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HIKITIA - A BRIEF HISTORY by Geoff Bennett Hikitia was built by Fleming and Ferguson of Paisley, Scotland, in 1926. She measures 160.1' (48.58m) in overall length with a beam of 52.35' (15.88m) and a moulded depth of 11.35' (3.44m). Twin screws are driven by compound surface condensing direct drive engines which were supplied with steam by a coal fired Scotch boiler with two furnaces. A similar but oil-fired boiler replaced the original boiler in 1963. In 1980 this was also removed and the present two small modern package boilers were installed. The crane was built by Sir William Arrol and Co. of Glasgow. It was designed to lift 80 tons at 50' radius but bettered this on test by 25%. The crane can lift 60 tons at 65' and 15 tons at 75'. The speed of the lift is 80 tons at 4' per minute, 40 tons at 8' per minute, 25 tons at 12' per minute and 15 tons at 24' per minute. The crane weighs 310 tons and at a radius of 65' the maximum height of the hook above the water is 95'.
Following trials, Hikitia left Glasgow on 29 September 1926 under Captain J Fullerton for Ponta Delgado in the Azores, a distance of 1445 miles. She arrived on 9 October. After bunkering, she left for Colon and the Panama Canal, which she passed through on 2 November. Out in the Pacific, Hikitia encountered strong head winds and rough seas, which caused the vessel to pitch heavily. The next 48 hours were anxious and stressful for the crew with the superstructure straining and some deck plates beginning to crack but then conditions improved and repairs were made. Papeete harbour was reached on 1 December. Replenishing was quickly completed and the ship sailed next morning for New Zealand. The final part of the voyage was not without incident, as on 13 December Hikitia ran into a submerged object and several days were spent battling rough seas and strong winds. At 7.5 knots (approx 15kph) the ship was hardly a flier! Hikitia arrived in Wellington harbour on 21 December 1926 after a voyage of 82 days. It has been generally accepted that Hikitia's delivery voyage represents a record distance sailed by a vessel of this type with its jib up. She began work almost immediately and for over 70 years has been a familiar sight on the harbour, taken for granted and unheralded. She has worked on all types of construction projects including wharf construction. Her main role was in lifting heavy cargo onto, and off, ships. She spent some time helping to demolish the wreck of the Wahine. Hikitia's last job for the Wellington Port Company was the removal of piles near the position of the old Floating Dock. In 1989 the old vessel was put up for tender and ship lovers imagined Hikitia would be for the knacker's yard and that she would be lost forever. But this did not happen. The present owners bought her on 12 April 1990, for preservation. Hikitia is part of Wellington's maritime heritage and deserves respect for her years of service to the port and the uniqueness of her construction and machinery. On 30 July 1992, after much hard work by a number of enthusiastic people, Hikitia carried out an 88 ton test lift. This was the final legal requirement for survey and she is now available for commercial lifts up to 80 tons. Since then she has carried out well over 100 lifts, plus other jobs. These include:
The log of the Hikitia's delivery voyage has been preserved in the archives of the Wellington Maritime Museum, on Queen's Wharf. While you are in the area take the opportunity to visit this first class facility - the collection is temporarily housed on the ground floor of the Queen’s Wharf Event Centre but will be moving back to its regular location in late 1999. "We live by the sea We exist by the sea Let us never forget this" (Motto of the British Ship Adoption Society)
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