The s.s. “Ayrshire,” which belongs to the Shire Line, of London, was built in October, 1903, at the yards of Messrs Hawthorne and Leslie, at Newcastle-on-Tyne. Her gross register is 8,000 tons, and her loaded weight 11,300 tons; length 480 feet, beam fifty-nine feet, and depth of hold thirty-five feet. The “Ayrshire” is a twin-screw vessel of 5,500 horse-power, and her maximum speed is 14.2 knots an hour. Her usual rate of speed, however, is twelve knots, and to attain that she works at about 4,500 indicated horse-power, and consumes from seventy-two to seventy-five tons of coal per day. Her permanent bunkers will hold 2,000 tons, but she can carry about 800 tons in excess of that quantity. Her insulating chambers are capable of containing 130,000 average New Zealand sheep carcases, and space is reserved for about 500 tons of chilled meat. There are also four chambers for cheese. Her refrigerating plant combines the Linde-Ammonia system, together with brine and cold air. The “Ayrshire” carries about thirty saloon passengers, and 150 in the steerage, and has a crew of eighty-six members, including the captain, four officers, and eight engineers.

Captain Benjamin Coull has been in command of the s.s. “Ayrshire” since October, 1903, when she started upon her first voyage. Captain Coull was born in 1855, at Lossiemouth, in the north of Scotland, where he was educated. He served an apprenticeship of four years at sea, and page 609 became master of a small sailing ship in May, 1881, which is the date of his certificate. Since that time, Captain Coull has been master of vessels. He joined the Shire Line in 1880, and had charge of six different vessels before being entrusted with the fine steamer of which he is now in command.

Mr. Ernest W. J. Nursey was appointed Second Officer of the s.s. “Ayrshire,” in August, 1904. He was born at Lowestoft, in England, where he went to school. Mr. Nursey was afterwards apprenticed in the Cambus Line of sailing vessels, on the “Lord Elgin,” from Glasgow, in which he served four years. In June, 1902, he took his second mate's certificate, and joined the Shire Line as fourth officer of the s.s. “Fifeshire.” Mr. Nursey was afterwards promoted to the position of third officer on the same ship, and, later, became third officer on the s.s. “Waikato,” of the New Zealand Shipping Company's Line. He subsequently obtained his certificate as first officer, and was appointed to the “Ayrshire.”

Mr. Osbert Henderson has been Chief Steward on the s.s. “Ayrshire” since her first voyage. Mr. Henderson was born in the year 1863 in Glasgow, Scotland, and went to school in his native city. He went to sea as a youth in a line of vessels trading from Glasgow to the West Indies, but afterwards removed to the State Line of vessels, and later to the Patrick Henderson Line. When the s.s. “Perthshire” was a new vessel, Mr. Henderson joined her, in 1893, as chief steward. Five years later, he was transferred to the s.s. “Nairnshire,” in the same capacity, and continued on that vessel until he joined the “Ayrshire.”

The s.s. “Nairnshire,” a vessel of the Shire Line, of London, is running in conjunction with the Federal and Houlder Lines on the trade of the New Zealand-African and West Coast ports of England. She was built in the year 1899, at Thomson's Clyde Bank Yards, Glasgow, Scotland. Her length is 420 feet, beam fifty-four feet seven inches, and depth of hold twenty-eight feet eight inches. Her net tonnage is 3289, and her weight, when loaded, about 9,000 tons. The vessel's indicated horse-power is 3000 and, when fully loaded, she runs at about 2,800 horse-power. The space of her insulated chambers is 280,000 cubic feet, or equal to the carriage of 95,000 sheep, of the average weight of sixty pounds each. The total number of the crew, including captain, officers, and engineers, is sixty-four. There is accommodation for fifty steerage and twelve saloon passengers.

Captain Carl Olsen has been in command of the s.s. “Nairnshire” since the year 1901. He was born in 1855 in Denmark, where he was educated, and he served an apprenticeship of five years on a vessel from the north of England. In 1876, he joined the Shire Line, as second officer; in 1881, he obtained his master's certificate, and has been captain of Shire Line boats since 1883. Captain Olsen married a daughter of Mr. T. Suttie, of North Shields, in the year 1883, and has two daughters and one son.

The s.s. “Drayton Grange,” of the Houlder branch of the Federal-Houlder-Shire Combine, was built at the yards of Messrs Workman and Clark, Belfast, Ireland, in the year 1900. Her measurements are: 350 feet between perpendiculars, fifty-four feet eleven and a-half inches beam, thirty-three feet six inches depth of hold, and her draught, when loaded, is twenty-seven feet four inches and a-quarter. The vessel's net registered tonnage is 4,295 tons, her gross registered tonnage, 6663 tons, and her total carrying capacity about 10,000. She carries a water ballast of 1570 tons, and her permanent coal bunkers will contain page 610 1405 tons. Her engines are 762 horse-power nominal, with 3500 indicated, and her speed is from eleven to twelve knots and a-half per hour. The vessel has four boilers, which are worked at a pressure of 190 pounds to the square inch. There is accommodation for forty-eight first saloon and forty-four second saloon passengers. The total number of the crew, including officers, is sixty-eight.

Captain Arthur Murrison was appointed Commander of the s.s. “Drayton Grange,” in September, 1904. He was born in 1862, in Aberdeen, Scotland, where he was educated, and was apprenticed to Messrs Trinder, Anderson and Co., of London. Captain Murrison then served on vessels of the Mercantile Steam Shipping Company, of London, and during the ten years of his service rose to the position of chief officer. He joined the Houlder Line as chief officer of the s.s. “Ovenden Grange,” in 1890, and was subsequently master of the s.s. “Hornby Grange” for four years, and of the s.s. “Roysten Grange” for eight years. He gained his master's certificate in the year 1888.

Mr. Frederick Dillon-Bluett was appointed Chief Officer of the s.s. “Drayton Grange” in the year 1902. He was born in 1870, in Galway, Ireland, where he was educated, and was training for two years on H.M.s. “Worcester,” where he gained the Queen's gold medal. Subsequently, he served three years on the Australian clipper ship “Sabroan” (which is now a training ship in Sydney Harbour), of Messrs Davitt and Moore, of London. Mr. Bluett then had four years' experience as second officer on a northern tramp. He afterwards entered the service of the New Zealand Shipping Company, on the old s.s. “Kaikoura,” as third officer, and, later, was appointed second officer on the old “Rimutaka.” After one year on the s.s. “Waimate,” Mr. Bluett joined the Houlder Line as second officer on the s.s. “Hornby Grange,” whence he was promoted to his present appointment. He gained his master's certificate in the year 1890.