1904 New Zealand S.S Turakina Soveriegn

$9,999.99 NZD

New Zealand. S.S Turakina, departing on the 17th March 1904 from Wellington to London. Engraved on a Victorian “Veiled Head” Sovereign, possibly recovered from the vessel; noticeably bent.

[ 0.917 Gold | 7.15g | 22mm ]

The Turakina was a cargo ship operated by the New Zealand Shipping Company. On 20 August 1940, while en route from Britain to New Zealand, she encountered the German auxiliary cruiser Orion in the Tasman Sea, approximately 500 kilometres west of the Taranaki coast.

Under the command of Captain James Laird, the Turakina, equipped with only a single stern-mounted gun, held off the raider for two and a half hours before she was finally sunk in the first naval engagement fought in the Tasman Sea.