Survivors Of Two Wahines

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31654, 15 April 1968, Page 16

Survivors Of Two Wahines

(New Zealand Press Association) PALMERSTON NORTH, April 14. Survivors of two Wahine sinkings had a reunion in Palmerston North yesterday—a brother who was aboard the Wahine which sank in 1951 and two of his sisters who were aboard the Wahine which sank off Worser Bay this week.

They are Mr Joseph Garner, of Auckland, and his sisters, Hilda (Mrs Quinn, of Shannon) and Connie (Mrs Mitchell, of Palmerston North), who were reunited yesterday at the home of another sister, Mrs F. W. Rees. “Ours was nothing compared to this one,” said Mr Garner. “We had good weather, and we were all seasoned seamen who knew the score ’’ Mr Garner was a survivor of the Wahine shipwreck in the Arafura Sea in 1951 when the ship was on its way to Korea with troops. It hit a reef off Melville Island, but all aboard were saved. “She broke her back about 7.30 that night, but a tanker was standing by and took us off,” Mr Garner said.

The first inkling of disaster Mrs Quinn got was when

the ship “gave a kangaroo hop —that must have been when we struck the reef.” This was followed by broadcasts to keep calm, but she started to get worried when the list in the lounge made people fall out of their chairs. She said there was chaos in the lounge among the women and children and the lowering of the boats was the first she knew of the decision to abandon the ship. “To get to the boats we just sat and slid to the rail, and men helped us into the boats. That was about 1.30 p.m. or 1.45 p.m. “They were lifting kiddies and dropping them on to the boats. My sister and 1 grabbed a baby each in the boat and covered them up.” The boat, rowed by 12 men, circled round looking for survivors.

“A wee baby of about 13 months, floating on its back in the water, was picked up out of the sea.”