SHIP BEACHED NEAR WARD

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30279, 4 November 1963, Page 12

SHIP BEACHED NEAR WARD

Rudder Damaged By Striking Object (New Zealand Prese Association) BLENHEIM, November 3. With her rudder badly damaged after striking an unknown object off the Marlborough east coast, near Ward, the 200-ton steam trawler Hautapu was beached about 1030 last night on a sandy strip between Chancet rocks and Long point, about seven miles south of Cape Campbell lighthouse and near the mouth of the Flaxbourne river.

Her crew of eight escaped unharmed although several had an adventurous time before they reached shore in the early hours of this morning.

The trawler, which is valued about £25,000, is bow onto the beach, inside some outlying rocks. It does not appear to be damaged, except for the rudder and propeller. The aft quarters are flooded, the fish hold is half full of water and the for’ard accommodation is onethird full of water. The boat, which draws 9ft to 10ft, contains 50 tons of fuel oil, 20 tons of fresh water and 70 cases of fish. She is 133 ft in length. The beach shelves gently to about where the boat is aground and then curves downward sharply. At low tide the vessel is lying with her bow up and at high tide she is well below the Plimsoll mark. If the

sea becomes rough she will be in some danger but last evening the sea was calm with a slight south-east swell.

In beaching, the ship narrowly missed rocks which would have torn the bottom out. Waves are now breaking over her stern and present indications are that salvage will be difficult if not impossible. Catch Lost Her catch is a total loss. Fuel oil is leaking from her and there is a thick coating of oil along the beach. Built as a minesweeper in World War H, the Hautapu is owned by New Zealand Fisheries, of Wellington. This afternoon the ship settled at an acute angle on her starboard side. With a heavy swell running she was taking a severe pounding on her stem. Her master. Captain William Muir, said the ship struck about 10.30 last night

and this apparently damaged her rudder. She pulled towards the beach in spite of full power astern

All members of the crew gathered on deck. A rubber dinghy was launched in the boiling surf and three men embarked on it. However, the dinghy overturned and all were thrown into the sea. One, the cook, Frank Leach, narrowly escaped drowning when his legs became entangled in the dinghy’s ropes. He was hauled clear and back on board the trawler by Captain Muir. The other two men succeeded in reaching shore after considerable difficulty. Hie dinghy subsequently burst. “I told tire rest of the men there would be a break with precedent and I set out for shore with a line,” said Captain Muir. He was successful and the rest of the crew were safely brought to shore. Later Captain Muir and a deckhand, Michael O’Regan, went for assistance. For more than three hours they staggered over the steep Flaxbourne coast country looking for a house and finally came upon a farm cottage occupied by the manager of the Chancet property, Mr G. Harrington. Mr Harrington summoned further assistance from Mr E. M. P. Loe, the Awatere county chairman, who, with other settlers, set out in utility vehicles over steep, narrow farm tracks some four miles to the beach. Later the crew were accommodated in the shearers’ quarters at Mr Loe’s farm, The crew, all of whom come from Wellington are Captain Muir, Tony Hubbard (mate), Gerald Wagstaff (chief engineer), Albert Penaiki (assistant engineer), John Boyle, Michael O'Regan, and Brian Gates (deck hands), and Frank Leach (cook).

Tonight crew members are taking it in turns to watch the ship, and tomorrow expect a visit from the marine assessor from Wellington,