ALLEGATIONS

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue LXIX, 21 September 1938, Page 12

ALLEGATIONS

"CREW LEFT!"

NO ORDER GIVEN.

INQUIRY EVIDENCE.

WHEN TE AWHINA WAS HOLED.

CAPTAIN PROBERT'S STORY

Allegations that when the tug was tioied by tlie propellers of the motor • hip F.escx in Auckland liarliour on August 11. and he had fried to take her tr> tho shallow water off Ifnbson wharf tho members of the crew, with the exception of two deck hand, had left her without orders from him were made by tho captain of the Tc Awhitia, Captain I). TV '"nibert, at the opening of the Mnriiiii Court of [ncpiity this morning.

Hβ made other serious allegations • lwo.

Mr. W. ft. M.-Koan, S.M.. presided and the nautical <m«es«orn were Captain H. R. Hughes, of Devonport, and Captain R. J. Hamilton, of the Bluff. The engineer assessor was Mr. W. H. Parker, of Auckland.

Mr. Allan J. Moody appeared for the master of the tug, Captain D. Probert; Dr. N. A. Foden, represented the Marine Department; Mr. H. £. Barrowclough, the Auckland Harbour Board; Mr. C. P. Finlay, the harbourmaster, Captain H. H. Sergeant and the pilot, Captain W. O. Kelsey; Mr. L. P. Leary, the chief nfflcer and. captain of the Essex; Mr. C. P. Richmond, the New Zealand Shipping Company, and Mr. F. D. Baxter, the acting chief engineer and second engineer of the tug. Captain Willcox, the Superintendent of th* Marine Department at Auckland, was also present, a* was Captain H. H. Sergeant, harbourmaster at Auckland. Struck by a Propeller. At the time of the mishap Te Awhina wa« assisting to berth the Federal Line motor ship Ewe>x. She was struck by the starboard propeller of the Essex. The master of the tug, Captain Probert, wu able to get his vessel to shallow water off the Western Viaduct before sh« sank. Subsequently the tug was raised, and put on the Harbour Board'* •llpway for repairs. It has' sine* been refloated.

Prior to the commencement of the inquiry the members of the Court and interewttd counsel made a visit of inspection to the tag , . An interesting model lay-out of the wharves in the harbour was also brought into me, with wooden models of the Essex, the tugs, Te Awhlna, and William C. Daldy, the Monterey, Strathmver and tno Marsma for purpose* of illustration. AJI were scale models, and have been need by the Harbour Board at various time* when questions of wharf Sffe have been under discuvsioa. Plans and chart* were also in use. Tag Matter's Kety. Captain' Probert, master of tKe Te Awhina, was the first witness called. Examined by Or. Foden he said tout on August 11 he left Queen's wharf and proceeded out to the motor ship Essex on tli« starboard quarter. The Te A whin* had • Jead line from her bow to the Essex About 100 ft from the stern, at tho second bollard. The tug was at right-angles to the obip. The Essex was making, or Central wharf, and wm coming in- slowly under steam. "When I came alongside the Essex I approaehed *t a slight «Pglt, Its* than 45deg., and my objeet then wa« to keep the tug at right angles, a* near ns possible to the ship.- If the ehip is moving fast 1 might not be able to do that. The object of this Is either to push on or pull off as required." The bow of the Essex was well inside the entrance of Central wharf when he received the order from the pilot to pull off. The William C. Daldy was forward. ' Both tugs were practically at right angle*. The tide was coming down almost broadside on to the ship, at at leaet a rate of a knot and a half. Tides in Auckland were very .erratic, and could not be depended on around the wharves. This one was "preesing" the vessel towards the corner of the Wharf.

The construction of Queen's wharf increased the difficulties in bringing a Home vessel into Central wharf. AJI the wharves were built across the tiile,

and at certain time* this increased the

difficulty. Ordinary tides were 10ft and spring tides 12ft. At times there was a throe-knot tide off Queen's wharf. Local eddies increased the difficulties of tug masters. On thin occasion the task was an ordinary one, with no more then the usual difficulties. The Harbour Board pilot, Captain KiUer, was on the bridge of the Essex directing operations. The order to pull off was given because the E**ex was setting down on Central wharf. There wu no delay on the pilot's part in giving the direction. Witness then sent hie starboard engine, which had been going full ahead to full astern, and kept on the port . engine, which had been going full ahead, to full noticed the starboard propeller of the Essex going ahead, and assumed that an order had been given for the E«wex to go ahead—keeping her stern up from the wharf. "ran Afeeafl Starboard." "The big ship started to move ahead My tug started to lose her position a 1 right angles. I Immediately rang foi full ahead starboard. Mγ helm was hare aport all the time. My endeavour was t< regain my previous position. This dk

