Hikitia
| Hikitia Hikitia at the Taranaki St wharf. | |
| Career | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Hikitia |
| Owner: | Maritime Heritage Trust of Wellington |
| Port of registry: | Wellington |
| Builder: | Fleming and Ferguson, Paisley, Scotland |
| Maiden voyage: | 29 September 1926 |
| Status: | Operational |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 926 tonnes |
| Length: | 160.1 ft (48.8 m) |
| Beam: | 52.35 ft (16.0 m) |
| Depth: | 11.35 ft (3.5 m) |
| Propulsion: | Twin-screw steam propulsion. Originally fired by Stotch coal boilers, later replaced in 1963 by oil fired boilers and then replaced by small modern package boilers. |
| Speed: | approximately 10 kn (18.5 km/h; 11.5 mph) |
Hikitia is a working self-propelled floating steam crane in Wellington, New Zealand. She is thought to be the only working steam crane of her type in the world. She is also the sister ship to the Rapaki, formerly of the Port of Lyttelton, which now resides at the New Zealand Maritime Museum.
Engines
Twin screws are driven by compound surface condensing direct drive engines which were supplied with steam by a coal fired Scotch boiler with two furnaces. A similar but oil-fired boiler replaced the original boiler in 1963. In 1980 this was also removed and the present two locally made small modern package boilers were installed.[1] These new boilers produce less steam than the original ones.
The Crane
Although the hull of the vessel was constructed by Fleming & Ferguson, the crane was built by Sir William Arrol & Co. of Glasgow. The crane alone weighs in at 310 tonnes, and was built to lift 80 tonnes. However, while dismantling the wreck of the Wahine it is thought that she lifted 140 tonnes.[2] In 2004 she lifted 100 tonnes to maintain her lifting license of 80 tonnes. Her most recent lift was a 20 tonne ice plant in Lyttelton.
Refurbishment
The Hikitia travelled to Lyttelton in June 2009 for hull, tail shaft and various other underwater repairs. [3] While in Lyttelton, she moved an ice plant between wharves to repay part of her refurbishment at the port's dry dock. The venture south was the ship's first time out of Wellington since 1926.
References
Notes
- ↑ Geoff Bennett,. "HIKITIA - A BRIEF HISTORY". Maritime Archaeologigal Association of New Zealand. http://www.maanz.wellington.net.nz/hikitia/index.html. Retrieved 2009-09-05.
- ↑ Jason Lambourne,. "Crane is part of Wellington's heritage". NZ Professional Skipper Magazine. http://www.skipper.co.nz/nzps20.htm. Retrieved 2009-07-16.
- ↑ Jeff Hampton,. "Hikitia: rare steam crane comes out of retirement". 3 News NZ. http://www.3news.co.nz/Hikitia-rare-steam-crane-comes-out-of-retirement/tabid/423/articleID/126201/cat/64/Default.aspx. Retrieved 2009-10-20.
External links
- Hikitia Heavy Lift Ltd
- Crane Event From Heritage New Zealand, Autumn 2005
- Maritime Archaeological Association of New Zealand
- Official website
