"JUSTIFIED"

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 167, 17 July 1941, Page 8

"JUSTIFIED"

MASTER'S AOION

OWING TO THE WAJ

MISHAP TO WAIMARIIq

(By Telrrraph.—Parliajnentiry r f WELLINGTON, tSTS The Minister of Marine then R. Semple. tn-dav received'the of the Court of Inquiiy whfchS at Auckland recently to inqui« J? tne striking by the steamed marino or some submerged probably a reef, ofi near Timaru. The Court found*!!: the master. Captain \V H. n r® doner, and ihe mate. Mr A.Wiw were justified in taking the'rS they did on account of war^ 5 ditions. ™ Ot -The Court is satisfied that care was taken to courses." stated the report final fix taken from Capp Waniiz Light was correct but, position, the course had not I*2 made good, and we can onlv armS for that by assuming that L3® mal current had set the shinfc As a proper fix could notbeobtahS off Jack s Point, through the being obscured, probably more care should have been tab£ in proceeding, and course should™ have neon altered to the west dtafo fog. but. as under war condifiS it is a masters duty to get into port as soon as possible. ® consider he was justified in tafcm the risk he did. We think theS™ struck a reef in the vicinity IS Patiti Point, and we would mend that a survev be made into vicinity, as the information nvsnh ship masters is verv meagre tata and old. ~

The Minister stated that a comprehensive survey of the «££ coastline of New Zealand was am. meneed in 1939 by the HvdrograSfit Department of the Admiralty!* arrangement with the Govemnai but it had had to be riiavwrtfrZS owing to the war. Mr. Sempleadfa that the survey would be resmaei as soon as circumstances permit It was pointed out that the K* Zealand Nautical Almanac canton specific reference to a reef off Pat* Point.