Click
the logo above to reach the ssMaritime FrontPage for News Updates &
“Ship of the Month”
With
Maritime Historian
Union
Steamship Company
The Twin
Screw Motor Vessel
MV Matua
Page One – Her History
A fine painting of the
From the Author’s private collection
I add this page as I recall my days on this
fine little ship. I worked for the Union Steamship Company in the early sixties
and obviously spent a great deal of time on her and the newer Tofua. However,
there was something about this little “homely” ship that attracted
so many annual passengers for a round voyage to the
In the 1930's the first cruise ships started
to appear off the coasts of various South Pacific islands, lured there by the
exotic destinations, the weather, the golden beaches and the friendly
islanders. From
From the Author’s private collection
However, the
The Matua, looking like an elegant white yacht
From the Author’s private collection
A fine stern view of the
From the Author’s private collection
Whilst she had a white hull she had a Green hull band and Blue boot topping, however in 1949 having had a constant battle with rust on her hull, she finally changed to the standard USS Co colours, being the bronze green hull with a yellow hull band. Although during WWII she had been painted grey.
Matua with the additional aft build-up
From the Author’s private collection
The Smoking Room & Library
From the Author’s private collection
A corner of the lounge
From the Author’s private collection
The Dining Room
From the Author’s private collection
Matua seen in Lyttelton being
Photograph by and © Dave Edge
In addition to the tourists onboard, Matua
could also cater for a considerable number of deck passengers to enable Pacific
Islanders to sail overnight between the
Usual ports of call,
The word “Matua" is common to most
Polynesian languages and usually means “kinship.” In
Apart from the odd mishaps and experiencing
the occasional cyclone, Matua was a very successful ship and she served the
Union Steamship Company for a magnificent 32 years. One of her recorded mishaps
occurred on her maiden voyage when apparently she hit a reef at Aitutaki, damaging one of her propellers. Then the
following year she struck a buoy whilst negotiating the southern entrance to
Early in her career she was refitted and her
tonnage changed to 4,192.53
Matua is seen here with her traditional Union Steamship
Green Hull and yellow ribbon around her hull
Photographer unknown – *See Photo notes at bottom of
page
After 32 years of faithful services, having
carried Royalty and commoners alike, the MV Matua days were about to come to an
end. She was sold in 1968 to a Pilipino Company “K. Shipping Corp” of
Her departure was a special occasion, for the
A year later she ran aground in
Specifications
Built by: R & W Hawthorn Leslie
& Co. Ltd at
Launched: March 1936
Delivered: June 1936
Length: 355.2 ft / 108.26 m
Beam: 50.5 ft / 15.39 m
Draft: 21.75 ft / 6.63 m
Tonnage: 4,166
Propulsion: Two sets of Armstrong-Sultzer six cylinder diesel engines
Screws: Twin
Speed: Achieved 17.027 knots at trials / general max
16.6 knots / service speed 14.5 knots
Cargo capacity: 2,500 tons, partially refrigerated
Passengers: 39 (1936-1940) / 93 (1941
– 1951) / 69 (1951– 1968)
MV Matua carries special meaning in the hearts
of all those who know the this remarkable little ship; she is remembered by
many families as the lifeline between the Pacific Islands, especially Tonga and
New Zealand in the 1930s, 40s and 650s until she was replaced in 1952 by the MV
Tofua II, which was a fine ship, but did not have the “Matua
– Kinship” with the people of the Islands!
The delightful
From the Author’s private collection
Page Two:
Page One: MV
Matua
Also read about Union Steam Ship’s
Another of the “Banana Boats”
or go to our INDEX
Who is the Author of ssMaritime?
Commenced
in the passenger Shipping Industry in May 1960
Also
visit my …
“Save The Classic Liners Campaign” & “Classic Ocean
Voyages”
And …
This notice covers all pages,
although, and I have done my best to ensure that all photographs are duly
credited and that this notice is displaced on each page, that is, when a page
is updated!