DEPARTURE OF ENDEAVOUR

Press, Volume XCIV, Issue 28154, 18 December 1956, Page 16

DEPARTURE OF ENDEAVOUR

Auster Aircraft Damaged WING TIP HITS NEARBY SHIP

Misfortune marred the departure of the New Zealand Antarctic supply ship Endeavour from Lyttelton late last evening. As she manoeuvred in a confined space between the wharf and the overseas ship Huntingdon, the starboard wing of the Auster floatplane lashed at the stern, struck the Huntingdon.

There was a tearing, breaking sound as the wing-tip scraped along the hull. Sir Edmund Hillary, who with other members of the party was watching the departure, looked grim and pursed his lips, and spectators gasped in

dismay. Leaving a red mark along the hull of the Huntingdon, the Endeavour moved slowly out. Squadron Leader John Claydon. leader of the R.N.Z.A.F. flight, said that the engineer of the expedition. Sergeant L. W. Tarr, aboard the Endeavour. would inspect the damage at first light today. “During the voyage to Dunedin he will get in touch with me by radio, and I will also get in touch with the R.N.Z.A.F. station at Taieri,” said Squadron Leader Claydon. “I hope to arrange for a party from the station to go aboard at Dunedin to assess the damage.” Squadron Leader Claydon said he hoped that the aircraft could be repaired by the time the Endeavour was ready to sail from Bluff. Asked whether the ship might be delayed, he said, “Not necessarily.” Sir Edmund Hillary, who was expected to leave in the Endeavour last evening, will fly to Dunedin today but will not join the ship until it reaches Bluff. Some other members of the party will travel with their wives, also to join the ship at Bluff. Sir Edmund Hillary said he did not wish to comment on the mishap to the aircraft until he knew the extent of the damage. Just before the accident, three cheers were given for the party at the call of the Mayor of Lyttelton (Mr F. G. Briggs). The departure was watched by the Chief of the Naval Staff (Rear-Admiral J. E. H. McBeath), who was on the shjp a few minutes before it sailed at 11.25 p.m. MESSAGE FROM EARL OF HOME The Rt. Hon. the Earl of Home, Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations in Great Britain, has seni the following message to the New Zealand element of the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic expedition. “I send you my hearty good wishes for your success in your expedition All of us in the United Kingdom will follow with lively interest the fortunes of the New Zealand element of the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic expedition? Good luck to you all.’’