The Crane that Saved a City
OFFICIALLY the world's oldest working steam-powered crane ship, the Hikitea has been used for hauling heavy cargo since 1926. (1)
Many Wellingtonians owe this vessel their lives and livelihoods for its role in extinguishing the great Davenport fire of 1943.
During World War II, the John Davenport ship, anchored at Queens Wharf, caught fire.
Here we can see the Davenport in its maiden voyage in 1942. (2)
The danger of the fire was that the Davenport was carrying over 3000 tonnes of munitions.(3)
Some of the bombs weighed 2722 kilograms and were referred to as 'blockbusters.'
The cargo was the largest pile of high explosives the port had ever seen.
When the fire broke out, the captain panicked and decided to quickly move the ship to the middle of the harbor, where its blast would have the least impact.
Thankfully, a courageous fire officer named Charles Woolley had a different approach.
With nerves of steel, Woolley entered the smoke-filled manhole and found that the fire could be contained. Immediately, the Hikitea crane ship was ordered to help lift the obstacles in the way of the deep-seated fire.
It must have been nerve-wracking, but it worked. Had the ship caught fire completely, the blast might have devastated much of the central business district of Wellington and claimed many thousands of lives. Fortunately, Woolley's gamble paid off.
A similar event had occurred in Halifax, Canada in 1917, claiming 2000 lives. It was carrying slightly less ammunition than the Davenport. (4)
It flattened a 2.5 km radius, which would have taken out all of Lambton Quay. Here are some images of that devastation.
The only explosions the Hikitea has experienced in its long career were in the 1990s when, at the end of each year, it was used as the launching platform for New Year's fireworks displays.(5)
The Hikitea is named after the Maori word for raising up or lifting.
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