SS Penguin: Difference between revisions
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''Penguin'' departed [[Picton, New Zealand|Picton]] at around 6pm on 12 February 1909 bound for Wellington in good conditions. However by 8 p.m. the weather had deteriorated, with strong winds and poor visibility. At 10 p.m Captain Francis Naylor headed further out to sea until the weather cleared. Unfortunately, as the ship turned, she collided with Thoms Rock, and water started to pour in. Although women and children were loaded into the lifeboats first, these lifeboats were pulled under by the violent seas. Other survivors drifted for hours on rafts before reaching safety. As the ''Penguin'' sank, seawater flooded the engine room. As the cold water reached the red-hot boilers a massive explosion violently fractured the ship.<ref name="christchurchcitylibraries">{{cite web |url= http://christchurchcitylibraries.com/Kids/NZDisasters/SSPenguin.asp |title=SS Penguin - New Zealand Disasters |work=Christchurch City Libraries |year=2013 |accessdate=31 January 2013}}</ref> |
''Penguin'' departed [[Picton, New Zealand|Picton]] at around 6pm on 12 February 1909 bound for Wellington in good conditions. However by 8 p.m. the weather had deteriorated, with strong winds and poor visibility. At 10 p.m Captain Francis Naylor headed further out to sea until the weather cleared. Unfortunately, as the ship turned, she collided with Thoms Rock, and water started to pour in. Although women and children were loaded into the lifeboats first, these lifeboats were pulled under by the violent seas. Other survivors drifted for hours on rafts before reaching safety. As the ''Penguin'' sank, seawater flooded the engine room. As the cold water reached the red-hot boilers a massive explosion violently fractured the ship.<ref name="christchurchcitylibraries">{{cite web |url= http://christchurchcitylibraries.com/Kids/NZDisasters/SSPenguin.asp |title=SS Penguin - New Zealand Disasters |work=Christchurch City Libraries |year=2013 |accessdate=31 January 2013}}</ref> |
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Only one Female and No children survived the disaster. The sole Female survivor was Ada Hannam of Blenheim. Despite her pregnancy, Mrs. Hannam saved the life of a youth who was trapped under a life-boat. Both made it to shore at Makara Beach and Mrs. Hannam was later declared a heroine for her efforts. Mrs. Hannam lost her Husband and her three young children in the disaster. |
Only one Female and No children survived the disaster. The sole Female survivor was Ada Hannam of [[Blenheim, New Zealand|Blenheim]]. Despite her pregnancy, Mrs. Hannam saved the life of a youth who was trapped under a life-boat. Both made it to shore at Makara Beach and Mrs. Hannam was later declared a heroine for her efforts. Mrs. Hannam lost her Husband and her three young children in the disaster. |
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Following the disaster, a half-day holiday was declared in Wellington to allow the many funerals to be held.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/ss-em-penguin-em-wrecked-in-cook-strait |title=SS Penguin wrecked in Cook Strait |work=nzhistory.net.nz |year=2013 |accessdate=31 January 2013}}</ref> About forty of the victims were buried in [[Karori Cemetery]], where a self-guided walk now wanders past their grave sites. |
Following the disaster, a half-day holiday was declared in Wellington to allow the many funerals to be held.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/ss-em-penguin-em-wrecked-in-cook-strait |title=SS Penguin wrecked in Cook Strait |work=nzhistory.net.nz |year=2013 |accessdate=31 January 2013}}</ref> About forty of the victims were buried in [[Karori Cemetery]], where a self-guided walk now wanders past their grave sites. |
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Revision as of 11:37, 13 June 2014
 SS Penguin
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 New Zealand | |
| Name | SS Penguin |
| Owner | list error: mixed text and list (help)
|
| Builder | Tod and Macgregor, Glasgow |
| Yard number | 128 |
| Launched | 21 January 1864 |
| Identification | Official number: 47849 |
| Fate | Sank on 12 February 1909 after colliding with rocks near Wellington. 75 people killed in what is classed as the deadliest maritime disaster of New Zealand. |
| Status | Wreck |
| General characteristics [1] | |
| Type | Passenger/cargo steamship |
| Tonnage | list error: <br /> list (help) |
| Length | 220 ft 6 in (67.21 m) |
| Beam | 28 ft 6 in (8.69 m) |
| Depth | 14 ft 4 in (4.37 m) |
| Propulsion | list error: mixed text and list (help)
|
| Speed | list error: mixed text and list (help) |
SS Penguin was a New Zealand inter-island ferry steamer that sank off Cape Terawhiti near the entrance to Wellington Harbour in poor weather on 12 February 1909. Penguin's sinking caused the deaths of 75 people, leaving only 30 survivors. This was New Zealand's worst maritime disaster of the 20th century.
Ship history
Penguin was built by Tod & McGregor of Glasgow, Scotland, for G. & J. Burns of Glasgow, and launched on 21 January 1864. Registered in Glasgow on 4 April 1864, she was finally sold to the Union Steamship Company in 1879, and was extensively refitted in 1882.[1]
Sinking
Penguin departed Picton at around 6pm on 12 February 1909 bound for Wellington in good conditions. However by 8 p.m. the weather had deteriorated, with strong winds and poor visibility. At 10 p.m Captain Francis Naylor headed further out to sea until the weather cleared. Unfortunately, as the ship turned, she collided with Thoms Rock, and water started to pour in. Although women and children were loaded into the lifeboats first, these lifeboats were pulled under by the violent seas. Other survivors drifted for hours on rafts before reaching safety. As the Penguin sank, seawater flooded the engine room. As the cold water reached the red-hot boilers a massive explosion violently fractured the ship.[2]
Only one Female and No children survived the disaster. The sole Female survivor was Ada Hannam of Blenheim. Despite her pregnancy, Mrs. Hannam saved the life of a youth who was trapped under a life-boat. Both made it to shore at Makara Beach and Mrs. Hannam was later declared a heroine for her efforts. Mrs. Hannam lost her Husband and her three young children in the disaster.
Following the disaster, a half-day holiday was declared in Wellington to allow the many funerals to be held.[3] About forty of the victims were buried in Karori Cemetery, where a self-guided walk now wanders past their grave sites.
A court of inquiry found the ship struck Thoms Rock, near the mouth to Karori Stream in Cook Strait. The captain maintained that it had struck the submerged hull of the Rio Loge, lost the month before.[4]
On the 100th anniversary of the sinking, Wellington's mayor unveiled a plaque remembering the disaster at Tongue Point, near the site of the wreck.[5]
References
- ^ a b "SS PENGUIN". Clyde-built Ship Database. 2013. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
- ^ "SS Penguin - New Zealand Disasters". Christchurch City Libraries. 2013. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
- ^ "SS Penguin wrecked in Cook Strait". nzhistory.net.nz. 2013. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
- ^ Wood, Stacey; McDonald, Greer (11 February 2009). "Search for wreck of Penguin". The Dominion Post. Retrieved 11 May 2012.
- ^ SS Penguin Sinking to be Remembered on South Coast, Wellington City Council, 9 February 2009.
Further reading
- Collins, Bruce (2000). The Wreck of the Penguin. Wellington: Steele Roberts Limited. ISBN 1-877228-28-1.
External links
- "THE SINKING OF THE SS PENGUIN: Passenger and Crew Lists". freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com.