Sharks attack as help near

Press, 14 March 1977, Page 6

Sharks attack as help near

NZPA Brisbane Two Brisbane men who survived the running down of their 8.5 m boat in Moreton Bay on Friday night were taken by sharks near the end of their 31-hour ordeal early yesterday. A third man is recovering in hospital after being rescued by a charter boat about 5.45 a.m.

Verdon Harrison, aged 32, was rescued several hours after his two mates, John Hayes, aged in his early 40s, and Vic Beaver, aged about 74, were taken by sharks.

The three men had been clinging to a floating icechest for about 33 hours after their boat was run down by a freighter entering Brisbane harbour about 8.30 p.m. Mr Harrison reportedly told his rescuers that the last words of one of his mates as a shark dragged him under were, “Good-bye mates, this is it.” Mr Harrison said that the freighter had suddenly loomed up out of the darkness and smashed their boat. They had tried to reach lifejackets but the

water rushed into the boat and stopped them from lifting the jackets from the walls of the cabin.

They could also not free their dinghy from the stern of the boat because they could not find a knife to cut the rope. The men found the drifting ice-chest and clung to it. Sharks appeared early yesterday. Mr Harrison said that about 45 minutes after they noticed the sharks, one of his two friends was taken. The second man was attacked soon after. Mr Harrison was picked up by Mr R. McMullin, out with a fishing party, who said that he spotted a blue object floating in Moreton Bay.

Police yesterday inspected the bow of the 25,000 tonne Japanese car freighter Shun Oh, which entered Brisbane on Friday night. They also interviewed the captain of the Taiwanese-crewed boat, Captain C. M. Wu. Police said that there would probably be a marine inquiry' as well as a coroner’s inquest.