SS Monowai I 1890-1926

When it was built in 1890, the SS Monowai I was the largest steam ship built for the Union Steam Ship Company to date. It was constructed by William Denny and Brothers, a Scottish shipbuilding company based in Dunbarton. 

Initially, the steamer was built for use on the Trans-Pacific service, and in 1894 it made a record-breaking passage across the Pacific delivering mail from London to Auckland in 31 days. When the South African War broke out in 1899, the SS Monowai I was used as a troop ship, and was used for this purpose again during World War I.

The SS Monowai I was dismantled at Port Chalmers, and its hulk was towed to Gisborne by the SS Katoa and sunk to form a breakwater on 16 December 1926.