MORE WRECKAGE FROM REO MOANA FOUND

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28986, 29 August 1959, Page 14

MORE WRECKAGE FROM REO MOANA FOUND

l A etc Zealand Press Association)

INVERCARGILL, August 28. The discovery today of more wreckage from the missing fishing launch. Reo ■ Moana on a beach near Bluff has dashed the hopes of finding the vessel and her crew of three. Searchers on the beach found a deflated lifebelt with the words “Reo Moana, Dunedin,” on it, two more hatch covers—one was recovered yesterday—a pillow, a shoe, planking from a dinghy, a pair of oars, a boat hook and a pond board (a plank used in the holds of fishing boats to separate fish). The Reo Moana went missing on the journey from Chalky inlet on the Fiordland coast to Port Chalmers, which was her home base. She was captained by Rhett Grennell, of Port Chaim-

ers, and Robert Owens, aged 28, of Ranfurly, and Robert Corcoran, aged 17, of Woodend, Southland, were the members of the crew. At 7.30 p.m. on Monday the boat called at Centre Island and left some time later. She called another launch by radio at 9.30 p.m. and has not since been heard of. Bluff fishermen feel that something, perhaps a sudden blow, put the boat off course, and ran her * on to a rock, holing her badly enough to sink before a distress call could be made The weather was rough at the time. The search of the area will be continued again tomorrow. x Aircraft and fishing boats have been taking part in the search. Today four Devons from Wigram were in the air for a total of 30 hours and covered 20.000 square miles of sea in the search. On Thursday, three Devons from Wigram and a Harvard from Taieri were engaged in the search. Several other aircraft have also taken part.