 100 days.
Following pressure from the New Zealand Government, the NZSC and
Shaw Savill
jointly chartered the
Stad Haarlem
for an experimental return trip in 1879. She ran with a full complement of 600 passengers in both directions, taking 57 days from London to Lyttelton via Capetown. Despite the operational success, the voyage was not profitable, and no additional subsidies were on offer to run steamships. The Government continued to push for a steam service, which they thought would encourage a more "suitable class" of immigrants, plus it would provide a more reliable service for their frozen meat exports. Despite not liking steamships, the NZSC chartered the
Fenstanton
in 1883, to inaugurate the first steamship service from the UK to New Zealand.
Fenstanton
was followed by the larger
British King
, built by Harland & Wolff. The NZSC also chartered the
White Star Line's
Ionic
and
Doric
, both of which remained of the service with
Shaw Savill
. The NZSC then signed a charter with the Government to run a regularly monthly service (jointly with
Shaw Savill
). Five new ships were ordered from J.Elder and Co (later the Fairfield Shipbuilding Company). The ships were named after New Zealand mountains:-
Tongariro, Aorangi, Ruapehu, Kaikoura
and
Rimutaka (1)
, all just under 4500 gross tons. All had clipper bows, and were barque-rigged. They travelled out via the Cape of Good Hope, and back via Cape Horn, as the sailing clippers had done, but more than halved the passage times. Whereas the sailing ships frequently sighted no land between the UK and New Zealand, the steamers stopped at Plymouth, Teneriffe, Capetown and Hobart on the outward journey, and at Montevideo, Rio de Janeiro and Teneriffe on the return. These routes were maintained until 1914, when the Panama Canal opened.
The early 1890s were a time of depressed trade, and the NZSC found itself embarrassed by many difficulties and troubles. In 1890, Mr (later Sir) Edwyn Dawes took over a a considerable number of shares in the NZSC from Sir William Pearce, and it was Edwyn Dawes who steered the company to successful solutions to its problems. He also transferred the financial control of the company from New Zealand to London. His reorganisation of the company involved the replacement of the existing fleet with larger, more economic ships, the first of which was the
Ruahine (1)
of 1891, which was over 6000 gross tons. She had a four-cylinder engine which was far more fuel-efficient than the previous ships.
Ruahine (1)
was a great success, and was followed by six even larger ships over the next ten years.
In 1912 the NZSC took over the Federal SN Co, but the two concerns retained their own identities. In 1916, both companies became part of P&O, but again they continued to operate separately, although the exchange of ships between constituent P&O companies became common. At the end of the First World War, the NZSC had only four passenger ships remaining. To maintain the regular monthly service, a fifth ship was needed, so the
Shropshire
of the Federal SN Co was rebuilt with extra passenger facilities as the
Rotorua (2)
.
In 1929, the three magnificent 16000 ton motor ships
Rangitane (1)
,
Rangitata
and
Rangitiki (2)
were delivered. They were followed by three equally fine motor cargo ships of 11000 tons in 1931, thoroughly modernising the NZSC fleet. The P&O liner Mongolia was chartered in 1938 as the
Rimutaka (3)
.
Rangitane (1)
did not survive the Second World War, but her sisters ran until 1962 alongside the three fine new liners
Rangitoto
,
Rangitane (2)
and
Ruahine (3)
, which were delivered between 1949 and 1951. They were joined briefly by the ex-Cunard liner
Remuera (3)
in 1962, following the withdrawal of the 1929 sisters, bit all passenger services ceased in 1969. Towards the ends of their lives, the NZSC passenger and cargo ships adopted Federal funnel colours. In 1973, all remaining NZSC and Federal ships were amalgamated into the main P&O fleet.
Ships on This Page:-
Empire Windrush
(1947-1971)
Haparangi
(1947-71)
Rangitoto
(1949-69)
Rangitane (2)
(1949-68)
Remuera (3)
(1962-65)
Ruahine (3)
(1951-68)
NZSC Pages:-
NZSC Header Page
NZSC - Page 1
- 1873-1899
NZSC - Page 2
- 1900-1914
NZSC - Page 3
- 1915-1939
NZSC - Page 4
- 1940-1973
- this page!
Associated Pages:-
Ferry Postcards
Cruise Ship Postcards
Ocean Liner Postcards
Simplon Postcards
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Recent Updates
Simplon Postcards
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Home Page
References:-
Clipper Ship to Motor Liner
(The Story of the New Zealand Shipping Co 1973-1939)
- by Sydney D. Waters (1939)
New Zealand Shipping & Federal SN Companies
- by Duncan Haws (1985)
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Table of Ship Histories
Name
Other names
Built
Remuera
Parthia, Aramac
1947
NZSC Fleet List - Page 4
Empire Windrush
(1946-1953)
The
Empire Windrush
was built as the
Monte Rosa
for Hamburg South America Line in 1930. She was taken as a British war prize in 1945, and managed by the New Zealand Shipping Company as a troopship and imigrant/emigrant liner until her loss by fire after an engine room explosion in March 1954.
