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1945 - 1946: Construction.
1946: Fitting out in the Buccleuch Dock.
1946 February 14: The Union Steam Ship line announce the name of the new vessel.
1946 May 30: launched from the yard of Vickers Armstrong at Barrow on Furness by Mrs. N. S. Falla, widow of Norrie Falla, former managing director of the line, who had died at sea in 1945 on his way back to New Zealand. Walter Nash, then deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand was also present.
1946 December 21: Delivery voyage via Port Said, Colombo and Fremantle with 100 migrants aboard.
1947 January 18: Arrived at Fremantle.
1947 January 26: Arrived at Wellington, passing the liner Wanganella stranded on Barrets Reef (which was later to claim Hinemoa's successor; the Wahine).
1947 February 10: Commenced maiden voyage to Lyttelton at 7.45 pm, commanded by Captain F. W. Collins.
1947 February 10: Arrived at Lyttleton 8 hours late, after experiencing the worst storm of her career, in which two of the bridge windows were smashed.
1953: "I became an assistant purser on the ferries Rangatira, Hinemoa and Maori starting in 1953. When we joined a vessel we all signed on at the Mercantile Marine Office for a period of six months." Alan Bird.
1953: During the year she made 155 voyages to Lyttelton, carrying 540,200 tons of cargo.
1955 September: Refit, net tonnage reduced.
1958 September: Refit, net tonnage reduced.
1959 February 15: After departing from Wellington she ran into a gale; the 'worst in memory'. Her bridge was damaged by the seas and several saloon windows smashed. She made only 7 knots and was 8 hours late into Lyttelton.
1961 January 20: Completed a passage in 8 hours and 51 minutes at an average speed of 19.77 knots.
1966 August 1: Final sailing (the 104th of that year), replaced by the new Wahine and laid up at Wellington.
1966 October 12: Used as an hotel ship during the visit of US President Lyndon Johnson.
1967 October 19: Sold to the Hydro-Electric Commission of Tasmania and renamed the George H. Evans.
1967 October 25: Final departure from Wellington under her own steam for Bell Bay, Tasmania where she was used as an electrical power ship. Her main engines were disconnected from the screws and the power then generated was fed into the main grid network. Due to the onset of rain the ship was hardly used.
1969: Sold to the Hammersley Iron Ore Co Ltd for accommodation and power generating services at Dampier in Western Australia. At full speed (3,000 rpm) her turbines could generate up to 5 MegaWatts at 3.3 kV, 50Hz.
1971: Towed to Hong Kong for demolition.
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