Search Ends For Man From Launch

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31515, 1 November 1967, Page 44

Search Ends For Man From Launch

(New Zealand Press Association) AUCKLAND, October 31. An air-sea search for a man who disappeared from a sinking launch near Kawau Island on Monday night was called off shortly after midday today because of rough weather.

An Air Force Dakota and four launches took part in the search, and wreckage, believed to be from the launch, was sighted.

The 20ft launch the SherRald, owned by the missing man, Frederick Lewisham, aged 50, single, of Manly, foundered while under tow late on Monday night. Mr Lewisham and a friend, Thomas Jackson Grant, aged 73, single, had been out in the launch when the vessel had developed engine trouble. Police and coast guard vessels searched in the evening and the Sher-Rald was found by a fishing boat, the Joan, about 9 p.m. The skipper of the Joan Mr P. Anstice, of Parnell, said today a tow line was thrown to the launch, then the vessels headed for Whangaparaoa. Shortly afterwards in the rough seas the launch began to founder and the tow line broke. The Joan went back to the Sher-Rald but found only her nose above water.

Mr Grant was pulled from the water but Mr Lewisham could not be seen. Mr Anstice applied mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to Mr Grant for about 20 minutes and the man was brought back to Auckland where he was treated early this morning and discharged.

Cray Boat Beached

After six hours rough sailing in a choppy sea, two young Gisborne fishermen beached their 16ft crayfishing boat El Dorado in a sandy bay, just south of Young Nick’s Head, shortly after nightfall yesterday. They spent two exhausting hours climbing over the coastal hills until they reached a farm-house where they obtained transport to Gisborne. When their engine failed about 1.30 the two fishermen, R. Webb and R. Langman, set up a jury sail, and tried to make land. “We managed to get ashore safely at this sandy bay and the boat was not damaged at all,” said Mr Webb today. The two returned to the boat this morning to fix their engine and sail it back to Gisborne, but the boat was wrecked.