DRIFTING PRACTICE SUPPORTED AT TRAWLER INQUIRY

Greymouth Evening Star, 3 May 1947, Page 2

DRIFTING PRACTICE SUPPORTED AT TRAWLER INQUIRY

(P.A.) WELLINGTON, May 2. The Magisterial inquiry into the loss of the Futurist, a steam trawler of 237 tons, which ran aground early on the morning of March 19 at. Long Point, about 10 miles south of Cape Campbell, and was later abandoned, was continued yesterday afternoon before Mr H. J. Thompson, S.M., and Captains A ,H. Howe and A. T. Dowell as marine assessors.

Dr. N. A. Foden, with him Captain L. Robertson, represented the Marine Department, Mr E. N. Sladden represented the owners, New Zealand Fisheries, Ltd., and Mr A. J. Mazengarb appeared for the master. t qf the Futurist, Captain Alexander Sutherland.

Evidence was given that the Futurist was not anchored on the night before the mishap, but was taken well out from the shore and allowed to drift; that the man on watch when the ship went aground was a fireman, and not a deck hand, and that a sudden change in the weather not covered by the latest forecast available to the ship occurred on the morning of the disaster. Abnormal Set Mr Mazengarb contended that this last condition, an abnormal set that was beyond prediction, had caused the casualty. He said that the same thing had obtained in the mishaps to the Rangatira and the Breeze. Much of the evidence concerned anchoring in the Cape Campbell fishing grounds. “We don’t anchor at night for safety, but for convenience, and to save steaming in the morning,” said James Tullock, a fireman and part I owner of the trawler Phyllis, which had been near the-Futurist when she went aground. A former master of the Futurist, Captain Charles Ormes, supported the practice of night drifting, but said the ship’s anchor could be weighed by an experienced, crew in half an hour. He admitted, however, that in 19 years with the vessel he had seen her anchor used only about four times. He agreed that while the ship was drifting its safety depended wholly upon the man on watch. The latter should be an experienced seaman or deck hand, but under present conditions, when experienced trawler crews were difficult to obtain, he saw no great danger in allowing a fireman to do watch duty on deck. Watchman's Evidence Evidence was given by Allred William Paton, a fireman, that he had assumed watch duty on the Futurist at midinght on March 18. He had been given instructions to rouse the captain if the ship began to drift shorewards. A certain amount of drift had been pointed out to him by the previous watch,, but he .did ndt think it enough to cause alarm. Paton added that he could not say how the Futurist came to be stranded on the rocks. He did not neglect his duties. When the captain had turned in the night was dark but clear. Later, mist had.sprung up. The extent, of the drift was hard to calculate. The Court’s decision will be announced early next week.