The SS Wimmera

[Brian Probetts (Site Admin)]

This new book is a must for readers of naval history and covers the early days of New Zealand's Naval Defence to WW1 Campaign Medals. It contains hundreds of maritime photos from battleships and merchant vessels to trawlers and tugs.

The book unravels the stories of New Zealand's naval involvement in WW1 through 78 records of those who died. This was no easy task for author Gerry Wright as researching records from a century ago was sometimes very difficult, for example, many files from the Royal Navy's WW1 archives in London were destroyed during a German air raid during WW2.

This book is not just accounts from grass root Kiwi's who rallied to the call from 'Mother Country' England to go wherever needed, but is a well documented reference book for future generations.

If you are interested in getting a personally signed copy of 'For King and Country' by Gerry please contact him, email: "gerrywright@xtra.co.nz"

The book tells the stories of those who died during WW1 under the banner of New Zealand - they were New Zealanders or British sailors serving New Zealand. It is A4 size, 520 pages and most graves/memorials are in colour.


THIS WEEK IN HISTORY

26 June 1918 The Australian steamer SS Wimmera is sunk by a mine laid in 1917 north of Cape Maria van Diemen, by the German merchant raider SMS Wolf. 26 of SS Wimmera’s 151 passengers and crew were killed.
SMS Wolf had sown mines north of New Zealand in mid-1917. 11 had been discovered prior to the Wimmera’s sinking, but the British steamer Port Kembla had fallen victim to one in September 1917.
The Wimmera was a well known carrier between the Tasman Sea neighbours of New Zealand and Australia and a favourite with the travelling public. Built at Greenock, Scotland in 1904, Wimmera was a small passenger steamship of 3022 tons register common during the era. She was owned in New Zealand by the Australian based company Huddart Parker whose Wellington office building remains opposite the waterfront to this day.
On June 25th 1918 Wimmera left Auckland at 10:00 am bound for Sydney with 76 passengers and 75 crew on board. Her route was to take her north towards the Three Kings Islands where she would turn West and South towards Sydney. At 8:00pm the following day, after a period of rumour filled silence, her owners received information that Wimmera "had been lost off the north coast of New Zealand by external explosion". At 5.15am on Wednesday June 26th 1918, 18 miles North of Cape Maria Van Dieman, Wimmera struck a mine placed by the German raider Wolf. The explosion shattered the stern of the ship and she quickly settled but remained on an even keel. All lighting went out within two minutes of the explosion making the evacuation of passengers all the more difficult. Thirty minutes after the explosion Wimmera's bow shot 50 feet up into the air and she plunged stern first to the bottom sending up a huge 100 foot high geyser of steaming water. Describing her final moments Mr F. W. Mole, a passenger on that fateful trip, said; "The scene as the vessel sank was as impressive as I desire ever to see".
In those feverish and terrifying last minutes the crew and passengers remained remarkably calm and stoic. In the dark, many dressed only in the flimsiest of garments having minutes before been snug in bed, the passengers clambered their way up unseen stairways and along unfamiliar corridors to the open deck. Douglas Bradney, a Union Steam Ship Company officer travelling to Australia made the observation that in "passing along the alley-way to the saloon companionway, where he met several of the ladies coming out in perfect calmness. They were "bricks" he said..."
The Wimmera's Captain, Herbert Kells, remained at his post until the last along with the Chief Officer Mr A J Nicol and the Chief Steward Mr H Verge. These and 23 others lost their lives on the ship. The lifeboats were launched but one was swamped and a second stove in leaving the remainder to rescue the surviving 125 passengers and crew. Once launched and at the mercy of wind and current the lifeboats drifted far and wide. Four boats containing eighty four survivors landed at Tom Bowline Bay near the very tip of the North Island in the evening of June 27th. On the afternoon of this day a fifth boat came ashore at Taemaro, four miles east of Mangonui while another boat was blown clear of North Cape and drifted down the coast to a landing at Kaiamou Beach. The Court of Inquiry found that Captain Kell had ignored confidential Admiralty instructions to steer further to the north around Cape Maria van Diemen. The captain, in accordance with maritime tradition, had remained on board to the last and gone down with his ship.



built by Caird & Company Greenock,
Yard No 304
________________________________________
Propulsion: steam, triple exapansion, 14 knots
Launched: Friday, 19/08/1904
Built: 1904
Ship Type: Passenger Vessel
Tonnage: 3022 grt
Length: 335.3 feet
Breadth: 43.2 feet
Owner History:
Huddart, Parker & Co Pty, Melbourne
Status: Mined & Sunk - 26/06/1918

[vic mcclymont]

Brian, I am researching the history of Caird's and looking for good quality photographs, If possible could I have a high quality copy of the SS WIMMERA?
Many thanks
Vic

[Doc Vernon]

This may help too Vic ??
Cheers

http://www.photoship.co.uk/JAlbum%20...Wimmera-01.jpg

http://www.photoship.co.uk/JAlbum%20...Wimmera-02.jpg

http://www.photoship.co.uk/JAlbum%20...Wimmera-03.jpg

http://www.photoship.co.uk/JAlbum%20...Wimmera-04.jpg

http://www.photoship.co.uk/JAlbum%20...Wimmera-08.jpg

[Brian Probetts (Site Admin)]

Good Evening Vic,

Sorry but I don't have a good copy of that picture, it is one that is featured in Gerry Wrights book so you really should contact him.
His e-mail address is gerrywright@xtra.co.nz

Brian.

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi Brian.
About six months ago I read an article about the Wimmera, I can't remember who the writer was but he wasn't impressed by the Captian ignoring the warning to head further North around the cape owing to fears of mines in the area. I suppose schedule was more important to him.
Cheers Des

redc.gif

[Ivan Cloherty]

I always think in cases like this it's easy to blame the dead who cannot answer back, there may have been multiple reasons for being (allegedly) off course but I doubt schedule was one of them, conjecture is one thing, facts are another