UNLUCKY VOYAGE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 193, 17 August 1939, Page 5

UNLUCKY VOYAGE.

TAMPA ARRIVES IN PORT. ILLNESS AND SHAFT DAMAGE. With tlie First assistant engineer, Mr. James R. White, suffering from an Interna! roiupluint. the American l'i- necr Line motor shiiji Tampa, arrived at Auckland late la~t night. Mr. White was admitted to the Auckland Hospital, where his condition i.s reported to be not serious. Ihe vessel, which was on the way from Sydney to Norfolk, Virginia, was diverted to Auckland to land the sick man and also to enable an inspection to be made of a fault in the propeller shafting, caused during particularly severe weather when approaching the New Zealand coast. The Tampa, laden with cargo from Australian ports for the United States and Canada, left Sydney fill August 6 ou the Pacific crossing. When five davs at sea Mr. White liecame ill and was treated on medical advice given by radio from the doctor of the Dutch" motor shi|> Maetsuvcker. Not wishing to divert the Tampa, the master. Captain V. P. Ark ins, arranged a rendezvous with the British motor tanker Edward E. .Tohnsoti. en route from San Francisco to Auckland, to transfer the engineer and bring him to port. Mountainous seas, however, made it impossible to do this, and tlie two ships, though they sighted each other, proceeded independently to port. Durins the heavy weather a fault occurred in tlie after end of the Tampa's tail-shaft, necessitating a reduction in speed. In conditions of full gale force the American vessel had. at times, to heave-to and at the best averaged only about four knots. When the vessel came to 'anchorage in the stream last night the port health officer, Dr. .T. A. Watson, accompanied by two St. John ambulance officers, took the patient ashore on a stretcher in the launch Presto. An inspection of the tail-shaft of the Tampa was made by a surveyor and it was decided to put the ship into Calliope dock, where the shaft will be removed. It is hoped that the ship will be able to dock to-morrow and sail early next week.