User:Johnragla/New Zealand Steam Navigation Company

Early steamship navigation companies of New Zealand became established in the 1860s. In the 1870s many of them merged into the Union Company (USS), or Northern Steamship Company.

New Zealand Steam Navigation Company
An attempt was made to form a New Zealand Steam Navigation Company (NZSN) in Nelson in 1852, as communication between the colonial towns was very limited. In 1857 Wellington Steam Navigation Company (WSNC) bought the Wonga Wonga for £3,800 from Captain Daldy in Auckland. They bought Storm Bird for £3,500 in 1861. The first big coastal shipping company, formed at Wellington in 1862, had six steamers by 1864, but even with public subsidies, the inefficiency of the early engines and the small size of the economy meant that it struggled to survive. NZSN inherited some of its fleet. It began in 1862 as the Wellington Steam Ship Company, which soon morphed into NZSN, together with their ships, Storm Bird, Wonga Wonga and a coal hulk, Caledonia, which WSNC had bought for £100 in 1857. NZSN was formed with a share capital of £50,000. Its office was in Willis Street and its directors were George Hunter, Joseph Dransfield (merchant and later Wellington mayor), Jacob Joseph, George Crawford, P. Laing, G.H. Vennell, Lipman Levy, A. P. Stuart, Charles Hartmann and George Turnbull (Wellington merchant). Some were soon replaced by William Barnard Rhodes, W. W. Taylor, George Moore, William Bowler, and W. M. Bannatyne. E. Pearce, W.Lyon. NZSN also ran Queen and then Rangatira from Auckland, and Ahuriri from Napier. In addition to these ships and the Stormbird and Waga Waga, the Wellington and Taranaki were built by Blackwood and Gordan. Taranaki, with a register of 443 tons, had 4ft more beam than Wellington, 383 tons. NZSN was in competition with IRMSP, which had won the mail contracts. Pending arrival of its new Claud Hamilton, IRMSP chartered White Swan, to run a 6-weekly service round the east coast of North Island. Hawke's Bay province had an arrangement with the local company, under which the Wonga Wonga ran between Wellington and Napier to carry the inward and outward British mail, and connect with the Sydney steamer. By 1863 NZSN was building a slipway at Evans Bay, had made a net profit of £2,710 in 6 months and had monthly mail contracts to Manakau via Picton, Nelson, and New Plymouth for £2,400 pa, to Wanganui and Castle Point for £1000 pa, to Napier for £600 pa, a total of £4,000 pa. To serve Lyttelton and Otago NZSN bought Lady Bird, for £8000 in Melbourne. Wonga Wonga made 17 voyages earning £5723 and using 449 tons coal. Storm Bird made 15 voyages, earning £4733 399 tons laid up for 24 days. Caledonia was sold. NZSN was voluntarily liquidated in 1869, following the sinking of Taranaki. Their ships, Ahuriri, Lord Ashley, Phoebe, Taranaki and Wellington were sold in 1871.

New Zealand Steam Shipping Company
New Zealand Steam Shipping Company (NZSS) was formed in 1871, when they won the Manukau-Taranaki-Nelson-Picton mail contract and moved to new offices in Grey St, Wellington. In 1872 NZSS bought the 116 ton schooner, Mary Bannatyne, to carry railway material for Brogdens. In 1876 USS took over its major rival, the NZSS.

Intercolonial Royal Mail Steam Packet Co. Ltd
In 1858 the New Zealand and Australian Steam Navigation Company, afterwards known as the Intercolonial Royal Mail Steam Packet Co. Ltd (IRMSP). was formed with capital of £125,000, in £10 shares. Chairman Col. Robert Fulke Greville, Vice-Chairman Lord George Paulet, Managing Director Zachariah Pearson, Manager in the Colonies, Edward Coleman, New Zealand. It had a £24,000 pa subsidy (New Zealand £10,000, Imperial Government £14,000) contract entered into by Pearson, Coleman, for a Monthly Mail Service between Sydney and New Zealand. Their screw ships were Prince Alfred, 1,200 tons, 400 horse-power, Lord Worsley, 580 tons, 180 horse-power, Lord Ashley, 580 tons, 180 horse-power, Airedale, 480 tons, 100 horse-power. IRMSP in 1863 bought Paulet, renamed Auckland and got the Panama mail contract, as the Panama, New Zealand, and Australian Company, with Tararua, Auckland, 850 tons; Otago, Claud Hamilton, 800 tons; Rangitoto, Phoebe, 650 tons; Lord Ashley, Egmont, 500 tons; Airedale, 400 tons going Bluff to Onehunga, Nelson to Sydney, Hokitika to Sydney, and Nelson to Melbourne. In 1868 Taranaki sank, but was refitted up to the date of her total loss at Tauranga in 1878, at which time she was with USS. The Panama and the New Zealand Company died in the early seventies. The Panama Company withdrew many of its steamers.

