IN HURRICANE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 104, 4 May 1936, Page 9

IN HURRICANE.

COASTAL MOTOR SHIP.

BULKWARKS SMASHED IN.

FITTINGS CARRIED AWAY.

(By Telegraph.—Press Association.) NEW PLYMOUTH, this day. With most of her portholes stove in, her starboard bulwarks crushed, and all her loose deck fittings carried away, the coastal motor vessel Holmglen arrived at New Plymouth this morning after weathering one of the most severe westerly hurricanes that ever swept the New Zealand coast. The Holmglen left Wellington on Thursday night and had to fight raging seas for 75 hours before she covered the 173 nautical miles to New Plymouth. By Friday afternoon the vessel was battling against the combined force of mammoth seas and a tearing hurricane. Every wave swept over the vessel's deck, which was continually awash rail deep. Laden heavily, the vessel was almost down to her marks in the water, and every crashing wave jarred her with its impact. The stout glass of the portholes was broken and bunks were flooded. The cargo continually shifted and loose fittings were carried away bodily. It was almost impossible for the crew to move from one part of the ship to another. The most serious damage occurred when the starboard bulwarks were stove in and severely damaged.