The merchant marine in the First World War
The Merchant Navy in the Second World War
We just drifted away from the ship and lay there and watched as she slowly went down ... She slowly filled up from the stern and the last I saw of her, from the bridge up she was vertical and she just slowly went down. In those days at least, the ship was your home, and I'll never forget the feeling when I saw my home disappear under the waves.
Lionel Hodgson, Engineer, SS Remuera
Capture - Prisoners of War
The longest lifeline - The Merchant Navy
The merchant marine goes to war
The outbreak of war in 1914 posed special problems for New Zealand due to its dependence on sea trade. While trade with Australia was relatively safe, and would increase during the war, ships on the vital United Kingdom route ran great risks whenever they entered Northern Hemisphere war zones.
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