Wiltshire was wrecked in Rosalie Bay,
Great Barrier Island, about from the southernmost point at Cape Barrier, on 31 May 1922. equipment for Pukekohe power station and two
NZR AB class locomotives. The need to replace the lost equipment delayed the work of building the
Midland Line and
Waikokopu railways. She was also carrying 461 bags of parcel-mail from London, of which 94 were rescued, as well as mail from
Cristóbal and Liverpool. On her last voyage, she left Liverpool on 22 April 1922 and ran onto rocks on the stormy night of 31 May at Great Barrier, when close to her Auckland destination. A distress call was radioed, but the storm forced other ships to keep their distance. A
Union collier,
Katoa, landed its chief officer, purser, third engineer and two seamen at Tryphena, and they made their way over rough tracks to the Bay. Several attempts were made to float a line ashore from the
Wiltshire. The line was then used to set up a
breeches buoy and haul all 103 crew members to safety, with the help of sailors from
HMS Philomel. A large crowd welcomed the crew when they arrived at Auckland. Salvage work, using divers, continued for over a year and included seven of the eight propeller blades, each weighing two tons. In 1955, part of the wreck was below the surface. The inquiry into the wreck found that the captain made a grave error of judgement in not slowing enough, when poor visibility obscured
Cuvier lighthouse and when a
lead line measurement showed the ship was in shallower water than expected. He was charged the costs of the inquiry, but his
certificate was returned to him. == References ==