TASMAN EXPRESS

Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 162, 5 April 1938, Page 13

TASMAN EXPRESS

Awatea Meets Heavy Weather GREAT STEAMING RECORD Due to heavy weather in the Tasman Sea, the Union Company’s express liner Awatea was a little over an hour late arriving at Wellington yesterday morning. The ship left Sydney at 8 o'clock on Friday night and experienced a strong south-easterly gale with moderately high seas for most of the passage. She arrived in the harbour shortly after 11 o’clock yesterday morning and, after medical and Customs inspection, berthed at Queen’s Wharf at noon. The Awatea brought 190 passengers, and will depart at 5 o’clock thi§ afternoon with more than 500 passengers' for Sydney. The Awatea put up a great steaming performance last month, when .she crossed the Tasman Sea nine times and made a coastal passage from Wellington to Auckland From the evening of March 1 until the morning of April 1 the Awatea steamed a total of 11,818 nautical miles, making six passages (three westbound and three eastbound) between Wellington and Sydney and. three passages (two westbound and one eastbound) between Auckland and Sydney, as well as a passage of 547 miles from Wellington to Auckland. When she arrived at Wellington yesterday morning the Awatea completed her hundred and sixteenth crossing of the Tasman Sea since she first went into the intercolonial service on September 15, 1936, and completed 164,880 nautical miles of steaming since she left the Clyde for New Zealand. In the intercolonial service alone she has steamed a total of 153,662 nautical miles in just over 18 months. The Awatea was laid-up at Sydney for 10 weeks last winter, from May 22 untile July 31.

Since the Awatea resumed her running from Sydney on July 31, she has made 55 crossings of the Tasman Sea, as well as four coastal passages from Wellington to Auckland, the total distance steamed in just over eight months being 71,224 nautical miles. The Awatea this season has made 33 crossings between Sydney and Wellington (19 eastbound and 14 westbound) and 22 crossings between Sydney and Auckland (9 eastbound and 13 westbound), as well as four coastal passages from Wellington to Auckland. From July 31 till November 16, the Awatea made a single crossing each week between Sydney and New Zealand, or two round voyages in 28 days. On November 16 she started her summer express service and since then has made a double crossing (a round voyage) every week.