One hundred years ago, Yard No 409 was approaching its launching date at the Belfast shipyard of Harland & Wolff Ltd.
Ordered by the Shaw, Savill & Albion Company, the ship, launched as Pakeha on May 26, 1910, was completed on August 20, 1910.
In its 40 years afloat, the refrigerated cargo liner also served as an emigrant carrier, dummy battleship and meat storage warehouse. Pakeha was a twin-screw steamer powered by two sets of quadruple-expansion engines supplied by the builders.
Their combined output of 4990ihp gave a speed of 13.5 knots, reduced to 12 knots in later life.
And the ship was a coal-burner for its entire life.
With an overall length of 150.56m, the vessel started off at 10,481gt, a figure downgraded to 8115gt in its last years of service.
The ship was built to replace the company's second Maori, a 5220gt steamer built in 1893.
It was wrecked south of Table Bay on August 4, 1909, on a voyage out from London to Dunedin. Twice as big as that ill-fated vessel, Pakeha had a deadweight of 13,000 tonnes and a large cargo capacity including 9133cu m of refrigerated space.
But the ship was also an emigrant carrier providing berths in the 'tween decks for nearly 1000 steerage passengers. The emigrant trade had long been an important part of the company's activities and reached a peak from 1910 until the outbreak of World War 1 in 1914.
During this conflict, the steamer made several trooping voyages in 1916-17. After the war, the ship was fitted-out again to carry about the same number of emigrants. This was the result of an offer by the New Zealand Government of assisted passages for British settlers.
This accommodation was later removed. At the outbreak of war in September 1939, three of the company's oldest steamers, Pakeha, Waimana and Mamari were all laid-up.
They were taken over by the Admiralty and converted into dummy warships. While the latter simulated the aircraft carrier Hermes, the others took on the resemblance of Royal Sovereign class battleships.
Alterations were carried out by means of wood and canvas and a bare minimum of steel.
And in the case of Pakeha and Waimana, their sterns had to be altered from counter to cruiser type. As a mock-up of HMS Revenge, Pakeha was anchored in the Firth of Forth.
When the necessity for this form of deception came to an end, the ship was sold to the Ministry of War Transport in 1941.
Renamed Empire Pakeha it was placed under the management of the Shaw, Savill & Albion Company.
In 1946, when this company bought it back, the ship reverted to its former name. Pakeha was soon back on its old run.
The veteran made four postwar calls here between October 28, 1946, and September 12, 1948, three to Port Chalmers and the last to Dunedin.
I still remember this rather stately looking two-masted old-timer, with smoke belching from the tallest funnel I recall seeing here on a steamer. On its final voyage to New Zealand, the ship arrived back at London in July 1949.
At that time, several older refrigerated ships were being chartered by the Ministry of Food for use there as floating meat storage warehouses. Pakeha joined this fleet and continued in that role until March, 1950.
The ship was then sold to the British Iron and Steel Corporation and was awarded to T. W. Ward & Company for demolition.
And after nearly 40 years from the date of its launching, the veteran arrived at its yard at Briton Ferry on May 3, 1950, to be broken up.
