SS Maheno

Hand coloured postcard of the S.S.Maheno

The NZ Hospital Ship, Maheno

The S.S. Maheno in 2004

The S.S. Maheno was an Edwardian liner on the Tasman Sea crossing between New Zealand and Australia, and was used as a hospital ship by the New Zealand division of the Royal Navy during World War I.

A landmark on 75 Mile Beach in Fraser Island is the shipwreck of the Maheno. Maheno was originally built in 1905 by William Denny and Brothers in Dumbarton, Scotland^[1] as a luxury passenger ship for trans-Tasman crossings. During the First World War the ship served as a hospital ship in the Mediterranean^[2], Gallipoli^[3], and the English Channel, before returning to a luxury liner.

In 1935, the ship was declared outdated and on June 25, 1935 the ship was being towed from Melbourne to Japan for scrap metal when it was caught in a strong cyclone. A few days later, on July 9, 1935^{[citation needed]} she drifted ashore and was beached on the eastern shores of Fraser Island. During the Second World War the Maheno served as target bombing practice^{[citation needed]} for the RAAF. Since then, much of the ship has either been destroyed or disintegrated, and the visible remainder has become severely rusted. Climbing on the shipwreck is prohibited.

See also

Queensland portal

• List of shipwrecks

References

1. ^ [1] The Argus (Melbourne, Vic.), 7 November 1905 'THE MAHENO' Page 6 National Library of Australia
2. ^ Grey River Argus, 25 November 1915, Page 6
3. ^ Poverty Bay Herald, 1 December 1915, Page 10

External links

• The New Zealand Hospital Ships.Coordinates: 25°16′2″S 153°14′18″E / 25.26722°S 153.23833°E / -25.26722; 153.23833