LAUNCH HOLED AND REACHED

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 70, Issue 262, 23 August 1950, Page 5

LAUNCH HOLED AND REACHED

' MISHAP, AT DEVONPORT (PJW , AUCKLAND, This Day. An Auckland salvage crew worked against the- tide this morning in an effort /tb; reqbver the 53-foot ferry launch Tarewai, which was holed and beached in an accident at Devonport shortly after *8 o’clock. The launch was carrying 12 passengers from Rangitoto Island. When close to the wharf steps the . reverse gear failed and the bow was badly stove-in by the force of the impact. The launch began to take in water quickly, and the master, Mr G. Price, made a run for the beach. A number of lifebelts were thrown on to the deck from the wharf, but were not needed. The passengers were fer- • ried ashore in a dinghy without incident. The Tarewai was then lying in five feet of water with the prospect of another one-foot rise before full tide. The engine-room and passenger cabin were flooded. A salvage crew from the Auckland Harbour Board was summoned, but some difficulty was experienced in lifting the launch, which is over 45 * tons of dead weight. Wire slings were put round the hull in attempts to lift the craft from the mud bottom. These were, successful shortly before mid-day and the launch was taken across the harbour for examination and assessment of the damage. The launch, which is owned by Launch Services, will be replaced on the Rangitoto run by the Olivine.