READY FOR SEA AGAIN

Press, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23232, 20 January 1941, Page 8

READY FOR SEA AGAIN

KOMATA’S CREW

RETURNS WELCOME FROM PRIME MINISTER (FBESS ASSOCIATION TBLEOKAJI.) WELLINGTON. January 18. “I can assure you we are all ready to put to sea again. don’t think they put the wind up us,” said Captain W. Fish in reply to a welcome extended by the Prime Minister (the Rt. Hon. P. Fraser) to a party of German raider victims, including most of the survivors of the Komata and two passengers, one a. woman, from the Rangitane. who have arrived in New Zealand. Captain Fish was master of the Komata. ... Mr Fraser welcomed them on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand and said he was sorry that the general pleasure felt at their safe arrival was marred by the fact that two officers of the Komata lost their lives. The party consisted of 26 of the 31 survivors of the Komata and two from the Rangitane. ~ Interviewed, they told dramatic stories of the attack by two German raiders on the lost vessels and the subsequent treatment of the survivors on the ships up to being put ashore on Emirau Island. • On arrival they were met by a party of detectives, who took long statements from each. Officers of the Internal Affairs Department were also present to attend to immediate financial and other needs and to make arrangements for transport of members of the party to their homes. Mr Fraser was accompanied by the Hon. W. E; Parry. Dr. D. G. McMillan, and the Hon. H. T. Armstrong. Prime Minister’s Address Referring to the death of the Komata’s first officer (Mr T. A. Mack), Mr Fraser said he had known him since he was a boy, and it was a matter of great distress to him that he had had to send a message to his father. The second officer (Mr J. L. Hughes) he did not know, but from all he had heard he, too, was a very fine man. He was sorry to Lear that Captain Fish had been wounded and also that some of the crew had suffered from malaria. Mr Fraser expressed deep sympathy with the parents and relatives of the two officers who lost their lives. Short addresses were given by the other Ministers. Mr Parry said that everything possible would be done for the survivors and their families. In saying they did not think the raiders had “put the wind up them,’ Captain Fish appealed to the crew, who gave an affirmative chorus. Captain Fish paid a tribute to the splendid spirit shown by the women taken prisoner, both on the raiders and on Emirau Island. He said they put up with hardships and never complained. Germans’ Boast A woman survivor, MrsP. J. Jeffrey, the wife of a steward in the Rangitane, was told by the Germans that her native country was no more. She retorte'd that she was going back to find out for herself and added: “Anyhow, your Germany is no more.” The Germans, she said, boasted that the Rangitiki was next on the list. They were quite confident that the war would be over within two months. For three days she was kept a prisoner on the Narvik with 15 other women—seven English escorts and eight Polish stewardesses. They had no fresh air at that time, except on the second night when she, and others, were allowed, to attend the funeral of one of the escorts. The next afternoon they were Informed that they were being transferred to the Tokyo Maru as the Narvik was not safe for women. On the Tokyo Maru, which had other prisoners from the Narvik and the Manyo Maru aboard, they were well treated. The officers gave up their cabins for the women. Mrs Jeffrey shared a two-berth cabin "with three other women. Others wpre accommodated in the dining room on camp beds and some were put on the top deck. “Victories” Celebrated The Germans were quite courteous, and the only complaint about the food was the lack of variety and the presence of weevils. In 23 days on the ship they had no water, drinks consisting of cold tea without milk or sugar and coffee in the morning. The crew always became marvellously drunk when Germany had scored a "victory.” said Mrs Jeffrey, which seemed to occur about twice a week. The liquor included punch and champagne. Most of the German officers were merchantmen and all she met spoke perfect English. She said there was a prize crew ready to take the Rangitane, but when the captain disobeyed the order not to send an SOS the Germans opened fire. Members of the Komata’s crew who arrived are:—Captain Fish, no New Zealand address; Mr N. McGregor, third officer (Whangarei); Mr E. H. Ward, radio operator (Auckland); leading A.B. R. Homes (Sandringham); A.B.’s S. Fraser, B. Hunter, P. Lester (Auckland); J. Preston, D. Macdonald, S. Hoy (Wellington); D. Urquhart (Port Chalmers); deck boy, A. Saunders (Auckland); fourth engineer, A. M. Brown (Auckland); leading greaser A. C. Estrop (Auckland)- greasers N. Heron, F, Burton (Auckland); oil burners G. Spence and A. Brown (Auckland), ' T. Duke (Lyttelton); wiper W. Brown (Auckland); chief steward W. Searle (Wellington); assistant steward F. Sleath (Auckland); chief cook C. Foss (Auckland); assistant cook J. Headington (Auckland); chief engineer ft.. Macdonald (Auckland); second engineer E., M. Denby (Auckland). The two passengers from the Rangitane were Mrs .Jeffrey and Mr A. E. Hayer, of Wellington. HELP FOR RAIDER’S VICTIMS CREW OF KOMATA EXPRESSES APPRECIATION (FBSSS ASSOCIATION TKLBOBAU.) WELLINGTON. January 18. The Komata’s chief engineer (Mr A. Macdonald) expressed warm praise for the help and comfort provided for raider victims by Mr and Mrs Cook and Mr and Mrs Collett, of Emirau Island. .His praise was endorsed by Mrs P. J. Jeffrey. Mr Macdonald said that the Komata’s crew was first taken on board the raider Manyu Maru, but was transferred to the supply ship Tokyo Maru. The captors treated the crew well. The food was sufficient, but not very good. He did not think there was anything better available on the ship. Referring to the assistance given to the survivors in Sydney by the staff of the New Zealand Government office, he specially mentioned the work of Messrs W. Taylor and R. Inglis. “They did everything possible for us. They provided us with pocket money and accommodation, arranged credits for us at stores, where we could obtain any needed clothing," he said. Similar praise was given by Mr P. Lester, an able seaman, who said he

had been asked by the ship’s company to pay a tribute to the New Zealand Government representatives in Sydney.

The raider approached the Komata as a peaceful merchantman and the crew of the ship had no inkling of her real nature until she was close in, said Mr A. C. Estrop, leading greaser, who saw the attack take dace. When the attack was made the ship changed character with great rapidity. The civil crew of the raider disappeared from the deck as naval officers and ratings appeared, and armament was revealed as if the guns had been brought from below by lifts. The boarding party was well trained and carried implements for opening safes and lockers. They made prize of anything likely to be useful to them. He did not know how the raider approached the Turakina, but it was obvious that she put up a good fight. He had seen a number of wounded Germans in the hospital of the raider, some badly smashed up by the Turakina’s shellfire. There were many narrow escapes in the shelling of the Komata. One shell actually passed right through the galley. The bridge was struck and some boats suffered from shell splinters and shrapnel. One of the boats was actually only afloat long enough to reach the raider and permit the men to get aboard. Eight shells were stated to have been fired at the Komata, arriving two at a time. She had ho chance and had to submit.