Thursday, April 15, 2010

Wahine Memorials

The Wahine (WAH-hinn-nay) was a Lyttleton-to-Wellington ferry that sank in Wellington Harbor in 1968, just two years after it was launched. It was a RORO, like the Estonian ferry that sank in the last ten years.

Fifty-one people died, mostly because the tides and currents pushed their lifeboats onto the rocks. About 700 survived, many with syndromes related to trauma. The wreck was due to the most severe weather ever to have hit the harbor.

At top is the rock that did the major damage, and at bottom is Vic and I in a memorial park, where the propeller in another pic can be found. Pic #2 is an image of one of the current Interislander ferries going past (Vic and I traveled on one of those!).

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