NAVIGATION AIDS

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25332, 4 November 1947, Page 6

NAVIGATION AIDS

MARINE DEPARTMENT’S PROGRAMME INSTALLATION OF RADIO BEACONS (P.A.) WELLINGTON, Nov. 3. A programme of Marine Department works to aid navigation was outlined to-day by the Secretary of Marine (Mr W. C. Smith). He said the programme was largely drawn up by the department’s former nautical adviser, Captain W. Whiteford, who has just retired. So far, full radio beacons had been installed at Cape Reinga, Cuvier Island, Moko Hinau .off Great Barrier), Baring Head, Cape Campbell, Stephen’s Island, and Puysegur Point and manually controlled beacons at Portland Island (Hawke’s Bay) and Tiri Tiri (at the entrance to Auckland harbour).

For the future the department, the Merchant Services’ Guild, and the New Zealand Shipowners’ Federation had agreed on full radio beacons to replace manually controlled ones. There would be new installations at Godley Head, East Cape, and possibly Akaroa.

A chain of 11 wireless telephone stations would be established, enabling ships at sea with installations to keep in touch for the full length of the New Zealand coastline. This would assist navigation and also be valuable commercially to shipowners. Twenty automatic lights would be installed in order of priority. Preliminary work had already begun on the first three, which were at Slope Point (near Bluff), Motuara Island (near Picton), and Point Gibson (on the North Canterbury coast, near where the Kaiwarra wag wrecked). The next ones would be st Cape Kidnappers, Cape Farewell, Ohau Point. Slipper Island (Coromandel), Kapiti Island, and Great Barrier' Island. There would be additions at the Wellington heads.