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WAIMATE (1951)
Service dates: 1951-1971
Official number: 179930
Shipping lines: UNION STEAM SHIP COMPANY OF NEW ZEALAND
Ship type:
General Cargo Liner.
Career
- 1951
- Laid down as Kurutai.
- 08.02.1951
- Launched.
- 06.1951
- Delivered as Waimate for the Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand for their Singapore/New Zealand service.
- 31.12.1971
- The Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand was sold to Tasman Union Ltd and therefore no longer remained a P&O subsidiary company.
- 1972
- Sold to the Eastern Shipping Lines Ltd, Manila (James L Chongbian, Manila, manager) and renamed Eastern Planet.
- 1977
- Sold to Skyluck Steamship Company SA, Panama, and renamed Skyluck.
- 06.02.1979
- Arrived at Hong Kong and anchored with 2,800 Vietnamese refugees (mainly Chinese). These deck cargo passengers paid for the journey and their exit was condoned by the authorities who were glad to see them go. The ship had left Singapore as Skyluck but called at Vietnam as Kylu (with the S and CK painted out). 600, with local relatives, disembarked in the Philippines. She arrived at Hong Kong as Skyluck again. Here 224 were landed. The rest remained on board.
- 29.06.1979
- The anchor chains were cut and the ship drift ashore on Lamma Island. 2,000 were landed and ended up in the Hong Kong reception camps where many remained since they refused to return to their legal place of residence in Vietnam. The ship was refloated.
- 02.08.1979
- Driven ashore by typhoon Hope and finally broken up where she lay.