LOSS OF CYRENA

Dominion, Volume 18, Issue 219, 16 June 1925, Page 10

LOSS OF CYRENA

NAUTICAL INQUIRY OPENED HARBOUR-MASTER DESCRIBES STRANDING A GRADUAL PULLING UP By Telegraph—l’kess Association. Wanganui, June lb. The nautical inquiry into the wreck of the Cvrcna commenced this morning before Mr. Barton, S.M., and Captains lidwin and Barron (assessors). The evidence of the harbourmaster (Captain Mclntyre) occupied six hours. This was the ciily evidence taken. Captain Mclntyie stated that when he boarded the Cyrena for the purpose of piloting her in. Captain Paterson informed him that the steamer was drawing 16ft. Gin. fore and aft. Witness’s soundings and measurements indicated that there should be 18ft. Gin. at high tide. He informed Captain Paterson that the bar was composed of mud. Captain Paterson and the pibt were quite satisfied that with 2ft. under the Cvrcna’s bottom it was perfectly safe to take her over the bar, considering that the sea was smooth At 10.30 a.m. the Cyrena was headed for the entrance, keeping the beacons open slightlv' to the ■ south. The sea was smooth with no lift at all upon the vessel. The Cyrena grounded gcitllv at 10.10. There was no jar; just a gradual pulling up as would be expected on a mud bottom, ami a slight, lift of the bows. The engine-room telegraph was at full speed ahead in accordance with the pilot’s instructions, and the estimated pace immediately prior to the grounding was about seven knots, as •she had'not had time to gather full speed, which would be about 9-J or 10 knots. After grounding she appeared to be afloat forward about two-thirds of her length, and fast from there aft. There was, however, no noticeable cant on the vessel. Coming in, the quartermaster was in the chains, but as soon as she grounded the second officer, who was on the bridge, took the lead-line from him, and went to the break of the forecastle head, heave 1 the lead, and reported 18 feet. He then walked along aft, dragging the lead, feeling the bottom all the way, and reported less than 17ft. just forward of the mainmast (that would be just abaft the bridge), and 18ft. at tile poop. He took soundings o:t both sides of the vessel with the same result The distance from the break of the forecastle head to the poop was approximately JBoft. Soundings were taken in the vessel, and it was‘found that she was making no water. Endeavours were made for some 1-1 hours after the grounding to wotk her olt with the engines, but with no result. A kedge anchor with a wire rope was got ready to run OBt astern, but it was eventually decided not to do so, and a message was sent ashore for lighters. '1 lie hatches were taken olf, and tile derricks were got readv. Measures were also taken to lift ’the stern bv pumping 19 tons of water into the fore peak, filling it up, and shifting 37 tons of fuel out from the after to the forward coffer dam and pumping all the boiler water overboard from the after peak. The captain estimated that this would lift the stern by about a foot. With the falling tide a heavy swell came in from the south. At 3 p.m. the agent came off and _ reported that* it was too rough for lighters to come alongside. Bumping Badly, With the swell and incoming tide, which would be high at 11.26 p.m., continued witness, the vessel commenced bumping badly, and at 8.22 it was decided to start the engines and endeavour to work her off the bank. At 8.30 it was found that the vessel was making water ■ fast in the after hold, and also in the forward hold, although the engine room was dry, amj the ship’s (lumps were unable to cope with the inflow. Front 8.22 the engines were working in an endeavour to shift the vessel, but she did not move till about 9.6. At 9.1 G she began dragging towards the North Mole, and had lift, of water in/the after hold and 10ft. in the forward hold. An indication of the damage she had sustained by 9 p.m. was a bent sounding pipe under the bridge, and in the after hold. This pipe went through the double bottom to within a foot of the botto m of the ship, and was fastened by flanges to the inner bottom. It was found impossible to get the sounding rod down more than about 8 feet from the top, which was in . the captain’s outer cabin, thereby indicating that the bottom had been forced up at least a foot, and caused a bend in the sounding pipe. An endeavour , was made to get the steamer in between the moles, but as she was bumping and dragging all the time, and the wind and seas were forcing her towards the north mole, it was decided to beach her to the north of the north mole. This manoeuvre was carried out, and the captain succeeded in squaring the vessel up before she took the bottom more firmly by the stern about a quarter of a mile to the northward of the north mole. ' At 9.59 p.m. heavy seas were breaking over the stern, and the after part of the vessel was working. Buckled Blates. An examination next morning showed that plates were buckled on cither side of the vessel at the waterline, just forward of the main mast, and abaft tlie watertight bulkhead between No. 1 and No. 2 holds, and there was a crack on either side of the ship, extending to the rail. The stanchions in No. 2 hold for a distance of about 20 feet, and just about opposite the ciacks in the vessel’s side, were found to be bent, as if forced tip from below. The vessel had since, on June 11, parted in two at the line of the cracks. Every endeavour had been made in the meantime to bring her into port. It would appear that the vessel was badly damaged "on the bar, and that the damage was sustained about 8.30 p.m. on Sunday, May 21, as it was then found that she was rapidly making water. She was practically unmanageable from the time she got off the bar. Soundings were taken on the bar after the casualty, and an obstruction was found on the position where the vessel had grounded. This obstruction was buoyed and tested by means of a spear. It was thought to be a log of wood lying on the bottom. A southerly came up later and covered the obstruction with sand, and the dredge, in an endeavour to remove the sand, fouled the buoy and carried it away, and the obstruction had not since been located. The inquiry was adicurned.