Build Date
1910
Boat Builder
George Niccol
Length
72 Feet
Beam
Unknown
The Portland From 1910 to 1932
The Portland was built by George Niccol in 1910 as a schooner-rigged hold scow as such she had a large bilge and hold. The lime merchant John Wilson of Auckland became her first owner. He owned her for 16 years, using her to cart bagged cement from Mahurangi and later Portland. The Portland could carry 90 tonnes of cement so to lift these heavy loads on and off she had a donkey boiler on the fore deck which worked the windlass and lifting apparatus.
During her time here The Portland was damaged a few times. Once in December 1912 with G. Mayall at the helm. Another time in February 1920 under the charge of A. Nelson The Portland collided with Wairiki. Then only a few months later in April 1920 she caught fire in Auckland. This time with A. Nelson at the helm.
Although built as a sailing scow she had a motor added in 1925. Aspden Shipping Co. Ltd., purchased The Portland in 1926 and then her ownership changed again in 1928 with Harold Osborne taking over. He used her for the flax and tallow trade between Wellington and Foxton. During this time in September 1928 with C.A. Williams in charge The Portland was again damaged.
Draught
4 Feet 1 Inch
Weight
73.09 GT / 59.19 NT
Puponga Shipping Co. Ltd., Buy The Portland
Osborne’s ownership would last only one year with Idris Lewis taking ownership from 1929 until 1932 when the Puponga Shipping Co. Ltd. took over.
The Puponga Shipping Co. Ltd., registered The Portland to Nelson and use her to ship coal between Puponga, Nelson and Wellington. During her time with Puponga Shipping Co. Ltd., she would have three mishaps including being stranded at Tasman Bay in August 1934, hitting a object Westhaven Inlet in August 1943 and machinery getting damaged in the Cook Strait in October 1944. All of these incidents happened with T. Henderson as skipper,
But after 15 years of trade the coat mine couldn’t produce enough coal anymore and they sold her to Westhavem Shipping Co. Ltd. They used her for primarily for trading sawn timber from Westhaven to to Nelson and also some coal trips to Westport and Hokitika and cement from Tarakohe to Wellington for the sewer line being installed between Gracefield and Pencarrow. During her time at Westhaven Shipping Company she was skippered by Bill Ricketts
The Portland After Puponga
1964 Karamea Shipping Co. Ltd., purchased The Portland to transport timber between Nelson, Mapua, Waitapu, Tarakohe and Parapara. During this time The Portland was also called upon to help in the rescue attempt after the 1968 Wahine disaster. During her years with Karamea Shipping Co. Ltd., The Portland became one of the last scows to work out of Motueka. Scows had become uneconomical and trade this way was not viable anymore. In 1968 The Portland and Te Aroha only made seven visits to Port Motueka between them. Tim Rowling started his 55 year career in the merchant navy as a deck boy on The Portland during these years. He must have liked it a lot as named his own first vessel Little Green Pea in honour of The Portland which was affectionately known as ‘The Green Pea’
1973 Portland Enterprises purchased her. Then in 1976 The Portland is believed to have had three owners Peter James Young, Brian Geoffrey Hawkins and Raymond Samuel Mathieson who owned her until 1979. 1976 was not a good year for The Portand. She hit rocks in Cook Strait and ended up beached at Island Bay. They pumped her out, temporarily repaired her and travelled to Nelson with Te Aroha. Here they put her on the slip and found the damage too expensive to repair. So she was sold as is where is and ended up at Careys Bay where she lay for two years.
In 1978 there was a glimmer of hope as The Portand was seen in the dry dock at Port Chalmers undergoing repairs. In 1980 The Portland’s was seen moored on the Owkaka River in South Otago where she was being used as a houseboat. She stayed here until at least 2007. In 2009 Langdon writes in A History of New Zealand Scows that The Portland now has a derrick boom on the foremast, a bowsprit, twin 4L3 Gardner engines, new plumbing, woring and a coal range. Her bulwarks were replaced with railings, the stern sports two davits.
Her bell inscribed “The Portland – G Niccol Auckland 1910 is believed to be owned by the Museum of Wellington City and Sea.
References
To research The Portland we used the books Motueka Wharf 100 years by Carol Dawber with Motueka and Districts Historical Association and A History of New Zealand Scows and Their Trades by David Langdon.
Related Posts
Te Aroha – 1909 T M Lane & Sons 86ft trading scow.
Taupata – 1930 Niccol Trading vessel that was requistioned by the US Navy in WW2.
Paroto – 87ft. Niccol Trading Vessel that worked out of Auckland, Nelson/Tasman and Kaiapoi.
Alwin G/Success – 66ft Darroch Scow used for trading, mussel farming and currently under restoration in Kaiapoi.