STEERING GEAR DEFECT

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25305, 3 October 1947, Page 8

STEERING GEAR DEFECT

TAMAHINE SHEERS IN TORY CHANNEL

PROMPT ACTION BY MASTER

(P.A.) BLENHEIM, October 2. When the Tamahine, bound from Wellington to Picton, was entering Tory Channel from Cook Strait yesterday afternoon a defect developed in the steering gear, and the steamer took a sudden sheer to port. The master, Captain Meatyard, acted promptly to extricate his ship from the narrow entrance.

The Tamahine, carrying 65 passengers. was riding fairly high with a light cargo. She was making three-quarter speed in a rough, following sea. She swept in from the Strait toward the narrow rock-flanked entrance, and when almost squarely in the passage the steering defect developed. The ship took a violent sheer to port, and, headed for the point of West Head. According to eye-witnesses, Captain Meatyard, who was on the bridge, handled the emergency with great coolness and skill. Instantly aware from the ship’s quick swing that there was a steering-gear defect, Captain Meatyard ordered the engines full astern. For a moment the crisis lasted until it became apparent that the vessel was slowly responding to the pull of the threshing screws. Then the bows were manoeuvred round on a course for the open sea and safety. Very few of those on board knew at the time that anything was amiss. For the next 45 minutes the Tamahine was under strict test well off-shore in an endeavour to trace the defect. Whatever had momentarily caused the water pressure control of the steering to be lost, however, had remedied* itself. for the mechanism behaved perfectly. Discussing the incident, Captain Meatyard said he had kept the ship well clear of land until he was satisfied that nothing more was wrong. The manoeuvring that was carried out. he added, had probably caused an impression among the passengers that several attempts had been made to enter the sound, but that was not correct.

Captain Meatyard said that at the time the tide had been flowing in through the entrance, and it was this that had caused the Tamahine to take a sheer.