A Sentimental Journey

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30512, 6 August 1964, Page 22

A Sentimental Journey

An 85-year-old, Lon-don-born seaman, who has lived in Lyttelton for 54 years, made a pilgrimage when he visited the Union Steam Ship Company’s latest vessel, Karetu. Mr John Hardwicke, a widower who lives with his daughter, Mrs S. Blenkinsop, at 90 Cressy terrace, was for many years bosun of the former Karetu on the Port Kembla • Sydney - Newcastle - South Island run.

Three years ago Mr Hardwicke retired from the sea. His last ship was the Korowai. Before that he made a trip to the East in the Wairata, but one of his later highlights was his trip as bosun of the Maori on her maiden voyage. For his seventy-third birthday, the cook made him a cake. Mr Hardwicke has five sons, four connected with the sea, and two married daughters. One son and two of his sons-in-law served aboard the Karetu With him. When he was shown round the new motor-vessel, he compared the old with the new. The modern Karetu, almost the same as the Karepo, also on her first visit, is designed for speedy cargo handling. She has five Swedish cargo cranes, and German hydrau-lically-operated hatch lids. She is a product of the Taikoo Dockyard, Hong Kong, and is discharging rubber, timber and general cargo from Singapore. The earlier Karetu, a coal burner, was built in 1924, by W. Gray and Company, Ltd., of West Hartlepool. Mr Hardwicke said this vessel was intended for the wine trade but had been purchased by the Union Steam Ship Company, on the stocks. She was a heavily constructed vessel, operating on the South Island-New South Wales trade in conjunction with the Waikouaiti. On her day she was a home from home for South Island seamen as the nature of her cargos—steel, ingots, plating, iron made for long stays in port, principally at Dunedin and Lyttelton. Many former seamen, several of whom still live in Lyttelton, will recall her heavy cargo gear. Mr Hardwicke recalled that the former vessel had 90 tons of steel hatch beams and approximately 800 wooden hatches to handle.

It took most of a working day or a night to clew up the old vessel for sea, Mr Hardwicke said, when he found the new Karetu could be readied in a fraction of the time, less than half an hour. He was impressed with the crew accommodation aboard the new vessel-—a single cabin for each member, and spacious mess rooms and recreation rooms. He met

the new vessel’s bosun, Mr John Bolton. Commanded by Captain P. H. Pallin, the new Karetu is so like the Karepo that any difference is superficial. They both have refrigerated cargo space and similar cargo cranes. The Karetu has a six-cylin-der, supercharged diesel en-

gine giving her a cruising speed of 13$ knots. She will be in the intercolonial trade and is expected to sail for Dunedin today to continue discharging her maiden voyage cargo from the East. The former Karetu war, 3226 tons gross and the present Karetu is 3222 tons gross.