Thames (NZ): Sailing ship visit 1915

The waters off Thames were frequented by a multitude of ships during the goldfield years. They continued to call long into the 19th century. In February 1915 a large sailing ship came aground on the mudflats in the gulf, west of the Piako River and opposite Thames.

The Eurasia'
Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, AWNS-19150211-50-4
 

A grand sight to behold, as the Eurasia sailed back to Auckland. In 1916, an Italian ship by the same name was sunk by a German submarine. It was in fact the same ship that had floundered on the Thames mudflats in 1914. The incident was reported widely in newspapers around New Zealand. The New Zealand Herald 22 November 1916 confirming the ship was the same one that had come to New Zealand. These newspaper reports suggest it may have been a British submarine.