NAVAL WHALER CAPSIZES

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 70, Issue 126, 13 March 1950, Page 4

NAVAL WHALER CAPSIZES

FOUR MEN ADRIFT AKAROA HARBOUR ACCIDENT (P.A.) CHRISTCHURCH, March 12. When a naval whaler capsized in Akaroa harbour in a southerly gale on Saturday evening, a leading seaman and three ratings from H.M.N.Z.S. Taupo spent three hours clinging to the bottom of*, the overturned boat before it washed ashore at the head of the harbour. They were cared for by residents of the district, and apart from exhaustion and exposure were uninjured. They returned to duty'yesterday morning.

Two of the frigate’s whalers had sailed to Duvauchelle in the afternoon and were returning to the ship-about 7 p.m. T-he first boat, manned by three men, reached the ship in the face of a heavy southerly gale. A ship’s launch spoke to the second whaler, but soon after a‘heavy squall capsized it, and it disappeared in the darkness. /

The four occupants clung to the bottom of the boat in the bitterly cold southerly gale, and were buffeted by short breaking seas. The boat finally beached itself near the head of the Onawe Peninsula, about three hours later.- One of the ratings was very exhausted when the boat reached shore, and all were suffering from exposure.

They made their way round to Mr H. Fleming’s house, arriving there about 11.30 p.m. They were given food and shelter, two of them spend-/ ing the night with Mr Fleming, the others being taken to Mr F. A. Lewthwaite’s house. Meanwhile the warships in the hai’--bour, the Bellona and three frigates, sent out launches to look for the missing whaler. They were handicapped by the gale and darkness. Apparently the ships were 1 not advised that the four men were safe, and for a time they were presumed lost, but they returned to Akaroa at 10 o’clock this morning and reported for duty.