MINESWEEPER STRIKES MINE AND SINKS IMMEDIATELY

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 195, 15 May 1941, Page 10

MINESWEEPER STRIKES MINE AND SINKS IMMEDIATELY

Officer And Four Men Lose Their Lives In Hauraki Gulf INJURIES RECEIVED BY THREE MEMBERS OF CREW The loss of five lives, one officer and four men, when a minesweepci. enffaeed yesterday in minesweeping operations in the Hauraki Glut struck a mine and sank, was announced last night by the Acting-1 rime Minister, Mr. Nash. Three others were injured, lhe remaining members of the crew, comprising five officers and 19 men, were saved and were uninjured. The following statement was issued by Mr. Nash- , T M - “The Government deeply regrets to announce the loss of H.aLs. Puriri. H.M.S. Puriri was commissioned as a minesweeper in the 2ot.i (New Zealand) Minesweeping Flotilla as recently as April 19 “She was engaged in mine-clearance operations in the Hauraki Gull, when unfortunately—at about 11 a.m. today (Wednesday, May 14) she struck a mine and sank immediately. “The Government deeply regrets that one officer and four men are missing and must be presumed to have lost their lives. Two men are injured and one bruised, and were brought into harbour in charge of a medical officer. The two injured are now in hospital. Ihe remaining five officers and 19 men have Teen saved and are uninjured. “The Government is sure that lhe whole population of the Dominion will join with it in expressing their deep sympathy with the relatives of the lost officer and men in this, the first, casualty to a New Zealand warship. The relatives will, however,-derive comfort from . the fact that these men lost their lives in the performance of their important and dangerous duty.”

The following is a list of the casualties: —

PURIRI’S SHORT LIFE

MISSING AND PR ESI MED DEAD. William Douglas Blacklaws, Lieutenant, R.N.R. (N.Z.) Next-of-kin: Mrs. Ruth Aline Blacklaws, 35 Argyle Street, Herne Bay, Auckland (wife). Leon Purkin, Able Seaman. Next-of-kin : Mrs. Mary Marioty, Te Hoe, Putaruru (mother). John Richardson, Steward. None. George Edward Roy Hobley, Steward. Next-of-kin: Mrs. Dorothy Hobley, 55 Gribblehurst Road, Sandringham. Auckland (wife). Barndt August Matson, Stoker Betty Officer. Next-of-kin: Mr. Benjamin Mattson, Whenuapai. Auckland (father). INJURED. Norman Bernard Dunning, Able Seaman, R.N.V.R. Next-of-kin: Mrs. Arabella A. Dunning, 4 Konini Road, Hataitai. Wellington (mother). ■ Duncan Rex Stewart, Able Seaman. Next-of-kin: Mrs. Beatrice Stewart, 247 Haven Road, Nelson (mother). Harold Martin West, Able Seaman. Next-of-kin: Mr. Noel Hartley West, 11 Fitzroy Road, Napier (father). Dunning is suffering from bruises and iias left for his home. Stewart is injured and in hospital. West is seriously injured and iu hospital. A Dominion Special Service message from Auckland says tiie survivors were taken to Auckland by the coastal steamship Gael, which was met on arrival by an ambulance. Of the two injured men sent to hospital, one was deeply unconscious and the other, though obviously in pain, joking witli the ambulance men. Lieutenant Blacklaws bird been given command of tiie Puriri for this one sweep, tiie regular commanding officer being ashore on sick leave.

Former Anchor Line Motor Ship

H.M.S. Puriri was built as a cargo motor-ship by Henry Robb, Ltd., at’ Leith, for the Anchor Shipping and Foundry Co., Ltd., of Nelson. She was launched on October 25, 1938, and arrived in New Zealand early in 1939. She was taken over by the Navy Department last year, and fitted out iu Auckland for minesweeping duties. The Puriri was a vessel of 927 tons gross register, 188 feet iu length by 35 feet in width, and was designed to carry 800 tons deadweight on u mean draught of .11 feet 6 inches.

The vessel had a complete upper deck, with combined poop and bridge deck, topgallant forecastle and boat deck. A cellular double bottom was arranged all fore and aft, embracing oil-fuel, fresh-water and water-ballast tanks. There was a large hold forward served by one batchway 48ft. long, as well as a hold abaft the machinery space served by a hatchway about 2Sft. long. The general equipment included six three-ton electric winches, each operating a steel derrick; electric windlass and electric warping capstan: and electro-hydraulic steering gear. The crew were housed in the bridge ’tween decks, the seamen having twoberth rooms. The officers and engineers’ cabins were on the bridge deck, while those for the captain and chief officer were on the boat deck, with the wheelhouse and chartroom directly overhead.

The two British Polar four-cylinder Diesel engines were of sufficient power to give the vessel a mean loaded speed of 10 knots. All the engine-room auxiliaries were electrically driven.

Lieutenant Blacklaws was formerly an officer in the service of the Union Steam Ship Company of N.Z., Ltd.