Driftwood May Be Part Of Boat Missing Since 1931

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29273, 3 August 1960, Page 14

Driftwood May Be Part Of Boat Missing Since 1931

(New Zealand Press Association)

NAPIER, August 2. A piece of driftwood, bearing the letters “CE,” found at Ocean Beach, Napier, last Sunday, may be a clue to the fate of the Advance—a 50ft Napier based fishing vessel, which went missing in 1931. A Napier fisherman Mr George Howell, was aboard the Advance on its last voyage. He was accompanied by two Wanganui fishermen. Mr Howell’s brother, Mr W. Howell, of Hardinge road, Ahuriri, today recalled the circumstances of the ship’s disappearance when he was shown the weather-beaten plank. He said: “My brother was a young chap at the time, about 25

years old, and unmarried. Some time in 1931 the Advance sailed from Napier on a fine, sunny day. But that was' the last that was heard of her. We thought she must have hit a strong southerly round Cape Kidnappers. “There was' a big rescue and search operation. Planes went up and police and search parties combed the beaches but found nothing. Not a thing. It was a real mystery." Mr Howell' said the vessel was based at Napier but was owned by a Wanganui firm. She was being returned to the owners at Wanganui when she went missing. The plank was found among rocks between Cape Kidnappers and Ocean Beach by a Napier fisherman, Mr R. J. Rae. It is five feet long and seven inches wide, with the two letters “CE” in lead. The police believe it is the top plank of the starboard side of a vessel’s bow.