When the missionaries John Williams was at Rarotonga he needed a ship to reach the islands to the westward, which were situated more as 1000 miles from Rarotonga.
Plenty of trees were growing on the island but Williams did not have a saw to saw the planks and no iron to fasten the planks.
Williams never had seen a ship built, and the people on Rarotonga could only hack a canoe out of a tree-trunk.
What he needed was a 70 to 80 ton vessel suitable for ocean voyages.
On the beach an old chain cable was found, and Williams had some tools like a pickaxe, a hoe, an adze, some hatchets and hammers. He needed a forge, to hammer the chain in nails and bolts, not an anvil was on the island nor coal to fire the forge.
After killing three goats he made some bellows from their skin, but the outcome was disappointing, and when the rats eat the leather, he needed an other solution.
When the forge problem was solved, it took 10 men to work the bellows of the forge; charcoal was made to fire the forge.
Without a saw they slit the trees in two with wedges, thereafter the Rarotongans made the split trees to planks of the thickness needed for the ship.
Not possible to bend the planks in the forms he needed, and when they needed a bend or twisted plank, a bamboo was bent to the shape that was wanted, thereafter one of the islanders would go into the wood and search till he found a tree or branch that had grown in the shape that needed. Then it was cut down and split into two halves, to be used one on each side of the ship.
After the keel was laid down the ribs were fastened with tree-nails, thereafter the planks placed on the ribs and fastened also with three-nails.
For caulking he used coconut husk, dried banana-stump and shredded native cloths, this was forced between the timbers with chisel and mallet.
For cordage he used the bark of the hibiscus tree, and twisted this in strong ropes, for sails he used the sleeping mats used by the Rarotongans, put two sleeping mats together with crisscross stitching.
Blocks were made, making the sheaves from the wood of the ironwood, named by the natives ‘aito’.
Within fifteen weeks after the keellaying, everything was ready for sailing except the rudder, to hang the rudder was very difficult, not sufficient iron was available and he took a pickaxe, a cooper adze and a large hoe and with this he made very strong rudder pintles, on which the rudder would hang.
The anchor was made of a crate of wood filled with stones, even a pump was fitted in to clear the hull of any water leaking in.
When she was launched in 1827 she was named the MESSENGER OF PEACE.
Her maiden voyage under command of Williams was to Aitutaki a distance of 170 miles away from Rarotonga, when about 70 miles off-shore the Rarotongan crew had to shift the sails with a strong trade wind blowing, by a mistake she let go the foresail and the mast broke of about 13 feet above deck.
The situation got now very dangerous, with not much provision on board and no foresail he had to return to Rarotonga, with much luck he managed to get her back and anchored in front of his house.
A new foremast was placed, and a few days later she sailed out again, the crossing to Aitutaki was quickly made, This voyage the King of Rarotonga was on board and after arrival the King arranged a return cargo of cats, to catch the rats, 70 pigs for breeding and slaughter, and coco-nuts.
(Later it was found out that the pigs were a better killer of rats then the cats.)
The return voyage against the trade wind was much longer it took three days to reach Rarotonga.
The next voyage of the MESSENGER OF PEACE was to Tahiti and Raiatea where she safely arrived.
24 May 1830 she sailed again from Raiatea, now in a nice green painted hull a gift of the captain of HMS SERINGAPATAM, canvas sails replaced the matsails.
Five days later she arrived at Mangaia Island, then he sailed northwest to Atiu, from there to Mauki and Mitiaro before heading home to Rarotonga.
From there he sailed to Aitutaki before heading to the westward with on board 10 teachers and their family first to Niué, not a good landing place was found, and during nighttime they steered off the coast till the morning came, and they stood in again. The natives of this island could not be trusted, and the plan to land two teachers was abandoned. Two savages from the island were taken after Williams persuaded them to stay. When they saw their island disappear they began to yell and tear their hair, for three days they did either eat, drink or sleep, and when they saw the crew eating meat they thought that the cook served human flesh, and that it when it was eaten, they themselves would be killed and eaten.
First they sighted Eua then Tongatabu where they landed at Nukualofa village in July 1830.
From there they sailed to the Samoan Islands. From there to the island of Lefuga and then back to the Samoan Islands.
From the Samoan Islands she headed again to Niué to bring back the two savages who were homesick, after 14 days at sea with many calm days she were still 200 miles away, with food running out, they had to abandon their intentions to sail to Niué, wind changed to the west and they set course to Rarotonga, luckily the wind stayed from the west and after a week they sighted Rarotonga and landed safely.
Three days later they sailed out again for Tahiti.
