SS Wairuna Shipwreck
We had planned to go to Raoul Island in the Kermadecs in March 2007 with Heritage Expeditions to try and
find the Wairuna which was sunk there by the SMS Wolf in 1917. However due to unexpected ship maintenance
the trip has been cancelled until March 2008 at the moment. Should an oppurtunity arise to get there sooner, we will
take it. There is a possibly of chartering our own boat so if there's any Raoul Islanders or divers out there who want
to go up, get in touch with us so we can make up the numbers and share the cost.
We'd also like to hear from anybody who had relatives who can tell us about incidents during this story
that has been passed doen over the years.
September 2007 update:
Further information received shows that the Wairuna took nearly six hours to sink, from 6:00am to midday. Weather
conditions on the day suggest that during that time the Wairuna would have drifted a significant distance back
towards Raoul Island, therefore making it possible that it is at a diveable depth. When the Winslow was destroyed
a couple of days later in the same area, burning wreckage was seen washed up on the beach as the Wolf headed
for New Zealand. Interesting fact from the War Diary is that the Wolf had no intention of mining New Zealand
waters but was going to head to Australia from Raoul. But due to delays unloading the Wairuna they missed the
new moon to lay mines off the Australian coast so made a last minute decision to lay mines off New Zealand.
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