A WAR INCIDENT RECALLED

Press, Volume LXXIII, Issue 21992, 16 January 1937, Page 14

A WAR INCIDENT RECALLED

ESCAPE OF COUNT FELLX

VON LUCKNER

RANGI. REPORTED SCOW MOA'S

STRANGE BEHAVIOUR

[THE PRESS Special Service.]

AUCKLAND!, (January 15. The Rangi, which was built in Auckland in 1905, was owned by the Ley-land-O'Brien Timber Company. Ltd., Auckland, which bought her from F. M. Winstone, Ltd., in 1918. Since then she has been engaged almost exSrs£3£spK§ ffilf&d not only vessX of her W t a ype° but also through her rotation as* a useful, safe, and St nur y in| h the war. when the Rangi and anStaS scow, the Moa, were, beating uSthf coast to Tauranga. the crew, of "he Rangi suddenly noticed that the Moa had changed her course, and later it was found that the other scow had boarded by Count Felix von Luckne? who had just escaped from the Motuihi Island internment camp. The Rangi reported the incident without delal, to the authorities in Auckland, and von Luckner was eventually captured at the Kermadec Islands. The master of the Rangi Captain P. J Petersen, had been in charge of the scow for the last 12 years, and enioyed a considerable reputation as being a skilful, steady, and thorough "efman. He had been at ffa almost continuously since he was 11 years of age, and had made hundreds of trips in the Rangi for the Leyland-OB.rien Timber Company. Captain Petersen and Messrs Helgesen, de Faire, ana Masort were friends as well as shipmates, and the houses of Captain Petersen, Mr Mason, and Mr W. D. Wood-, roffe, father of Donald Woodroffe are within a few doors of one another. Messrs Helgesen and de Faire were also close friends. The young man who was the nitn member of the crew was signed on by Captain Petersen at the wharf in place of a young man who had obtained a berth on another vessel. . Captain Petersen was married, and had three sons and two daughters. Helgesen had been Captain Petersen s mate for several years, and he. too, had followed the sea fairly regularly since he came to New Zealand. De Faire, the ship's cook, had lived a very roving life, and had served on many ships and also as a cook in camps in the country.