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Capricornia
Her last voyage into Onehunga
Built
1980
LR No.
7633600
Gross
3284
Net
1971
Dimensions
96.37m x 16.08m
Registered
Avatiu
First Arrival
18 August 1987
Last Sailing
10 November 1989
Names
Sunny Karina
Union Nelson
Capricornia
Polynesian Link
Years
1980-81
1981-86
1986-90
1990-91

Built in Ulsan, she is powered by two 2000hp MWM diesels, producing a service speed of 14.5 knots. She had a crew of twenty.

She could carry 150 twenty tonne containers, and had a total capacity of 218 units, including reefers, but was always regarded as a vessel with serious stability problems.

She had one 40 tonne and two 20 tonne cranes - increased to 22 tonnes apiece in January 1983, and was a regular visitor to Onehunga as "Union Nelson" between 1982 and 1985.

Sourced from USSCo NZ Facebook page

Following her coastal service, she was laid up in Wellington until chartered to Polynesia Triangle Line, a joinr venture between Tonga's King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV and the South Sea Steamship Company of San Francisco, the idea being to improve links between Tonga and Hawaii. The initial plan was to trade on a 35-day voyage linking Auckland, Suva, Nuku'alofa, Apia, Pago Pago and Honolulu.

She was renamed "Capricornia", under which name she visited Onehunga again, as well as Picton and Tarakohe. This service replaced that provided by "Rex Star", another regular visitor to Onehunga.

One interesting cargo she loaded at Auckland in February 1987 was another vessel very familiar with the waters of the Manukau - the old airport rescue hovercraft "SRN6", which was destined for new owners in Fiji.

Sourced from USSCo NZ Facebook page

She was then sub-chartered and renamed "Polynesian Link" in 1991, and it was under this name that she met a sorry end in Suva, capsizing at the wharf while stevedores attempted to swing two loaded containers outboard simultaneously on 12 October 1991.

Singaporean salvagers removed her accommodation block, and cut her hull into three sections before removing it all by the end of February 1992.

A part of her remained fully active in New Zealand until "Milburn Carrier II" left our shores, complete with the Liebherr mast which once graced this former coastal and island trader.
Some of the information above is sourced from "Ocean Of Light", the autobiography of Peter Warner, and is used with his kind permission.
Sourced from Ships of NZ Facebook page


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