MINESWEEPER WRECKED

Greymouth Evening Star, 14 November 1931, Page 7

MINESWEEPER WRECKED

ALL ON BOARD RESCUED. [BRITISH OFFICIAL WIRELESS.] RUGBY, November 12. H.M.S. Petersfield,. a twin screw minesweeper, of 710 tons, with the Commander-in-Chief of the China Station, Vice-Admiral Sir William Kelly, aboard, ran ashore last night on the north side of Tungyung Island, while on a pasage from Shanghai to Foochow. Everyone on board was saved, but the ship is a total loss. The.s.s. Derflinger and the Canadian Pacific, liner Empress of Asia went to the Petersfield’s assistance, and the cruisers Suffolk and Cornwall proceeded rapidly to the scene. A north-east monsoon, it is understood, was raging at the time that the vessel went ashore.

The minesweeper Petersfield was a tender to the cruiser Kent of the Fifth Cruiser Squadron. There were 73 officers and men on board. They were rescued, it is believed, by the German liner Derflinger. Messages from Admiral Kelly, have been received by the Admiralty from the Canadian Pacific liner Empress of Asia, to which the Admiral and the crew may have been transferred. MOTOR SCHOONER SINKS. BALBOA, November 13. The United States minesweeper Swan has rescued eleven members of the .crew, including the badly-injured Commander, Captain Walters, of the Costa Rica schooner Badenbaden, formerly the Fletter. She was a* motor ship, which sank four days ago when a strong gale shifted her salt cargo. Captain Walters, despite his efforts, was unable to save the ship. He was injured seriously by falling timbers. Three of the seamen and the ship’s owners, Adolph Schenck and Hans Lau, refused to leave the vessel, and they were drowned. The others got off safely in a lifeboat, though they were without food or water for 24 hours when an airplane sighted them.

KOTITI LOSS. WELLINGTON, November 12. At the monthly meeting of the Wellington Branch of the Federated Seamen’s Union, the following resolution was passed:—“This meeting of seamen views with alarm the refusal of the Minister of Marine to agree to an inquiry being held into the loss of the Kotiti, as in our opinion his decision is most unreasonable under the circumstances. We submit that if the Government has nothing to conceal, it should in fairness to the relatives of the members of the crew of the little ill-fated Kotiti, and with the view of taking precautionary measures against further loss of life ’on this coast, welcome the request of the Seamends Union that a commission of inquiry be jset up to investigate the causes of the loss of this vessel.”