LAUNCH FOUNDERS

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 62, Issue 160, 20 April 1942, Page 5

LAUNCH FOUNDERS

FORTY-THREE MEN RESCUED. VESSEL STRIKES A REEF. (P.A.) AUCKLAND, April 19. A party of 43 fishermen narrowly escaped drowning when their 60-foot motor-launch Lady Jocelyn, of 50 tons, grounded on a reef and foundered in steep seas almost half a mile from the eastern shore of Motuihi Island, in the Hauraki Gnlf, this afternoon. A tragedy was averted by the arrival or a naval patrol, which took off nil the passengers only a short while before the Lady Jocelyn went under. Five members of the party made a hazardous trip to tho island in tho vessel’s dinghy, while the remainder stood on the sinking Lady Jocelyn watching their progress. At the time of the mishap the vessel was making for the Motuihi whan to land a naval rating who was found in distress in a dinghy in mid-channel. Captain H. E. Carey, orvner of the Lady Jocelyn, said that they decided to make for the home bay of Motutapu and found the rating in his dinghy on the way. “We then decided to go to Motuihi and land him,” Captain Carey said. “While going round the corner we struck the end of the reef. We tried to get her off, hut had to wait for the tide to rise, as it was then about dead low' w'ater. There was a sea running and she started to make w'ater, so we hoisted a distress signal. One boat was passing at the time, bub did not notice it. “Eventually she floated off. At that stage we were drifting, and gradually sinking, and a part of the crow'd, five persons, made for the shore in the dinghy. Tho dinghy had just arrived hack when a naval launch came alongside and took everyone off. “Just afterwards tho Lady Jocelyn turned on her side and sank, bow first. The stern was still sticking up from tho water and she did not disappear. Altogether, w r e were about an hour on the vessel before she finally went under. She was sinking all the time.” The whole party was brought hack to Auckland by launch. None of them suffered any ill-effects from the accident. Still in his w'orking clothes and bare-footed, Captain Carey was making arrangements late to-night to hire a tow-boat to salvage his vessel.