STEAMER'S WHEREABOUTS.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 112, 13 May 1926, Page 9

STEAMER'S WHEREABOUTS.

ANXIETY AT AUCKLAND.

THE SIERRA MORENA.

A MYSTERIOUS S.O.S. CALL.

Anxiety is being felt in local shipping circles owing to the non-arrival at New Plymouth of the Danish steamer Sierra Morena, which left Auckland for the Taranaki port on Saturday morning last. Under ordinary circumstances the vessel should have reached her destination on Monday evening or Tuesday morning.

Owing to the uncertainty of the vessel's whereabouts it is now considered possible that the S.O.S. call picked up at 10 o'clock on Sunday morning by the Union Company's steamer Kartigi may have been sent out by the Danish freighter. When the distress signal was picked up the Kartigi was on her way from Westport to Auckland, in a position approximately 16 miles from Tiri. At the time it waß thought that the call had been sent out as a hoax. "Faint but Unmiitakable Call. In the opinion of the Kartigi's radio operator, the S.O.S. resembled "a call emitted by a Marconi emergency set. Although very faint, the call was unmistakable, and the Auckland station was immediately communicated with. From the city a broadcast message was sent to all vessels within wireless range. , None of these, however, had picked up the strange signal. In reply to an I inquiry from Auckland, the Awanui sta- : tion reported that no message had been ; picked up. | On board the Kartigi preparations i were made to render assistance to a vessel in distress, a full head of steam being kept on the boilers. After much difficulty, the coastal steamer Wainui was communicated with, but she reported "All well." Finally, as no further calls were received, "the Kartigi came into port, arriving early in the afternoon. j The connection between the mysterious S.O.S. and the steamer's non-appear-ance at New Plymouth becomes more feasible when it is known that the Sierra Morena is fitted with only a very low powered wireless set, her range being little more than sixty miles. On her recent voyage from Nauru Island the steamer failed to report the approximate time of her arrival, as is usual with vessels from overseas, making port unexpectedly on the evening of May 1. As the steamer's crew does not include a wireless operator, messages are sent out or picked up oy the officers. Five Days Out From Auckland. At •Auckland the Sierra Morena discharged 5000 tons of phosphate. She was then delayed at this port for two days, during which period her boilers were cleaned. Operations were completed on Saturday morning last, and shortly before noon the steamer sailed for New Plymouth. She was then carrying 1000 tons of phosphate for unloading at the ■ Taranaki port. Provided that she met with no mishap, the Sierra Morena, | which has a speed of about eight knots per hour, should have been in the vicinity of the North Cape when the i Kartigi picked up the S.O.S. on Sunday morning. If this supposition is correct and if it was the Sierra Morena which sent out the call it is strange that the message was not also picked up at the Awanui station. There is, however, a possibility that the steamer broke down before she had been many hours at sea, and therefore would not have proceeded as far as the Cape. Stormy Weather On Coast. During the week-end and on Monday and Tuesday last stormy weather was experienced by vessels at sea. On the West Coast the conditions were particularly severe, the bar harbours of Manukau and Hokianga being rendered unworkable. The wind at times blew with hurricane force, and shipping was disorganised. When in the vicinity of the North Cape the Royal mail steamer Niagara, which failed •to pick up the call heard by the Kartigi, experienced very stormy weather. Under these circumstances it is possible that the Sierra Morena may have been disabled by the storm before rounding the Cape. If so, it is likely that she is now drifting.

A report from New Plymouth at 11 o'clock this morning stated that the Sierra Morena had not yet put in an appearance, and that considerable anxiety was being felt.

The Sierra Morena. which is a singlescrew steamer of 2353 tons gross, was built at Sunderland in 1918. She is commanded by Captain C. Grondal, who has with him a mixed crew numbering 28 all told. Steamers to Keep Look-out. Owing to the possibility that the vessel is now drifting, the Union Compnay have instructed the masters of all the company's steamers leaving Auckland to keep a sharp look-out for the missing freighter. The inter-colonial steamer Marama, which arrived at Auckland from Sydney on Tuesday morning, failed to see any signs of the Danish vessel.

When she left Auckland the Sierra Morena had approximately 200 tons of coal in her bunkers. As the steamer consumes about 30 tons per day. this amount would be sufficient to last her for six days and a-half.

After completing her discharge at New Plymouth the Sierra Morena was to proceed to Westport to replenish her bunkers before going to Australia to load grain for the Continent.