Today marks the anniversary of the ill-fated landings on the shores of Gallipoli, in Turkey, by the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) during World War I.
The Maheno was taken out of service in 1935 and sold for scrap metal to a Japanese firm
Thousands of sick and wounded men were evacuated to Malta for treatment during this bloody campaign, which ran from April 1915 to January 1916.
In spite of the dedicated efforts of the hospital staff, the island became the last resting place for 2,000 of them.
Many more were scarred for life, physically or psychologically, leaving repercussions for relatives and society for decades after.
Numerous vessels were engaged in transporting the casualties from the battlefield to hospitals in Lemnos (Greece), Egypt and Malta, to name but a few. One such ship was His Majesty’s New Zealand Hospital Ship Maheno.
Hull No. 746 was built in the Dumbarton shipyard of William Denny & Brothers on the River Clyde, Scotland,for the Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand.
The ship was launched on Monday, June 19, 1905 and named Maheno, meaning “island” in the Maori language.
The Maheno was originally designed to serve as a luxury passenger ship on the trans-Tasman route between New Zealand and Australia.
Although a very popular ship, she proved to be extremely expensive to operate due to the vast amounts of coal required to feed her engines. A refit in early 1914 saw those engines being replaced by the more conventional geared turbine system and the removal of the central propellor.
In May 1915 the Maheno was requisitioned by the government and refitted as a hospital ship by public subscription.
No effort or expense was spared in the conversion, which was carried out by Union Steam Ship’s own employees. Among the resulting new features were eight wards with a capacity to take a total of 340 cot cases, two operating theatres, an X-ray room, a laboratory and two electric lifts capable of taking two stretchers at a time.
In accordance with international law and her new role, the Maheno was repainted in the official colour scheme for hospital ships operated by the military.
This meant the whole hull was painted white, with a broad green band running from stem to stern, interspaced with three large red crosses along each side.
Another large cross adorned either side of her two funnels, and the flag of the Geneva Red Cross flew at the masthead.
The Maheno departed Wellington on July 11 under the command of Captain William Maclean. The medical personnel on board included five medical officers, a detachment of 61 orderlies of the New Zealand Medical Corps and a matron in charge of 13 nurses.
The ship arrived off the Gallipoli peninsula, via Egypt, on August 26 and subsequently made frequent trips to Mudros, on the island of Lemnos, and Alexandria.
The ship also called at Malta on at least two occasions in September, with sick and wounded men from the Gallipoli Campaign who were sent for treatment in the numerous hospitals that had been set up throughout the island.
While making a third call at Malta, towards the end of the year, the Maheno was instructed to transport severely-wounded and sick men back to New Zealand from the Mediterranean.
The Maheno was to continue service as a hospital ship for the duration of the conflict, performing many more trips between various ports in the Mediterranean and to the United Kingdom, France and New Zealand.
Her last commission in this role was a round trip from New Zealand to England via Suez, and then back to New Zealand via Panama, between December 15, 1918 and April 22, 1919. She returned to the trans-Tasman crossings in the post-war period but was withdrawn from service in 1935 and sold for scrap to a Japanese company.
It was while being towed to Japan that she broke her tow during an unseasonal winter cyclone at around 2 p.m. on July 8. Without independent power, the ship was at the mercy of the wild winds and huge seas and drifted overnight towards the eastern shore of Fraser Island, just off the coast of Queensland, where she ran aground the following day.
Attempts to pull the ship free proved futile and so she was eventually abandoned there.
Soon after the incident, a young Customs officer was stationed on board the ship as a guard. He was due to be married the following week and, in view of the circumstances, the wedding was held on the stranded vessel.
During World War II the wreck was used for bombing practice by the Royal Australian Air Force. Yet, despite this and the ravages of the elements, the rusting remains can still be seen today by visitors to Fraser Island.
The Maheno’s bell and nameplate are preserved in the National War Memorial in New Zealand. They are symbols of the past and monuments to heroism, death and hope.