Ship Fact Shee t

WAIMATE (1951)

Base data at June 1951. Compiled November 2009 * indicates entries changed during P&O Group service.

Type General cargo liner P&O Group service 1951-1971 P&O Group status Owned by subsidiary company Former name(s) Laid down as Kurutai

Registered owners, Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand managers and operators

Builders Henry Robb Ltd Yard Leith Country UK Yard number 398

Registry Wellington, NZ Official number 179930 Call sign ZMDV IMO/LR number 5384724 Classification society Lloyd’s Register

Gross tonnage 3,506 grt Net tonnage 1,953 nrt Deadweight 4,989 tons

Length 105.33m (345.6ft) loa Breadth 15.36m (50.4ft) Depth 7.92m (26.0ft) Draught

Engines 2 x 8-cylinder diesel engine with electro-magnetic slip coupling to one shaft Engine builders British Polar Diesels Ltd Works Glasgow Country UK

Power 3,040 bhp Propulsion Single screw Speed 10.5 knots

Passenger capacity 12 first class, 350 steerage Cargo capacity 6,362 cubic metres (224,695 cubic feet) Crew

Employment Singapore/New Zealand service

USSCNZ 1951/0600

WAIMATE (1951)

Career

1951: Laid down as Kurutai . 08.02.1951: Launched. 06.1951: Delivered as Waimate for the Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand for their Singapore/New Zealand service. 31.12.1971: The Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand was sold to Tasman Union Ltd and therefore no longer remained a P&O subsidiary company. 1972: Sold to the Eastern Shipping Lines Ltd, Manila (James L Chongbian, Manila, manager) and renamed Eastern Planet . 1977: Sold to Skyluck Steamship Company SA, Panama, and renamed Skyluck . 06.02.1979: Arrived at and anchored with 2,800 Vietnamese refugees (mainly Chinese). These deck cargo passengers paid for the journey and their exit was condoned by the authorities who were glad to see them go. The ship had left Singapore as Skyluck but called at as Kylu (with the S and CK painted out). 600, with local relatives, disembarked in the . She arrived at Hong Kong as Skyluck again. Here 224 were landed. The rest remained on board. 29.06.1979: The anchor chains were cut and the ship drift ashore on Lamma Island. 2,000 were landed and ended up in the Hong Kong reception camps where many remained since they refused to return to their legal place of residence in Vietnam. The ship was refloated. 02.08.1979: Driven ashore by Hope and finally broken up where she lay.

- ends -

USSCNZ 1951/0600