Japanese Trawler Lands Sick Member Of Crew

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29272, 2 August 1960, Page 16

Japanese Trawler Lands Sick Member Of Crew

(New Zealand Press Association)

AUCKLAND, August 1. The Japanese fishing trawler, Miho Maru No. 15, came Into Auckland today to put a sick member of her crew ashore. Heizo Misaki, aged 52, a deck hand, walked off the ship and was taken to hospital by ambulance. The master of the trawler, Captain Bunichi Makita, through an Auckland interpreter, said that his ship had been seeking tuna 70 miles off East Cape. The deck hand became ill a week ago, and when his condition became worse it was decided to run for a port. The duration of the trawler's stay will depend upon a hospital report on the sick man's condition. If he is likely to be detained in hospital for any length of time, the ship will resume fishing and come back later to pick b'.m up.

Of 309 gross tons and 140 ft long, the Miho Maru No. 15, carries a crew of 30. She has been fishing off East Cape for eight days, and in that time, according to Captain Makita, has caught 1200 tuna. The ship’s capacity is 4000 tuna, and when this number has been caught she will return to Japan. The fishing, Captain Makita said, had been good. He said the Miho Maru No. 15, which is owned by the Yaizu Enyo Gyogyo Company, of Shizuoka prefecture, was operating alone and had no mother ship. It was the second time she had fished off the coast of New Zealand.

Captain Makita said he had no knowledge of the missing Japanese fishing trawlers for which the Royal New Zealand Air Force had been searching.