Rescued Men Back At Lyttelton

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31441, 7 August 1967, Page 1

Rescued Men Back At Lyttelton

The three members of the crew of the fishing trawler Rimu who were rescued after their vessel had overturned near the Mernoo bank about 330 p.m. on Friday returned to Lyttelton on Saturday night aboard the trawler Pendella.

The three men are Walter Wikitera, also known as Tui Read, aged 32, of 66 McMaster street, Invercargill, the Rimu’s mate; Cecil McKelvie, aged 41, of 28 Victoria street, Timaru, the Rimu’s engineer; and Michael Larkin, aged 21, of Whitstable, Kent, the Rimu’s deckhand. When they came ashore the men were fit and well.

The two men missing believed drowned are Captain T. Mouncer, aged 72, of Auckland, the master of the Rimu, and Mr M. J. Champion, aged 27, the son of the Lyttelton Harbourmaster (Captain A. R. Champion). The Rimu, the Pendella, of

Port Chalmers, and the Miss Te Mani, of Timaru, left Lyttelton as a convoy at 6.37 p.m. on Thursday for the Chatham Islands crayfishing grounds.

Each trawler carried crayfish pots lashed to the deck. The trawlers were inspected before they left port and none carried more than the 40-pot maximum set by the Marine Department Search For Rimu About 3.30 p.m. yesterday the Lyttelton Harbour Board pilot launch Wairangi left Lyttelton with Captain Champion, Mr C. Subritzky, a diver, and a representative of' the Marine Department The Wairangi would go to the search area to attempt to find the Rimu, the deputy harbourmaster (Captain D. Holden) said yesterday. If .she was found to be lying in shallow enough water a diver would be sent down. The police have taken possession of a roll of film and a camera from a crew member of the Miss Te Maru, which was on the scene at the time of the disaster. Captain Mouncer, who was the convoy leader, was appointed to the Rimu specially for the voyage. When the convoy left port Mr Wikiteri was aboard the Pendella with his five-year-old son, Joseph Michael Wikitera. Mr Wikitera later transferred to the Rimu, but it was decided not to transfer the boy as conditions were unsuitable. Coal Jettisoned The convoy met worsening conditions, but the Rimu was heard to say on the radio that although she was taking water she was not in trouble. A quantity of coal in the Rimu was jettisoned later as the trawler was sluggish in recovering after being hit by beam seas. When the Rimu capsized Captain Mouncer, Mr Larkin and Mr Champion were in the trawler deckhouse. The Rimu was lead ship at the time with the Pendella lying about 400 yards astern and slightly to port, and the Miss Te Maru was also astern of the Rimu and to the starboard. When she capsized the Rimu turned over and sank

stern first within three or four minutes.

The Pendella, which moved quickly to the scene, first picked up Mr Larkin, then Mr McKelvie and Mr Wikitera, who was the strongest swimmer of the three.

Over Quickly Mr Larkin said the Rimu went over very quickly. “We were all flung against the port side. We turned upsidedown so that the port side became the starboard side. I yelled to the other two to get out

“I managed to kick my way through the glass window and somehow I got rid of one of my thigh waders. I could see the light above me as I fought through to the surface. I got rid of my other wader on the way up. “When they dragged me on board the Pendella I just about passed out Captain David Sanders, of the Pendella,. did a wonderful job getting in close to pick us up in the heavy seas,” he said.

Captain Sanders, of Aberdeen, an experienced North Sea fishing master, said things went well as he manoeuvred close to pick up the three survivors.

James McMullan, of the Pendella, said the waves were so high that the troughs obscured the Rimu’s masts.

“We caught a glimpse of her on the crest and then she would disappear. For a while we lost sight of her altogether. I went to the radio for help,” he said.

Shocking Weather When the Rimu overturned Messrs Wikitera and McKelvie were both in the forecastle. Mr Wikitera was dozing On his bunk. Both remember water everywhere but are unable to say how they got to the surface. The owner and engineers of the Miss Te Maru (Mr A. T. Bissett) said the weather was shocking and high seas were running.

Both vessels searched the area where the Rimu went down for about an hour before returning to Lyttelton: When the Pendella was off

Lyttelton beads she was met by the Wairangi. Captain Champion, Detective Sergeant A. B. Dalzell and Mr J. D. Wisker, of the Marine Department, crossed from the Wairangi to the Pendella. As the Pendella tied up at fishermen’s wharf at 8.50 p.m. about 100 people, including some wives of crew members were waiting. The Miss Te Maru arrived about 9.30 p.m. after having been guided into port by the Wairangi because of fog. After the Pendella had berthed the managing director of P. Feron and Son, Ltd., (Mr M. L. Newman) spoke to reporters on behalf of the crews. The Rimu, a 47ft twomasted, single-screw trawler was Owned by the Stella Fishing Company, an associate company of Feron and Son. A preliminary inquiry into the capsize will open in Lyttelton today before the Superintendent of Mercantile Marine (Mr V. J. T. Simons)