Just after 6 a.m. the Wahines radar system failed. Forty-nine years ago, on 10 April 1968, the passenger ferry Wahine, buffeted by ferocious gale-force winds, ran aground on Barrett Reef at the entrance of Wellington Harbour, listed, and then sank. The wrecking of the Wahine is by far the most well known shipping disaster in New Zealand's history, although there have been worse with far greater loss of life.

First and most importantly lives were lost in the disaster, 51 to be correct.

The Wahine disaster is well documented. Then, in the early hours of 10 April, the ferry ran aground and capsized at the entrance to Wellington Harbour. The sinking of the Lyttelton–Wellington ferry Wahine on 10 April 1968 was New Zealand’s worst modern maritime disaster.

After the Wahine had cleared Point Dorset, inside the harbour heads, Capt Suckling ordered Capt Mitchell to bring rescue equipment back to base so it would be in a central position if needed.

53 people lost their lives.

At 6.40 a.m. Wahine reversed onto Barrett Reef. When the Wahine ran aground on the reef just after 6.40am, many passengers were unaware of what had happened due to the storm beating down on the vessel.

The free surface effect caused Wahine to capsize due to a build-up of water on the vehicle deck, [2] although several specialist advisers to the inquiry believed that she had grounded a second time, taking on more water below decks. Today is the 50th Anniversary of New Zealand’s worst modern maritime disaster, the sinking of the ferry Wahine, which capsized in Wellington Harbour on April 10, 1968. A storm.

The Wahine Disaster happened in the Waters of Welligton 1968. Shortly after 6 a.m. the Wahine’s radar system failed and a huge wave slammed into the ship, throwing many of those on board off their feet. V.WAHINE WEDNESDAY 10TH APRIL 1968 WELLINGTON HARBOUR, WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND. Ten weeks after the disaster, a court of inquiry found errors of judgement had been made, but stressed that the conditions at the time had been difficult and dangerous.

The main cause behind the eventual grounding of the Wahine was some of the worst weather recorded in New Zealand history.

It was a very sad time. BARRY DURRANT Survivors of the Wahine disaster make it to shore in a lifeboat on April 10, 1968. The Lyttelton to Wellington ferry was carrying 735 passengers and crew when it was badly holed on the reef early on April 10, 1968. 53 of the 733 people died. The Wahine ’s demise also marked a coming of age for television news broadcasting in New Zealand as images of the disaster were beamed into the nation…

xoxo Paige The video above from RNZ describes the tragedy. Mar 28, 2008. The right hand propeller was smashed off, and the left engine stopped just after. Huge waves hit, and the Wahine was now side on to the waves and was pushed towards Barrett Reef. Fifty-one of the 734 passengers and crew on the Wahine died that day, most of them on the rocks at Pencarrow on the Eastbourne coast.