USS Echo or USS Kiwi

From Navsource.org

Screw Scow:
Built in 1892 (place unknown)
Acquired by the Navy, 5 November 1942, in New Zealand
Commissioned USS Echo (IX-95), 4 November 1942
Decommissioned, 12 March 1944, at Wellington, New Zealand
Struck from the Naval Register (date unknown)
Transferred to the Government of New Zealand, 15 March 1944
Final Disposition, fate unknown

No entry for USS Kiwi that I could find

I am flabbergasted that there is actually a reference for the Echo. The Kiwi was just another name used for the same ship on an old TV series, "The Wackiest Ship in the Army". The Echo was in the original movie of the same name. It was a nondescript sailing vessel supposedly used to support Coast Watchers in the New Guinea theater during WWII. Made an entertaining movie though.

Thank you Seadragon!!

My question is: What's a screw scow?

A scow is just a coastal work boat used to transport cargo around the place generally out of small creeks and rivers or tidal harbours in New Zealand. They were flat bottomed so they could beach easily or lie on tidal mud. Generally wide (15 to 25ft), around 40-100 ft long and shallow drafted. They started out as sail powered (2 masted, gaff rigged) and mainy were converted to engines in the 40's. Unfortunately I don't have a scanner otherwise I'd post a picture (of the Echo) but they were in the main very elegant under sail when fully loaded in a working sort of way. Many photos exist of scrows underway with 3-4 headsails, mains and topsails on both masts, great little ships built for a purpose.

Now the real data on the Echo which I'm sure you have no real wish to know!!

Echo - schooner rigged, flush decked, hold scow (ie cargo went into holds rather than just on deck) built at Te Kopuru (North Auckland New Zealand) by W Brown & Sons in 1905. 104' 3" x 25' 5" x 6' 1". Holds were 55' long with 6 ft headroom under the wings. Between 1911 and 1946 she stranded 11 times, was in 6 collisions, and twice caught fire. She was impressed by the NZ Government during WW2 and saw service around the Pacific (including that stint with the US navy) before returning to NZ coastal waters until sold for scrap in 1965. However She still exists and is the subject of a preservation society's attention.

Amazing the amount of useless information some people have isn't it, I won't even mention she was triple skinned!!

Interesting stuff!

Where did you get all of the data?

Many years ago I was into scratchbuilding wooden ships and a scow was on the list. I managed to get 2 books written about NZ scows and small coastal craft because both had excellent line drawings from which plans could be made. Both were full of information and photos about most of the coastal sailing vessels built in the main shipbuilding areas in NZ. The Echo was one of those listed and described, not because of its war time exploits but because of the quality of build, its long working life and because its the subject of restoration.

Are their any online resources that might show a diagram of one of the New Zealand scows that you may know of? I have done a Dogpile search that showed the Echo's vitals in the list that Seadragon mentioned above but nothing much else. Thanks for your other information, Mark. LEE

http://www.marlboroughonline.co.nz/index.mvc?ArticleID=51 I finally found a photo of the Echo at this website.