The ls. stamp of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands depicts the steamship Triona, owned by the British Phosphate Commission, loading off No. 4 jetty, Ocean Island. Most of the pre-war exports from the island consisted of phosphate deposits and the stamp design shows how the cargo was conveyed to steamers anchored outside a reef and a safe distance off shore. Three lighters can be seen, one loading phosphate from a hopper situated beneath the end of the steel cantilever jetty, one ahead of it loaded, and one astern awaiting her turn to load. When loaded the lighters were towed out to the ships beyond the reef.
No. 4 jetty, incidentally, was erected by Henry Simon and Co., Ltd., and could handle about 3,000 tons per day. An endless chain of buckets conveyed the phosphate from the island to hoppers lying at the jetty's end. It was blown up during the Second World War to prevent its use by the Japanese.
The Triona was a single-screw steamer of 4,412 gross tons. She was built by Messrs. Harland and Wolff, Ltd., Govan, for the phosphate trade between Australia, New Zealand, Ocean Island and Nauru. Her keel was laid on June 26, 1930, her trials being completed on March 21, 1931. The ship's dimensions were 365 ft. x 54 ft. x 34 ft. 6 in. She was fitted to burn coal or oil and her speed was 11 knots on an oil consumption of 18-20 tons per day. Her deadweight capacity was 6,851 tons and she had accommodation for 17 passengers.
A special feature of the Triona was her overhanging bow to allow for the laying or lifting of the heavy deep-sea moorings needed at Nauru and Ocean Island. A massive winch, weighing about 50 tons and tested to lift more than 100 tons, was located under the fo'c'sle head. From this winch chain cables and steel hawsers led out over heavy rollers in the bow. The deep-sea moorings at Nauru and Ocean Island are the deepest in the world, the anchor being paid out in 200 fathoms of water. Attached to the five-ton anchor is a chain and special steel wire hawser, then a short length of chain which is shackled to the main buoy. Two off-shore steel hawsers are also shackled to the main buoy. A bridle chain leads up from the moorings and is taken aboard the vessel, being so arranged that the ship can let go at a moment's notice, a necessary precaution in that area.
The Triona was shelled and afterwards sunk by a time bomb when a German raider operating a short distance North of the Solomons attacked her on December 6, 1940. At the time she was en route from Australia to Nauru to load a cargo of phosphate. Within the next two days the British Phosphate Commis¬sioners lost two more of their fleet of four vessels. The Triadic was shelled and sunk near Nauru on the morning of December 8, and the same day the Triaster was shelled and sunk. The Triona's name is perpetuated by a new ship built by Lithgows Ltd., at Port Glasgow. completed in December 1943. Like her predecessor she is specially equipped for heavy mooring work.
Sea Breezes 11/48
Gilbert and Ellice Is. SG51a