STRANDING OF THE WAKATU.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 18185, 23 September 1924, Page 13

STRANDING OF THE WAKATU.

NAUTICAL ENQUIRY. Tht- EU-mjditig of tlio Wakatu ucir Kaikours on September sth was considered yesterday at an enquiry held by Mr Wyvern Wil*on, S.M., with Captains lidwards and Prydo, of Lyttclion, es assessor'. Mr G. Harper represented tho owners of the ship, the Wakatu Shipping Company, Ltd., Mr A. W. Brown appeared for the Marine Department, Mr E. K. K.rkcaldic (Wellington) for the sna-tcr, Captain D. Robinson, and My W. J. S ra for the engineer ■and file engineering 3taff. Thj evidence cf the a'j;e scanian who was eleering when tho vessel struck was put m by Mr Brown.

Albert Join Piggot ?aid ho was at the wheel from 4 a.m. to 6 a., in. It was & daifs morning, and tho weather bcixme Wisty a'pout 4.30. The southern course was continued till the vessel 'stranded'. Ho had received no instructions to alter tho course.

Captain's Statement. David Robinson, mai-trr of the Wakatu, said tho vessel left 'Wellington at S p.m. on September nth There was a tstronsr, boisterous nor'-wester. the Straii tho courso wap S.S.W., and the vessel wa<3 making a speed of seven or oight knots. This w-as her uau-4l speed. At 2 a.m. ho over command from the mate. The wind then was S.E., aad there were thick, misty showers of rain. At that time the wind was retarding tho vessel to about six and a half knot*. At 3 a.m. the course was S.S.W., and at 2.20 ho altered the course to south by west. At twenty-five minute 3 later, the course wm altered to south. From ? a.m. onwards tho weather became thicker right up to the tirfle the vessel struck.. The fist ho- kriew of the stranding wis when tbo vessel heeled right over. He immediately stopped hei, and sept up detresr? rockets when ho saw ho was on tbo beach. Tho vessel ptruelt at 5 a.m. It became daylight at £.30 *.m., and ho cmuld then p'a nlv eeo the beach. Tho Vessel was lying bvoadsida on. fb?i crew woi?t ashoro op a rope, there bcirig "no nocessirj- to launch ho.ata. Oa tlje' a.ea. there was a fairly hc* v >' easterly toUV At low '.Tatcr tho Vessel wafl high and dry, and it waa necessary to us<j an anchor. At 2 p.i»). tho -won 1 !: of salving the cargo was started. When he kit saw Caiie Campbell light tho vessel -would h° f° lu ' <t fvi» miles away. When he Basv Capo Campbell he did not take a compass bearing. He did not think this necessary when bo could sec the light. Ho thought \io was six miles ofi land at the tim<? tlie vessel struck. Ho judged that by vthtiii tho mate told him when he took over at 2 a.m. Tho only roason ho could IfivQ for the '.es3rj getting oijt of the course was tl»t alio was carried inshore by a stronj"easterly sv:cll. He had had a telepram frota lvaikoura tho d.iy before stating that there was sudi a Evroll on.'

Tq Mr gim: When the vessel struck ho sent the message "stop'' to tho engino r-OiOtn. It had been reported in tho papers that be had given ' the, order astern," hut that was wrong, and ho had sinco contradicted it in the papers.

Seaman's Evidence. William Harold Roberts, an able seaman in thf> Wakatu, snid he was at tho wheel from 8 until 10 p.m. on the fifth. Ho was given a S.S.W. course, and kept that direction until ho had been ro'icrcd shortly oftir getting' outside Wellington heads. Ho was relieved by Piggot, and gave him that cwjiirt. When next witness lisd taken cvtit the wheel at 2 a.m. ho had been, told tq keep tho S.S.W. course About 20 minutes after" this tho vessel wns abreast of We'4's' Cone, an 4 shortly afterwards lie master had' etated that, as tho weather was becoming thiciker, he would alter the courso. a point. This mado it a southerly course—•ono which witness had steered until he'had been relieved at 4 a.m. The weather wa? therii thick and it had been niininfr' hard since l 3 a.m. Witness had gone bejow to out about 5 a.m. had been roused by an order for all hand s to go on deck and put their lifebelts on. To Kirketjldic:' There was .a heavy easterly'na qnd a strong eoulh-eaet breeze. He thought ho had seen aomstli ng- like 'and gibout i aljc.. but would riot swear that 'it wis' land.' "Ho cculd ia<r.t have identified it as' land. "_ ' James P OTC dI, ensrincer in the Wakatu, paid tho engines of the vessel were in first'running order. " He' had boon in the chgine-rob'm until J.4s"dn'tho morning of tlje' wreeji:, and that time had gone ta : bed. lie had remained in bed until the veasel heeled over, and had then' rushed along to the epgine-room, where he receives! the order to stop tho engines. Tho nest order which ciuno d°wn was to stand by the boata with lifebelts on. Witness had gone ashore about G a.m. When he had gained the deck it was. raining and a 6 trong easterly sea was running. . Thomas Tackney,' fireman in the Wakatu, said ho had g«ne on duty at midnight after leaving Wellington, and ha'd remained on duty'-until the. vessel struck. The ehsrineer had been in his rooin when eibe had heolea over, and almost immediately the order had corpc down to. etop. ' The engineer had been on tho scene before the order-to stop had come down.

Addresses by Counsel. Mr Harper, on behalf of tho Wakatu Shipping. Company, stated that the owner* had Ho Insurance-' on the vessel. William Edwin Fuller, secretary for tho Wakitu Steamship Company and agent for Levin ano) Co., said the firsi-named company was -the owner of the vessel. It had a capital of £iCX>O odd. No insurance had been set aside for hor. The day beforo the vessel sailed witness had received word that Kaikoura could not bo worked on account pf an easterly swell. At all events, the master was going to have a .00k at tb.o port to sco if he could work it. Mi- Sim sa-jd' there could bo nothing said ou behalf of the cn b 'inc-room staff, because there could he no imputatior. that there had been any carelessness, on their behalf. ' slr Eirkcaldio eaid t&a-t on thia ocoaoion the vessel's' lons could bo attributed only to B lt«*r rn-aadventurc. It could not be said that it was due to negligence oti the port of the master. The captain at the last kno*n point of dopartm-e knew where ho was, a.nd if the course set from that point had been followed without deviation it would ii*vo brought tho vessel within eight miles of tbo wh * re sha Ms attributed the deviation of tho vesael to the'strong easterly roll which, witli n. combination of other chcnmstanccs, had forced "the vessel ashore. ..'...■ , Mr Brown said the master of this vessel 1-ftd no log on the voyage. At Weld's Cona he could have fixed bis position with somo exactitude, he bad not dorc_ bo. Mr Wilaon said the Court would maKe iw jeTJOrt to the Minister in. due coujso.