I mainly edit and create pages about the Castle-Class trawlers of New Zealand

saving this here just in case

Muritai laid up during the mid 1950s.
History
New Zealand
Name	Muritai
Owner	Eastbourne Borough Council, Wellington (1923-1940) Royal New Zealand Navy, 1940-1946 Devonport Steam Ferry Company, 1946-1954 Waiheke Shipping Company, 1954-1962
Ordered	1922
Builder	Coaster Construction Co. Ltd, Montrose
Launched	20 December 1922
Decommissioned	1945
In service	1946
Out of service	1963
Identification	Pennant numbers: T05
General characteristics
Tonnage	462 GRT
Length	165.3 ft (50.4 m) bpp, 172 ft (52 m) oa
Beam	30.1 ft (9.2 m)
Propulsion	Twin screws, 2 Steam Reciprocating Triple Expansion engines
Speed	13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph)

SS Muritai was a ferry built in 1922, for use as a Wellington Harbour ferry, she was later used by the Royal New Zealand Navy as a Minesweeper, and Training ship. Postwar she operated as an Auckland-Waiheke ferry before finally being hulked in 1962, and scrapped in 1971.^[1]

Muritai was ordered by the Eastbourne Borough Council in 1922 as a new Days Bay ferry, this order was sent to the Coaster Construction Company, based in Montrose. The ferry was designed to be 172 feet overall, have a speed of 13 knots, and have a carrying capacity for 1,500 passengers. Muritai was launched on 20 December 1922, being christened by the wife of Sir James Allen, Mary Jane Hill Allen.^{[2] [3]} Muritai was completed in early Feburary of 1923, but trials were delayed until Mid Feburary due to poor weather.^[4] Once trials were held it was said they were very sucessful, and she sailed from Montrose on Feburary 23, 1923.^[5][6][4] . She would shelter in Southampton on Feburary 25th, owing to a strong Westerly gale, continuing her voyage on March 3rd.^[7] Muritai would arrive in Wellington at 9:20 PM on 16 May 1923, with the Harbourmaster berthing her at 10:30 PM, with a large crowd of people watching.^[7] after she was tied up, she was opened to the public for inspection.^[7] Muritai was then hauled on on the Evans Bay Patent Slip, having her hull repainted and cleaned, with her tailshafts withdrawn for examination.^[8] Trials were held on 2 June 1923, and were considered satisfactory, though she did not reach her desired speed, and so new propellers were ordered to correct the issue.^[9][10] Muritai was formally handed over to the Eastbourne Borough Council on 17 July 1923, entering service 2 days later on 19 July 1923.^[10][11]

On 21 August 1923, a little over a month after she entered service, during a strong southerly breeze, while backing out of the Wellington ferry wharf, a squall swung her stern into the SS Naringa, denting several of the liners plates, an examination found that some rivets on Naringa had loosened, but Muritai avoided any major damages thanks to her fenders protecting her hull. On September 25, the propellers that were orderded in July were installed on Muritai, and speed trials were held on 1 October 1923, with Muritai reaching a speed of 13/2 Knots.^[12][13] these trials were satisfactory to the council and she once again entered service.

On the night of 12 Feburary 1925, there was an attempt made to set Muritai adrift while her night watchman left the ship temporarily, and once he returned he found 3 lines holding the ships bow were severed, with her aft lines remaining intact.

On 17 July 1925, after a routine survey on the Evans Bay Patent Slip after coming off the cradle, Muritai was found to be leaking badly aft, and the ship was hastily grounded at Balaena Bay, with a diver being summoned from the Patent slip, finding that a tailshaft clamp had been pulled out when the ship went underway, opening a 6 inch hole in which the water poured from. The hole was plugged, and water was pumped out. The Duchess then towed Muritai into deep water, then back to the Patent slipway, securing her to the wharf.

After Muritai was laid up for the final time, she was sold in December 1962 and hulked, in September 1963, her hulk was towed and sunk at the jetty on Karamuramau Island, as a breakwater for shingle loading. Her hulk remain there until Late Febuary 1971, when she was towed back to Auckland and broken up by Pacific Scrap Ltd. ^[1][14]