History Of First

‘Malaita ’

By “Supercargo”

IOME PIM readers may remember ) the first Malaita of the Burns Philp fleet, and be interested to now that the vessel was first called le Antilia.

Burns Philp & Co., Ltd., bought er in New York in early 1905. She as then engaged in running to the ntilles Islands, in the Caribbean ea. When she arrived in Mel mrne, the Navigation Department tid she was not to proceed to pdney. However, after negotia- Dns, the Department allowed her i leave, providing Mr. James acartney, the Superintendent En neer of the Co. took charge of the igines, and the Co. sent Captain )y down to bring her up, as Master.

After some months at Morts Dock, iere she was re-conditioned, she lally sailed for New Hebrides on ;r first voyage in 1905.

There was an amusing incident len the Malaita was due to leave orts Dock. An article appeared the Herald stating that the pre ntation of a piece of plate had en made to Mr. Macartney, Super tendent Engineer. The General anager of the Co., Mr. Adam •rsyth, was displeased on reading is, thinking that Mr. Macartney d probably been the recipient of ne valuable silver or plated ware, d he suitably admonished Mr. acartney. rhe latter said: “Perhaps you uld like to see it, Mr. Forsyth— [ away and get it,” which he duly i. It consisted of an old piece rusty plate, taken out of the side the Malaita, and inscribed by all j apprentices who were working the job at the time. Naturally, further action was taken by the magement. r rom memory: The Malaita made ne 52 voyages in all for Burns ilp to various parts of the Pacific, e made three voyages to the Ibert Islands in 1907, when the iter was Supercargo on her. rhe vessel had tremendous slip; d, whilst on the Gilbert Islands i, Mr. Corrigan (Chief Engineer, erwards Superintendent Engineer the Co.) asked and received per ssion to draw plans for a new >pellor. A new propeller was de, which increased the speed the vessel considerably, n 1914, the vessel was sold, I he re, to Waugh, the ship-breaker Balmain; but, instead of being ken up, it was sold to H. B. Black Son, of Melbourne, who had mo interests at Surprise Island rth of New Caledonia) and other css. ’or the details of the final days the Malaita I am indebted to . A. D. Mackenzie, Chairman of

Melbourne Harbour Trust Commis sioners.

After the Malaita was acquired by Messrs. Black & Co. she was laid up and out of commission at Station Pier, Port Melbourne, from September 8, 1921, until removal to a Bay anchorage on July 25, 1924.

About 3.30 p.m., on November 17, 1926, the Malaita broke adrift from her moorings and was carried to wards the beach by a strong southerly gale. She ultimately grounded outside Stubbs’ Swim ming Baths, at South Melbourne.

By the following morning she had pounded her way through the Baths, doing considerable damage.

It was not until May 6, 1927, that the steamer was refloated. The work was undertaken by the Trust, which sold the vessel by auction, partially to defray expenses. It was pur chased for £2BO by Messrs. O’Regan, Rice & Hester, who stripped her and sold the fittings.

On the morning of September 19, 1927, the hulk of the Malaita was towed from its berth on the west side of Ann Street Pier, Williams town (where it had been since re floating) by the tug Minah and taken outside Port Phillip Heads, where it was scuttled.

The Original Malekula

Captain Brett Hilder’s statement (in a recent PIM) that the original Burns Philp vessel Malekula was owned by BP’s when she was lost is not correct (writes Mr. C. Buchanan, of Melbourne, who was with Levers Pacific Plantations in the Solomons in the early years of this century).

The Malekula was owned by Levers, and when she left the Solomons for Sydney, for overhaul, she was in charge of Captain Fotheringham, with Mr. S. McPhail as mate. (He was afterwards Master of the first ship captured by Aus tralians in Word War I.) The Malekula was wrecked on Brampton Reef—and I still have

some photographs which I took when the work of salvage was go ing on.

RIGHT: SS Malaita, in Nekufetau Lagoon, Ellice Is., 1907.

LEFT: SS Malaita at sea, homeward bound. She also apparently used a bit of sail to help speed and navigation.