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Karepo
 Taken by Chris Howell, www.shipspotting.com
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Built in Hong Kong for Union Company, she was powered by one supercharged 2880hp British Polar diesel engine, which produced a service speed of 13 knots.
She had deck cranes - four five-ton, one ten-ton, all made in Denmark - with mechanically-operated hatch covers, and a cargo capacity of 4,835 cubic metres, 80 cubic metres of which was for refrigerated cargo, and comprising two freezing chambers located right for'ard.
The number one hold was designed for inflammable cargo, and the other two holds for general cargo, particularly newsprint. These had portable bulkheads, to provide extra room for special cargoes. All three holds lacked bilges, thus maximising the available space.
 Sourced from Ships of NZ Facebook page
The ship carried 31 officers and crew, and they were accommodated in luxurious fashion, with spacious cabins for the captain and officers on one deck, and the crew's modern and comfortable quarters on another deck.
Another feature of the ship was the combined wheelhouse and chartroom, with its myriad of instruments, e.g hydrapilot steering gear, a push-button electric telegraph, and a ventilation system which works so well that when in the tropics, the ship was cooler with its portholes closed!
She made the one visit to Onehunga (below), diverting there en route from Portland to Westport to assist "Totara" - her stern is visible below. "Karepo"'s visit was the first by a Union Company vessel since September 1924, when "Ngatoro" discharged a cargo from Picton.
 It also meant she became the port's biggest ever visitor, with Captain Porter reporting "The Manukau Bar put on quite a good demonstration, and as we crossed, there were three lines of breakers. The vessel handled the conditions perfectly. Great interest was shown by all at Onehunga, and good coverage was given by television and newspapers".
She was sold to Singaporean interests in 1978, and within the year was operating as "Pacific Viking", which visited Onehunga in 1980.
She was broken up in Rayong in December 1986.
The below shot was sourced from the USSCo NZ Facebook page.
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