STORMY TASMAN

Evening Star, Issue 22687, 29 June 1937, Page 14

STORMY TASMAN

KAIWARRA’S EIGHT-DAY GROSSING IN CYCLONIC GALE [Per United Press Association.] WELLINGTON, June 28. After an exceedingly stormy passage of eight days and a-half across the Tasman the Union Company’s Kaiwarra arrived at Wellington from Newcastle this morning, three days late. The ship encountered the full force of the recent cyclonic storm which delayed the Wanganella by 30 hours on her passage from Sydney to Auckland fast week. The master and officers of the Kaiwarra declared to-day that it was the worst storm they had experienced in the Tasman. Immediately after clearing land on the night of June 19 the Kaiwarra encountered a south-east gale which rapidly increased in force, sweeping the ship fore and aft. As the gale became worse the vessel was hove-to, and when she proceeded on her voyage speed had frequently to be reduced. Minor damage was done on the forecastle head, and several ventilators on the foredeck were crushed and twisted by the heavy seas breaking on board. One sea, which crashed amidships, smashed in the wooden wall of the butcher’s shop, another carried away the vegetable locker, and others flooded the cook’s galley on the bridge deck. Under normal conditions the Kaiwarra should have arrived on Friday morning, but at that time she was little more than halfway across. In common with other ships in the South Pacific, both outward and homeward bound, the liner Tairoa, which departed from Lyttelton last Thursday morning for London via Cape Horn and Montevideo, has been encountering very bad weather. The Wellington management of the Shaw, Savill and Albion Company received a radio message from Captain Jackson, master of the Tairoa, stating that at noon to-day the ship was 929 miles from Lyttelton on her way to Cape Horn. The' message added that the ship had encountered a south-east gale ever since leaving Lyttelton, but that all was well on board.