Official postcard of
Empire Windrush
Click to open larger image in new window
Haparangi
(1947-1971)
Haparangi
was built in 1947. She was transferred to the Federal SNCo in 1967, and to P&O in 1971.
Official New Zealand Shipping Co postcard of
Haparangi
, in original livery.
Photographic postcard of
Haparangi
.
Photographic postcard of
Haparangi
.
Photographic postcard of
Haparangi
.
Rangitoto
(1949-1969)
London-Curacao-Panama-Papeete-Wellington-Auckland service.
21800 tons, 609 ft long, 460 passengers.
Rangitoto
was delivered in 1949. In 1967 she was transferred to Federal Line, and repainted in their colours. In 1969 she was sold to Orient Overseas Line, Hong Kong, and renamed
Oriental Carnaval
.
Official New Zealand Shipping Co postcard of
Rangitoto
, in original livery.
Official New Zealand Shipping Co postcard of
Rangitoto
, in original livery.
Official New Zealand Shipping Co postcard of
Rangitoto
, in original livery.
Official New Zealand Shipping Co postcard of
Rangitoto
, in original livery.
Official New Zealand Shipping Co postcard of
Rangitoto
, in original livery.
Official New Zealand Shipping Co postcard of
Rangitoto
, in original livery.
Official New Zealand Shipping Co postcard of
Rangitoto
, in original livery.
Photographic postcard of
Rangitoto
in later Federal colours, passing Tilbury.
Official New Zealand Shipping Co postcard of
Rangitoto
- Drawing Room.
Official New Zealand Shipping Co postcard of
Rangitoto
- The Lounge.
Official New Zealand Shipping Co postcard of
Rangitoto
- Dancing Space.
Official New Zealand Shipping Co postcard of
Rangitoto
- The Bar.
Official New Zealand Shipping Co postcard of
Rangitoto
- Drawing room.
Rangitane (2)
(1949-1968)
London-Curacao-Panama-Papeete-Wellington-Auckland service.
21800 tons, 609 ft long, 460 passengers.
Rangitane
was sold for breaking up in 1968, but was then purchased by C.Y.Tung and renamed
Oriental Esmeralda
. She was used on a Round the World cargo/passenger service operated by Tung's Orient Overseas Line until 1976, when she was broken up.
Rangitoto
was sold direct to C.Y.Tung in 1969 and renamed
Oriental Carnival
. She was broken up in 1976. Orient Overseas Line issued a card of
Oriental Rio
, which covered all three ex-New Zealand Shipping Co ships.
Official New Zealand Shipping Co postcard of
Rangitane
, in original livery.
Official New Zealand Shipping Co postcard of
Rangitane
, in original livery.
Official New Zealand Shipping Co postcard of
Rangitane
, in original livery.
Official New Zealand Shipping Co postcard of
Rangitane
, in original livery.
Official New Zealand Shipping Co postcard of
Rangitane
, in original livery.
Official New Zealand Shipping Co postcard of
Rangitane
, in original livery.
Official New Zealand Shipping Co postcard of the Dining Saloon on
Rangitane
.
Official New Zealand Shipping Co postcard of the Smoking Room on
Rangitane
.
Photographic postcard of
Rangitane
, in original livery.
Photographic postcard of
Rangitane
, in original livery.
Photographic postcard of
Rangitane
, in original livery.
J.Arthur Dixon postcard SS.1766 of
Rangitane
, in original livery.
J.Arthur Dixon postcard SS.6543 of
Rangitane
, in the Federal Line colours applied 1965.
Photographic postcard of
Rangitane
in later colours.
A postcard of
Oriental Esmeralda
(ex-
Rangitane
).
Ruahine (3)
(1951-1968)
London-Curacao-Panama-Papeete-Wellington-Auckland service.
17851 tons, 584 ft long, 310 passengers.
Ruahine (3)
was a slightly smaller version of
Rangitane
and
Rangitoto,
carrying a third less passengers. Like her sisters she was sold to C.Y.Tung in 1969, and was the first to be broken up in 1973.
Official New Zealand Shipping Co postcard of
Ruahine
, in original livery.
Official New Zealand Shipping Co postcard of
Ruahine
, in original livery.
Official New Zealand Shipping Co postcard of
Ruahine
, in original livery.
Official New Zealand Shipping Co postcard of
Ruahine
, in original livery.
J.Arthur Dixon postcard SS.2628 of
Ruahine
, in original livery.
Photographic postcard of
Ruahine
, in original livery.
Photographic postcard of
Ruahine
, in original livery.
Photographic postcard of
Ruahine
, in original livery.
Photographic postcard of
Ruahine
, in original livery.
Photographic postcard of
Ruahine
, in original livery.