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The Maheno...
Built in 1905 as a luxury passenger steam ship, the 5377 ton S.S. Maheno a 404-foot vessel was one of the gems of the merchant marine. She held the Sydney to Wellington speed record of 2 days 21hours, and would power through the waves at a ripping 19 knots for her day, a record that would stand for 25 years.
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After 9 years of panache and service to the upper crust from both sides of the Tasman, she was refitted and was enlisted in the Navy as a hospital ship for service in the First World War. Some 25,000 sick, wounded and dying soldiers were valiantly transported and cared for as she traversed the English Channel over the five years of her military service. After the war, she was returned to her former glory as a luxury liner, and made six New Zealand to England voyages. But the advent of internal combustion engines, ironically improved by the war, lead to her demise as newer, faster and cleaner vessels took to the high seas, leaving the Maheno in their wake. |
Out dated, and out classed, she was decommissioned in 1935, and sold to a Japanese firm for scrap. It was on that final voyage that things went wrong, and she found her way to Fraser Island.
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" During World War II she was used for bombing practice from above and also had shells fired at her from the sea," said Allan, "She also had commandos climbing all over her, blowing her up. So she had a bit of a hard life, even after she came to grief on the island, " |
...explained Allan Dyball, Senior Queensland Parks and Wildlife Ranger.
Shown here in the bottom two black and white photos is the Maheno immediately after being wrecked in July of 1935 whilst being towed to Japan for breaking up.
N.B. Thanks to ABC for allowing us to include their article.
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