S.O.S. CALL.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 151, 27 June 1936, Page 10

S.O.S. CALL.

'ASHORE ON ROCKS' STEAMER MAGNOLIA. WRECK NEAR JAPAN. MARIPOSA PICKS UP SIGNALS. A' dramatic ending to her rough passage across the Tasman was provided for the Pacific liner Mariposa by the picking up of jan S.O.S. signal at 5.5 a.m. to-day, as the vessel was approaching Auckland. The .distress message, which was deciphered by the ship's radio operator, stated that the steamer Magnolia was ashore on rocks near Ross Island, south of Japan. The vessel was leaking badly and was appealing by radio for another ship to stand by. The first message was picked up at good strength from the Hongkong radio station, the call sign of which is VPS. This signal was: "Following distress message received from s.s. Magnolia (W.N.F.U.), 'Ashore south end Ross Island; forward end of ship hard and fast; gasolene tanks holed; leaking badly.' " Another ' message, relayed from a ship, whose call letters were GLKW, stated, "S.s. Magnolia ashore and in distress at Ross Island. Want someone to stand by." The Auckland radio station picked signals at the same time this morning, but they were too weak to be deciphered. The Auckland station, accordingly, called the Mariposa and the messages were relayed to Auckland. No further signals of any description were received to-day by the Auckland station. It was stated that Japan and its environs were too far distant for wireless, signals to be received in daylight sufficiently powerfully for .them to be deciphered in Auckland. Five 5.0.5.'8 in Weeic. • The S.O.S. from the Magnolia is the fifth distress signal that has been picked up by the Mariposa within the past seven days. The other messages received were those from the Danish vessel Stanford, which went ashore on African Reef, not far distant from Fre- • mantle, West Australia, and from the freighter Mungana, which was disab'ed owing to a broken shaft some 200 miles from Adelaide. Two ships went to the aid of the Mungana in response to the appeals for "stand-by," and these, in turn, grounded and got into difficulties. Thus a further two S.O.S. messages were sent out.

The Mariposa has three radio operators, who work in shifts, and thus there is always one on duty. It is now compulsory for all ships running in Australian coastal waters to carry wireless apparatus.