Lloyd's Shipping listed Lord Ashley as 422 tons, 287 tons carrying capacity, 80hp, built at Hull in 1857, Lord Worsley, built at Hull 1857, 414 tons, 282 tons carrying capacity, Airedale 345 tons, 269 tons capacity, 60-hp, built at Stockton in 1857 and Prince Alfred (originally Prince Oscar) built 1854) by William Denny, 919 tons, capacity of 548 tons.

Their speed was 9 knots. Prince Alfred left Sydney after the arrival of the English mail steamer. At Nelson, the mails were transhipped to Prince for Manukau and New Plymouth. At Manukau she waited and then retraced her steps, picking up the southern mails at Nelson, and proceeding to Sydney to catch the English mail steamer. In 1861 the Government gave notice of lack of satisfaction, and Captain John Vine Hall, the colonial manager, replied suggesting that the contract be extended for a further term of 10 years, when the company would arrange for 2 new ships. While this was under discussion A.S.N. Company of Australia agreed with Victoria and Wellington Province to run a monthly mail from Melbourne to Wellington. The Wonga Wonga arrived in Wellington on November 26, 1858, after 6 days. The second and succeeding trips were made by the contract steamer Boomerang, a two-masted, schooner with two thin funnels from Christmas Eve, 1858 until August 23, 1859. The reason of its cessation was that IRMSP had the whole of its itinerary under revision. In the new arrangement a steamer plied between Sydney and Napier, via Auckland, while a second route lay between Sydney and Port Chalmers, via Nelson, Wellington, and Lyttelton. The company offered for one-half the amount of subsidy paid for the services of the Boomerang to alter the Australian terminus of this second route, making it Melbourne instead of Sydney. The company had under construction a new steamer, afterwards named the Claud Hamilton, of 500 tons and 120 horsepower, to carry 76 passengers, and costing £25,000. She was to run between Auckland and Nelson, via East Coast, and this line was to be in addition to the one between Manukau and Dunedin. In the early sixties Pirate ran from Geelong to Dunedin.

M'Meckan Blackwood
M'Meckan Blackwood was a Melbourne company, formed in 1853, also known as McMeckan, Blackwood & Co - MMB. Their sister ships, Aldinga and Alhambra, ran between Dunedin and Auckland from 1858 to 1865. MMB also ran the Omeo (1858), Balclutha and Gothenburg. Oberon came over in 1860, and went ashore at New River. Other Melbourne traders were theTitania (Captain Jarvey), the first Samson, and the first Bruce.

In 1866 New Zealand Company had a contract for coastal services to Taranaki, Raglan, and Manukau, Auckland to Dunedin, via East Coast, Manukau to Bluff on Wellington, Ladybird, and Queen.

The Nelson Government in 1864 with Otago Steamship Company steamers Albion and Scotia ran a Hokitika, Greymouth, Westport, Nelson, Melbourne route, returning via Wellington and Dunedin. The Scotia was wrecked off Stirling Point on 3 June 1864. The Albion was renamed Centennial, for Otago S.S. Company, USS and Adelaide S.S. Company. New Zealand Company, were bought by USS.

Melbourne, Adelaide, and New Zealand Steam Shipping Company ships Omeo, Gothenburg, and Alhambra extended from Melbourne to Dunedin, Hokitika, and Greymouth to all the ports of the Middle Island and to Wellington.

1863 SS Wanganui for the Wanganui Steam Navigation Company formed that year.

1863-87 Novelty (1863 ship)

1863-65 PS Tasmanian Maid

1865 at Hokitika - Titania 54-ton steamer from Nelson wrecked. PS New Zealand 374-ton grounded from Lyttelton. Ruby 86-ton steamer at Hokitika.

A J Inglis SS Wallabi 103 tons Iron steamship launched on Thursday, 15 October 1863 for T. McArthur, Sydney, NSW. Unregistered in 1892. Vessel broken up in New Zealand.

1867-70 SS Tauranga Bay of Plenty Steam Navigation Co

1869 PS Woodpecker 24-ton at Patea.

1868-87 SS Go Ahead

1880 Piako steamer sunk Whangarei.

1885 Wallace driven ashore at Greymouth