IN PERIL.

Auckland Star, Volume LXV, Issue 148, 25 June 1934, Page 8

IN PERIL.

TANKER'S ESCAPE. HURRICANE LAST WEEK. DAMAGE BY RAGING SEAS. Buried in raging sear? until at times she appeared like a half-tido rock, and with water pouring through the ventilators into the engine room, the Admiralty tanker Nucula was in danger of'foundering otT the south-east coast of Australia-a week ago, while on a voyage from the Persian Gulf port of Abadan to Auckland. The Nucula arrived at Auckland last evening with obvious signs of the hurricane weather she had encountered. From stem to stern the decks had been raked by tons of water so that fittings throughout were broken or bent. In the deckhouse amidships there were signs of strain visible on the woodwork, the bridge railings were smashed ill, the funnel and ventilators were encrusted with salt, and even up on "monkey island" signs of the rough handling wer-; visible. Stanchions and spars for the awning on the fo'c'sle head had been washed away and the forward ventilators were twisted. On the deck steam pipes were bent from the brackets, and at the stern the side of the butcher's shop was smashed.

"We were very lucky to conic through it," said one of the crew this morning. "Several times at the height of the gale we thought that the old ship had 'gone for keeps,' as it was impossible to heave her to." The Nucula left Abadau on May lo with a full cargo of fuel oil for the cruisers Duncdiii and Diomcdc. For the first two days the weather was fair, but after passing Ceylon they encountered strong south-easterly weather right down to the Leewin on the south-west point of Australia. The weather did not improve when the course was changed to cross the Bight, and after passing "Wilson's Promontory the tanker ran into a howling south-easterly. It was impossible to keep the course, and the Nucula was carried north to within 120 miles of Svdnev before she was hove to.

Lower Bridge omashed. The weather still got worse and on June 17 the climax came. At 1.0 in the morning the tanker was run before the gale,and a sea was shipped which poured through the engine-room hatches until those on watch below wondered when it was going to stop. An hour later another greaf sea" smashed the lower bridge and washed away steam pipe casings on the lower deck.

Daylight came with the tanker battling in big, steep, following sras. During the hours of daylight more damage was done to the dock fittings. On the night of June 18 about 20 feet of the railing of the bridge was carried away. After a night in which there was no sleep for officers or crew, the Nucula was turned head on to a whole gale. The seas were now running higher and tllfl Nucula was awash from end to end, with at times only the poop, midship section, and fo'c'sle head above water for 20 minutes at a stretch.

At 10.0 in the morning the tanker was swept clean of awning spars and stanchions, the eea leaving only iron rails twisted like wire. Those of the crew who were aft had to stay there, owing to risk of trying to negotiate raised gangways, one of which was bent out of shape.

Wheelhouse Awash. That day was one of great peril, and darkness came with gale and sea still raging. Cabins on the saloon deck and even the whcelhouee were awash, and another day broke with low visibility and an angry sea. Water was still being shipped in tons, and during the afternoon a high sea smashed in the side of the navigating bridge and shifted the starboard lifeboat out of the chocks and twisted some heavy steam pipes on the poop. Further damage was done during the night. Wednesday morning, Juno 20, saw the storm abating, and after three days and nights of tempestuous weather the Xucula was once more on her course for Auckland, with still a heavy sea on her quarter.

Worst Ever. Men' with 30 years' experience of the sea said that it was the "worst patch of weather they had known. "Before we turned round into tho storm three big seas in succession came over the top of the fiddley," said one of the crew, "and some of us thought it was the end of all tilings." One of the men on watch was nearly washed "through the railings, and those on the foVstle had the most uncomfortable experience of their lives. Many of them are old naval ratings and ai. were unanimous in saying that they did not expect the tanker to see it out. "We were very glad to see the New Zealand coast," said one. "1 have known when on a destroyer some of the worst weather in the North Sea and the Atlantic,

hut never anything like that, the old Xucula struggled through. She is not pretty to look at, but she proved that she has some floating powers and is hard was stove in-and in a split second he dived for safety.

Down Below. . Through it all the Nucula's engines kept turning over and that saved the S from destruction. For practically tree days and nights the engine room n dfurnace crews were constantly at their posts with a minimum of sleep, Sd Jells snatched as be« they could. At one stage of the storm the masthead electric" light fused and it was necessary to replace it with an oil Ia The Nucula lay quietly in bright sunshine at the wharf at the Navy base to-day, and what she had gone through was as far as the crew was concerned, huickly fading into memory and remimsS It was noticed that just forward of the bridge on the starboard side an iron paravane stanchion, with a diameter of two and a half inches was twisted like a piece of wire. It was an indication of a fight that had passed.