Survey Ship Buffeted By Cook Strait Gales

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28446, 28 November 1957, Page 10

Survey Ship Buffeted By Cook Strait Gales

(New Zealand. Press Association)

WELLINGTON, November 27. The survey ship Lachlan returned to Wellington this morning from a most trying survey task on which she was severely battered by storms and high seas in the Cook Strait-Cape Farewell area. Her captain. Commander F. W. Hunt, R.N, gave these details of what could virtually be described as a nightmare voyage. In eight days at sea on an assignment covering the Cape Farewell-Stephens Island area, the frigate struck a full gale every day. In Awaroa Bay, she crossed her anchor cables. They took hours to untangle and this work was carried out in a gale gusting to 90 knots. Telling the story of the stormy trip in his own words, Commander Hunt said: “A whaler’s crew collecting mail from the I shore failed to make it back to ship and the whaler had to be i towed off shore by the survey launch Takapu. “The Lachlan has dragged her anchor, been off a lee shore, and clawed off the land just in time. Ship-sounding has been‘difficult—to put it mildly—with decks awash fore and aft. “The one redeeming feature of the trip has been a fine Sunday afternoon in the lee of Tonga Island when fishing, swimming and hunting parties from our ship rushed ashore,” he said. “Lachlan’s crew has risen to all emergencies.” said Commander Hunt. New Zealand and the Navy could be proud of the way his crew had carried on their work and withstood the elements on this trip. He said that when the wind was blowing furiously out in Cook Strait, one rating remarked: “All we need now is a

snowstorm and we’ll have had the lot.” Because of the storm, the Lachlan returned to Wellington today two days befoie she was due. She lyill spend these two days carrying out repairs.

More than half the ship’s company of the frigate will go on week-end leave from Friday to Monday and the Lachlan will leave Wellington at 11 a.m. on Monday to continue her survey assignment.