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The Aristomenis docked in Wellington Harbour

Description: This image is believed to have been taken by Palmerston North Engineer Frank (Frances Leslie) Berry.

The Aristomenes was commissioned to take scrap metal to Chile in 1947: https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHBP19470419.2.23.14 It would have passed through Fiji, Tonga, Samoa and Niue delivering mail. After the ship left Wellington Harbour, it was discovered that the captains grey macaque had gone missing: "A little grey monkey is missing in Wellington. It is a baby grey maeque which was the pet of the Greek chief steward of the ship Aristomenis, which sailed yesterday from Wellington for the River Plate. He got it when the ship called at Batavia. The animal, which stands 8in. high, answers to the name "Jacko" or "Jackie." A few days ago the Greek wanted to find a home in New Zealand for the monkey. Mrs N. Lupton, who has a circus of 12 monkeys in Christchurch, heard about the baby macque, and the Greek willingly agreed to let her have it as a gift. She called at the ship on Saturday to pick up the pet, only to be told that it had been stolen or strayed the night before." https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/MEX19470602.2.22