In this fast ocean were the wind nearly always blows from the east, the MESSENGER OF PEACE had actually sailed 1800 miles eastward in fifteen days.
After arrival in Tahiti, Williams visited Eimeo before sailing to Huahine, during this voyage William had his wife Mary also on board with their two boys.
Then she headed home again to Rarotonga.
The next voyage via some islands they had been before, at Atiu, Williams was swept from his boat when they rowed to get out to sea, and sucked under. When the next wave came he appeared again and was helped ashore by some natives. The boat was righted and put out to sea again for THE MESSENGER OF PEACE, which sailed off to Mauki. And then back to Rarotonga.
There the MESSENGER OF PEACE was made stronger and lengthened six feet, give her a new stern. Iron, copper and other materials send over from England were used.
The MESSENGER OF PEACE was beached for the repairs
On a day, the MESSENGER OF PEACE still beached and with dead calm weather, the sky blackened, terrible flashes of lighting were seen and lighted the ocean from rim to rim.
Quickly a breakwater was build for THE MESSENGER OF PEACE and a chain cable laid out from the ship to the schoolhouse were it was fastened around the main pillar, which stood 10 feet high and forty to fifty yards from the sea. Al materials needed for the repair of the ship was taken inside the schoolhouse and roofing lashed over the ship decks.
23 December 1831, the hurricane when reaching the vessel lifted the roof over the deck of the vessel away, the storehouse for the rigging, copper and timbers swept away, the ship is driven on the bank and dashed against it with each wave, when the hurricane abated, they found THE MESSENGER OF PEACE about a quarter of a mile inland high and dry unharmed, by the enormous waves she was driven over the beach and rested against the trees.
After the islanders cleared most of the mess, and rebuild their homes in March 1832 mighty levers of wood were made, to lift the MESSENGER OF PEACE out of her mudbed and at least she was lifted out of the mud, lengthening and repairs were made and she was ready for sailing, but still she was a quarter of a mile from the sea.
Tree trunks were cut in rollers and placed under the ship, and with the help of all Rarotongans about two thousand altogether set to work to tow the ship to sea again. At least she slipped into the water.
After the hurricane not any food was left to provision the vessel, and it was decided to sail first to Tahiti before heading for the long journey to the Samoa Islands.
After taken on board new provisions at Tahiti, Williams sailed home to Raiatea, but on his homecoming he discovered that the natives had made stills to make spirits and many were hopelessly drunk.
After a meeting it was decided to destroy all stills.
After every still was smashed, he sailed out again to Tahiti for new provisions for Rarotonga and Samoa, and for the first time some animals were loaded never before seen on this islands like horses, cattle and donkeys.
After discharging some provision and cattle at Rarotonga he sailed for the Samoa Islands, where he stayed for some time.
Then he set sail for the far off islands in the south, after she left the Samoa Islands the MESSENGER OF PEACE sprung a leak about 300 miles from any island. The water was quickly rising in the hold, and manning the pump and with buckets they worked unbroken to keep the ship floating.
At least she arrived at Vavau but not a good place was found to careen the ship, and Williams decided to sail to Tonga about one day sailing from Vavau, but contrary winds delayed the voyage and only 5 days later they arrived in Tonga.
With the help of the natives of Tonga and assisted by the crews of a cargo and whaling vessel the MESSENGER OF PEACE was beached and careened. Not a defect was found but in the keel was a large auger hole, which the bolt never had been driven. The hole was during the hurricane at Rarotonga filled with mud and stones and for six months and sailing thousand off miles the mud and stones had stayed there.
After putting in a bolt the MESSENGER OF PEACE was ready for sea again, and she set sail for Rarotonga where she arrived on 01 January 1833.
Due to the poor health of his wife, Williams decided to go home to Britain, he send the MESSENGER OF PEACE to Tahiti to be sold, and he would follow sometime later on board of a other vessel. It is believed the MESSENGER OF PEACE was lost on this voyage??
After a stay at Rarotonga, Williams set sail on an other vessel he bought from a trader on Rarotonga, to Tahiti with his wife and children. After leaving behind his wife and kids by friends in Tahiti he sailed back to Rarotonga via Atiu.
After arriving in Rarotonga she sailed back to Tahiti from where the Williams family would return to England after 18 years.
The Williams family boarded the British whaler SIR ANDREW HAMILTON who was fully loaded on his homeward voyage around Cape Horn.
Cook Island 1949 2d/3s sg 152/155/159, scott133
Tuvalu 1986 15c sg377
Source: John Williams the Shipbuilder by Basil Mathews.