TWO DAYS LATE

Dominion, Volume 26, Issue 183, 1 May 1933, Page 8

TWO DAYS LATE

Karepo’s Stormy Trip

HOVE-TO FOR 20 HOURS

Forty-eight hours late, the L™ Company’s big collier Karepo a lived at Wellington early on Saturday afternoon from Newcastle and berthed at the King’s Wharf after an exceptionally stormy trip. The Ivaiepo left Newcastle at 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 22. with a full cargo of coal for Wellington and ran into a veiy heavy sou’-sou’-easterly gale with huge seas, within two hours of leaving port. From then on until she arrived at Wellington the Karepo was constantly swept by heavy seas. Heavily laden as she was, and very low in the water the vessel, according to her officials gave a very good imitation of a submarine for the greater part of the trip. .. r .. . Told by a “Dominion” reporter th.it the Wainui had experienced very bad weather on her trip from Bluff to Melbourne, the Karepo’s others replied that she could not possibly have experienced such dirty weather as they had. Some of the beam seas were so heavy, one staked, that they swept clean over the ship without breaking. The Karepo was hove-to for 20 hours from 1 p.m. on Sunday, April 23, till 9 a.m. the following day. Practically the whole trip was made at, reduced speed. Nearing the New Zealand coast the wind changed to a fresh northwesterly gale. None of the vessel’s complement were injured, though many of them experienced thrilling moments when making their way along the almost perpetually submerged deck. The Karepo behaved well under the very trying conditions, and suffered only very slight damage.

Weather conditions in the Tasman have been consistently bad for several weeks past, and culminated in the heavy gales which delayed the Karepo and Wainui for two days, the Waikonaiti for 30 hours, and gave the Monowai and ’Wanganella the stormiest trips they have yet experienced.