Hanno, I'd put the salvage and use of 25-pdrs from the Wahine in the highly doubtful category. Removing the breech block means also removing the breech block buffer, striker case, and firing mechanism, all of which would need to be 'found' to reassemble the gun into working order, then locating sufficient of the correct cartridges and projectiles. Not saying it couldn't happen, of course, just that it was highly unlikely.
Tony, I agree with you that HMNZHS Maheno's service and the ship's AIF connection is not well known. The ship's service, plus that of its younger but larger sibling HMNZHS Marama, was from mid-1915 to mid-1919. The AIF connection is mainly the treatment and transport of wounded from the ANZAC beachhead to hospitals in Egypt and Malta. Some were DOW en route and were buried at sea in the Med. Maheno went on to become an ambulance transport between Europe and the UK, so is likely to have transported AIF wounded during that phase as well.
Mike
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