Skip to main content

Story: Shipbuilding

The Earnslaw after launching

Image
The <em>Earnslaw</em> after launching

Three months after reassembly began, on 24 February 1912, the TSS Earnslaw was launched at Kingston in front of a large crowd. Here we see its 50-metre hull soon after the launch. On 18 October 1912, the ferry was formally commissioned and made its maiden voyage to Queenstown, which celebrated the occasion with a holiday the following day. The Earnslaw is still sailing today.

Using this item

Lakes District Museum

Reference: EL4442

This item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.

All images & media in this story

How to cite this page

Gavin McLean, Shipbuilding – The iron and steel era, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/7044/the-earnslaw-after-launching (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Gavin McLean, published 2 March 2009, updated 1 July 2015.