TASMAN GALES

Dominion, Volume 25, Issue 275, 16 August 1932, Page 8

TASMAN GALES

Wheat Ship’s Ordeal DANGEROUS SEAS' \ 34 Miles in 24 Hours Dominion Special Service. Auckland, August 15. With the lower part of her funnel thickly crusted with salt and her deck fittings red with rust, the Union Company’s cargo steamer Kairanga arrived at Auckland from Geelong this afternoon. She encountered tempestuous weather crossing the Tasman Sea, and was nearly a week late in making port. “It was the worst trip I ever had in the Tasman,” said Captain S. Hewitt, when the ship had berthed at Queen’s Wharf to-day. “I have experienced worse weather in other parts, but nothing like it between New Zealand and Australia.” Fully loaded with wheat, the Kairanga left Geelong on August 2, and under normal circumstances would have reached Auckland on Tuesday of last week. Two days after leaving the Victorian port the freighter encountered the first of a long series of hard easterly gales, which retarded progress and made things uncomfortable for all on board. After the gales had been blowing for a couple of days the crew looked for a time when the weather would improve, but instead It got worse, and on the evening of August 8 Captain Hewitt decided to heave-to. “The seas were heavy and dangerous,” he said. “For over 24 hours the Kairanga was hove-to with her head Into the gale. When the weather showed a slight improvement she got going again, but progress was deadly slow. Every day brought another gale. Heavy seas accompanied the wind and the decks were continually flooded. Being heavily loaded with grain the freighter did not ride the seas but stuck her head into them and sent sheets of spray funnel high. The conditions continued stormy until North Cape was reached, and even coming down the coast the weather was anything but good. jf ■ “At a time when the weather was iff Its ugliest mood the Kairanga covered only 34 miles in 24 hours. The ship behaved excellently and we suffered very little damage,” said Captain Hewitt.