The Nautilus is a heritage motor launch built in 1913 as a family excursion boat for picnics and outings. The boat was commissioned by Frederick H.E. Chester of Christchurch, New Zealand and constructed by well-known boat-builders Collings and Bell of St. Mary's Bay, Auckland.
During the First World War, Mr Chester offered Nautilus to the New Zealand government to assist the war effort, and the boat was one of two motor launches carried aboard the New Zealand hospital ship Marama in the Mediterranean. In wartime service, Nautilus made several trips back to New Zealand with wounded soldiers, making stops en route from the Mediterranean to load coal and supplies.
Returned to Mr Chester in January 1918, Nautilus passed through various owners until it was donated to the New Zealand Maritime Museum in Auckland in 2011 and extensively restored.
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| Photo taken 21 November 2016, Auckland Harbour, New Zealand |