Probably used by Droggies? who else? embarked on the Destroyer?? (darker than my little camera has captured)









PS where's Watto?

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"Show me the Mini!"

I work with a couple of old old old school ex-Kiwi sailors. I'll ask.

I reckon if the droggies used it for the base camps it might only be a little pile of rust.

Maybe a ship's car?

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SooperDooperMiniCooperExpertEngineering

All garage work involves equal measures of enthusiasm, ingenuity and a fair degree of irresponsibility.

Thanks Mick....yeah probably the duty/ceremonial doo-hickey

...although it had been refurbished by (I think) the local Polytech boys...

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"Show me the Mini!"

Ivefound out a little information about the moke(s) in the Royal New Zealand Navy.

It seems that many ships such as HMNZS Waikato, Taranaki, Otago and Monowai amongst others had a Mini Moke onboard.

In many cases they were gifted by the province in which the ship was named. They were (incredibly) stored onboard, lashed down on the fantail of the ships they were attached to. Anyone who has worked onboard a naval ship will know just how little space there is for anything which does not perform a role on board a ship, and interestingly, just how exposed the fantail (at the very aft end of the ship) is to the weather and the sea. Particularly on a rooster tailing Type 12 Frigate.

The cars were naturally very prone to being very wet nearly all of the time, and took a lot of maintenance to keep going. Taranaki's Moke got a particular pounding in a Typhoon out of Hong Kong and took a lot of effort to get going again. There's stories of them blasting up and down the highways of the ports of call such as Pearl Harbour. I can only imagine the mishief Jack would have gotten to in port with a Mini Moke.

The cars were difficult to handle, there being no dedicated davit for craning the moke onto the wharf. So they relied on shore cranage to get them off. If you pulled into a remote port without a crane, then the car stayed on the ship.

On completion of their service life, they were apparently gifted back to the province they came from, if they were in any state to be driven at all.

So there you go.

There's information popping up on google about them if you have a look, but with a small tablet and at work I haven't had time to take a closer look at the images and links.vBut Ex-Kiwi Jack, John McAlpine recalls them very well.

I hope this is of interest to anyone. I've got a contact at the Devonport Museum who may be able to help with more information if anyone is after more.

cheers

Mick

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SooperDooperMiniCooperExpertEngineering

All garage work involves equal measures of enthusiasm, ingenuity and a fair degree of irresponsibility.

I knew a guy who was a master on commercial shipping. He would get the boys to lift his personal Moke on board so that he could drive around at foreign ports. When I knew him he was master of the CSIRO Research Vessel Southern Surveyor and had gone over to motor bikes, but he'd often have a bike parked in the CTD lab or down in the forepeak.

Tim

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1951 Morris Commercial J Type Van
1955 BSA C11G
1961 Morris Mini Traveller
1969 Triumph TR6R
1977 Leyland Moke Californian

Thanks Mick...inner-resting...maybe they were stowed on their sides under a tarp

Can't help thinking that slinging a Moke over the side would hardly be a challenge....

As for "I can only imagine the mishief Jack would have gotten to in port with a Mini Moke" - well at least they couldn't negotiate a bar top like some motor scooters could

Ask John if he knows my friend Hanna

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"Show me the Mini!"

There was a CPOMT Hanna around here a little while back...any relation?

There was a little room down there looking at the images, behind the mortars.
I'm looking for a photo, but its a little hard to find at work on a tiny tablet computer...

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SooperDooperMiniCooperExpertEngineering

All garage work involves equal measures of enthusiasm, ingenuity and a fair degree of irresponsibility.

PM sent....

I'm sure there is somewhere away from the MK10s etc to stow a Moke....maybe even UNDER the ships Whaler!!

Defence has really gone down hill if they are only issuing tablets

You would obviously have to get rid of all that Dress Ship stuff...

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"Show me the Mini!"

The tablet is my thing. I'm in the dry dock overnight and it's a handy way to get some study done and surf the net

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SooperDooperMiniCooperExpertEngineering

All garage work involves equal measures of enthusiasm, ingenuity and a fair degree of irresponsibility.

Captain Cook Drydock.....ahhhhh memories

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"Show me the Mini!"

OK - words from my Dad, seaman Chief, 24 yrs RAN, Korea, Malaysia, Indon Confrontation, Vietnam etc 24 yrs RANEL/RANRL/DSTO where he reckons he probably steamed more miles than when in uniform.

"a Mini Moke! I would get six sailors and ask them to carry it onboard!" (he had one on Christmas Island)

"re embarking SWB Landy, we got the chippies to make some ramps, dropped the side rails, select low low and drove it on and off"

also Boat davits were mentioned and dury-rig hoists etc etc

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"Show me the Mini!"

Love it.

No mean feat either to get it up there.

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SooperDooperMiniCooperExpertEngineering

All garage work involves equal measures of enthusiasm, ingenuity and a fair degree of irresponsibility.

Tobruk is pretty close to you now as well

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the world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page
66 Mini Minor sponsored by http://www.lifeonthehedge.com.au/ The Dog Harness Specialists
It was a pleasure ausmini. I'll miss all you misfits and reprobates

Doing a bid for the Kiwis now, maybe we should throw in a couple of ship's cars to sweeten the deal

cheers
michael

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the world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page
66 Mini Minor sponsored by http://www.lifeonthehedge.com.au/ The Dog Harness Specialists
It was a pleasure ausmini. I'll miss all you misfits and reprobates

A big step from the flight deck would see you one meter and a whole world away from where you came.

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SooperDooperMiniCooperExpertEngineering

All garage work involves equal measures of enthusiasm, ingenuity and a fair degree of irresponsibility.