AWARDS TO CREW

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21064, 8 April 1943, Page 4

AWARDS TO CREW

DISTINGUISHED SERVICE Awards to the commander, officers ..and crew of the liner Awatea were promulgated in the London Gazette of March 13, according tq adyice received from, London by the head office of the Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand. The. awards were:— To Captain G, B. Morgan., D.S.O. (Captain Morgan has already been awarded the I).S,C-) To W- A. McGarry, chief officer; Simmonds, chief engineer; W. S. Muir, senior 3rd officer, the D.S-C. To G. H. G.ee, greaser, and A. Ing. ham, oilburner, the D.S.IVI. Messrs. Ji C. Willis, 2nd engineer; B. M. Hurley; purser'; S. Emerspn, A. 8.; G. Hi Cooper, chief steward; W. Allan, chef, D. J. Green and P., J. F. Harris, first grade stewards; and J. W. Griffin were all mentioned in dispatches. Captain G. B. Morgan. .D. 5.0., D.S.C., whose home is in Christchurch, was born in New Zealand in-1838 and entered the Union Company’s service in 1909 as. a third officer. He served in the Great War as a lieutenant ill the R.N.R., mpst, of the time in mys-j tery ships; and was awarded the.D.S.C; Returning to New Zealand, he was appointed a master in 1922, since when lie has commanded most of the company’s passenger liners. Chief Officer W. A. McGarry, whose; home is in Wellington, was born ip New Zealand in 1901. He joined tnc> company as a third officer in 1922. He has been chief officer in most of the eomoany’s ships in the last eight years, and more recently in the large passenger liners. Chief. Engineer If. Simmonds. whose; home is in the South Island, was borij in New Zealand in 1897. _ lie joined the company as fifth engineer ol the Monowai in 1920. He later became second engineer, in the Awatea and chief engineer, in September, 194-1. Third- Officer Muir, who was born in South Africa in 1913. joined the company towards the end of 1938 as third officer of the Ngakuta. He was apnointed third senior officer of the Awatea in February, 1941. liis home is in Auckland.

The Union Steam Ship Company’s Aw a tea was a luxury liner on the Tasman -Sea routes between New Zealand and Australia the, war. With a displacement of 15,000 tons, 'She cost more than itl,000,00(1 to build. She entered the inter-colonial service in September, 108(i, creating a line steaming record. She had an overall length of 544 ft. and a beam of 741 M., with accommodation for 10Q lirst-class and 100 tourist class pasr sengers, together with a limited amount of steerage accommodation. She had it speed of -o knots.