not produce the desired effect. My ship still continued to fall off. I rang for double steam. The Kssex was moving ahead faster meantime. I believe the order hnd been given for full speed uhend starboard on the Essex. '"That "'tuntion increased the difficulties of the tug's position and in the result I was unable to regain my original position. Tidal Difficulty. "In mv judgment had there been flood ti<le there would have lieen no accident. The tup foil i n alongside the starboard

sic!.' of the Ks.-cx. My port was going full ahead ami my starboard proi>eller was going full astern at double speed."

"Then I hoard the rattle of the propeller on the tug's side. The Essex was a light shij). 1 have friiiop learned the f «r-.] .i'i lfi-i wore only submerged seven feel under the water. Had she been

lii'Mvicr in thu water hvr propellers would not have come in contact with the tii?.' . There wore many factors to think of when ii tug master was going alongside a ship.

"I had a ship that was well known for her bad steering qualities. I am talking of the tug. That is my own experience and of others." "Greatest Bugbear." There were tidal influences, the direction of the wind, and, "the greatest bugbear of all," the propellers of the ship, which created a situation, of going fast or slow, which no tug-master could eomlwt. It was more difficult to take a tow at the stern than at the bow. It was the more dangerous end of the ship, Tha was the more powerful. "The lower-powered sliip should not be stationed at the after end," he said. "For two year* I have been looked on as the after tug. A certain incident occurred when I was forward ou.an American ship and the Daldy was aft. The Daldy got into some difficulty with the American ship, and from that day to thie I have been the after tug." -Vo official direction had been given to hia knowledge, "but the Daldy was the faster ship and "I simply follow her. He goes in forward and I go aft. I can't explain apart from that incident." Engines of Essex Stopped. The next incident of consequence in the etory of the accident wan, said witness, that the engines of the P.ssex were stopped. Witness had given no signal to the Ks.icx to stop her engines. The tug got free of the Essex when the engines stopped. There was no r.ignal eyetem that witness knew of between ship and tug. Frequently, the tug fell alongside the vessel, but no damage had previously been unstained. The pilot gave hand signals from the ship to the tug, but there was no developed system of communication beyond certain sigmito — a sign by hand given by the pilot to push off or pull in, and a whistle blast on an occasion of emergency. At night the pilot gave orders to the second officer, w"ho called to the tug. Witness also had a whittle, but had no occasion to June it. If the whistle was blown it would not have done any good to express emergency except to attract attention.

"I. had other things to think of, and on thie occasion I did not give any signal. It would not have been any good.

When Crew left. "I immediately gave order* for the boat to be cast off, turned my ehip round, and headed towards Queen'e w,harf. About 100 yards off Queen's wharf the engine* stopped. The distance between Queen's wharf and Central wharf in, I understand, 350 feet. The engines stopped without my order*. My last orders were, 'Full epeed ahead both.'

"The engines were stopped, but not by me," eaid witness. "The tug collided with the end of Queen's wharf and damaged her bow fender. The Harbour Board launch was lying on the corner of Queen's wharf. Some members of the crew were calling, "Tie her up to Queen'* wharf,' others were saying, •She'll blow up. , I was calling for the launchtnen to take my ehip in tow. The Ferro took Uβ in tow and towed us to a istance about half-way between Queen'e and Prince , * wharves. They were *till calling, some , of my crew, to tie her up at Prince's wharf and that ehe wm eure to blow up. "Doors Janmed." "One was most emphatic that she would capsize. When we were halfway between the two wbarve* the launch Presto came alongside. The engineer came to me and I asked him what about the watertight door*. He eaid, 'I can't close them. They are jammed.' He **id to me, 'She i« a moral to blow up,' and 'You hud better come with us in the launch.' I noticed the two engineers and the fireman with their personal effect* under their arms. The mate went aboard the Ferro as soon as she came along. The mate was the firet person to leave the tug and go aboard the Ferro. I *aw him aboard the Ferro when she left the tug's side. "The mate went aboard the Ferro without any instruction from me and lie wan the only member of the tug's company that I saw aboard the Ferro when ehe was passing the end of Queen's wharf. Mate's Action. "The mate deserted the ship at a critical time by going on the Ferro aa soon as she came alongside," said Captain Probert. "There was no necessity for the mate to take the line aboard." Mr. McKean: He went aboard. That's 'all we want to knov-