MASTER’S DENIAL OF ALCOHOLISM: MARINE INQUIRY

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23022, 12 August 1949, Page 6

MASTER’S DENIAL OF ALCOHOLISM: MARINE INQUIRY

(P.A.)

AUCKLAND, Aug. 11

“That is a lie!” declared Captain L. Roberts, master of the 300-ton motorship Kinabatangan, answering a question at the marine inquiry into the stranding of the vessel on a coral reef off north-east Australia on June 10-

The question was whether the casuality was due to his being drunk during the whole of the voyage from Singapore. A considerable part of the evidence concerned quantities of liquor on the ship. The first mate, when asked if he was concerned at the master’s drinking on the voyage, replied: “For the safety of the ship, yes!” Captain Roberts stated in evidence that on the day of the stranding he took over the wheel at 8 p.m. from the first mate, and had a Malay seaman on look-out on the bridge. At 10 o’clock a seaman relieved him and he took over on the bridge. His wife was there with him.

On handing over to the seaman he verified the position by taking a bearing off Wharton Light. He did not take a log reading. Clak Island, near which the casualty occurred, stood up 142 ft., but he did not see it from the bridge. There was a full moon, but a bit of a haze was over the land. The vessel struck at 11.10 p-m. He knew he should have Clak Island on the port bow, and was trying to pick it up, but never saw it until they struck.

Not Recorded in Log

He ordered both engines “Astern,” and ran them for about an hour. The ship remained fast. The engines were then stopped. No record of the stranding was put in the ship’s log, but it was written up “Anchored for engine repairs” The witness gave his reason for this, saying that if it were recorded in the log he might be held up for two months iiYAustralia and he wanted to save time and money for the owners. He did not report the stranding to anybody in Brisbane, Sydney or Auckland —not even to the owners.

Asked why he ran up anchor lights instead of “Not Under Control” lights, Captain Roberts said he did not think the circumstances warranted the use of “Not Under Control” lights. Mr. Alderton asked witness about the liquor carried aboard the ship. The witness said three cases of whiskey and eight cases of gin were being carried as personal cargo. Some of this had to be given away in bribes before the ship could get away from Sourabaya. Twelve bottles of whiskey, eight bottles of cocktail, and 60 cartons of beer were taken aboard in Singapore for the crew. The witness told Mr. Alderton that there was trouble at Thursday Island, where the chief officer was put in gaol for having “too many drinks.” The second mate, Mr. J. Blackburn, was then made first mate.

Asked if he were intoxicated and not fit to navigate the ship, the witness said: “That is a lie.”

Asked by Mr. Moody for whom he brought the liquor to New Zealand, Captain Roberts said: “For the directors of A. B. Donald.” Wrongly Gaoled

Further cross-examined, the witness said the agents who made the inquiries informed him that the chief officer had been wrongly gaoled. They obtained his release and he reported to the ship at Brisbane, where he was paid off. The second mate, Mr. J, Blackburn, was then made first mate. The first mate, Mr. J. Blackburn, said he reported the matter to the owners about 30 hours after the ship arrived in Auckland. He did this because -he considered his certificate would be involved if he did not do something about the stranding. Asked by Mr. Luxford if the captain was sober when he came on the bridge at 8 p.m. on June 10. the witness said “No.”

Mr. Luxford: Were you concerned about his drinking habits on the ship? The witness: For the safety of the shin, —yes. A qualified submarine commander, Mr. J. N. Coombs, said lie was second mate on the Kinabatangan. He was asleep when the stranding occurred. He was awakened and went to the bridge. The sea was a flat calm, the moon bright and the visibility good. He could see Flinders Island, and Clak Island was straight ahead. He took bearings from points on the islands and “fixed” the ship’s position as on . the south-west corner of Clak Reef.

When shown the ship’s chart, the witness said the point he marked on the mao where the ship was on the reef had been rubbed off.

The witness took soundings forward, amidships and aft. The ship was floated off on the night of June 11. After further evidence the inquiry was adjourned until August 17.