Wahine Disaster

Introduction:

It was supposed to be an ordinary transit for the passengers and crew of the TEV Wahine when they left Littleton at 8.40 p.m. on the 9th of April 1968 but within 24 hours it would become a nightmare for all onboard. For 51 people, it was a death sentence that would shock the people of Wellington and New Zealand as a modern ferry sunk into the sea almost in sight of the nation's capital.

The Wahine - Bright Future or Modern Titanic?

The TEV Wahine was built between 1961 and 1966 by the Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company in Govan, Scotland. Making her first voyage to Littleton that year she was still a fresh face on the interisland ferry scene when she sank in 1968. When she was built, the Wahine was the largest ship ever planned by the Union Company and one of the largest passenger ferries in the world. 

Between her first voyage to Littleton in August 1966 and her the end of the year, the Wahine would make 67 crossings of the Cook Straight. Alongside the TEV Maori, it served to replace the TEV Rangatira and Hinemoa, both of which soon sold. There were no evident flaws in the design, but that would not be enough to protect it one stormy April night in 1868.

Storm and Sinking:

The two storms that merged over Wellington to form Cyclone Giselle the morning of Wednesday 10 April would lead to the strongest winds ever recorded in the area. Reaching up to 275 Kilometers per hour at one point they served to blow emergency vehicles to their sides and rip roofs off of houses in the Wellington suburbs. Just as this cyclone hit the harbour, the Wahine left the Cook Straight to begin the last leg of its journey - right into the mouth of the demon.

At 5.50 in the morning, the Wahine entered the harbour, fighting both storm and sea but by 6.10 was no longer in control of the ship's direction. At 6.40 she was driven onto the southern end of Barret's Reef. As a "precautionary measure", passengers were told to wear their lifejackets and report to their muster stations. As the storm worsened the ship was dragged into the harbour despite lowering its anchors. It wasn't until about 11.00 am that her anchors finally held.