WRECKED CYRENA

Gisborne Times, Volume LXII, Issue 10039, 16 June 1925, Page 5

WRECKED CYRENA

NAUTICAL INQUIRY

HARBORMASTER’S EVIDENCE

(PRESS ASSOCIATION] / WANGANUI, June 15. A nautical inquiry into the wreck of the Cyrena commenced this morning before AH:. J. g. .Barton, S.AI., and C'apts. Edwin and Barron, assessors.

The- evidence of the harbormaster, Capt. Mclntyre, occupied six hours. This was the only evidence taken. Captain Mclntyre stated tha,t when he boarded the Cyrena for the purpose of piloting her in, Captain Paterson informed him that the steamer was drawing 16ft- 6iu fore and aft. Captain Mclntyre’s soundings and measurements indicated that there should bo 18ft 6in at high tide. He also informed Captain Paterson that the bar was composed of mud. Captain, Paterson and tlio pilot were quite satisfied that with 2ft under the Cyrena’s bottom it was perfectly safe to take the bar, considering that the sea was smooth. At 10.30 a.nr. the Cyrena headed for the entrance, keeping the beacons open slightly to the south. The sea was smooth with no lift at all upon l tlio vessel. The Cyrena grounded gently at 10.40. There was no jar, just a gradual pulling up as would be expected on a mud bottom and a slight lift of the bows. On grounding the engine room telegraph was at “full speed ahead” in accordance with the pilot's instructions, and the estimated pace immediately prior to the grounding was about 7 knots, as he had not had time to gather full speed, which would be about 91 or 10 knots. After grounding she appeared to be afloat forward about two-thirds of her length and fast from there aft. There was, however, no noticeable cant on the vessel. Coming in the quartermaster was in the chains, but as soon as she grounded the second officer, who was on the bridge, took the lead line from him and went to the break of the forecastle head, heaved tho lead aixl reported 18ft. He then walked along aft, dragging the lead, feeling tho bottom all the way, and reported less than 17ft just forward of the mainmast. That would be just abaft the bridge. He took soundings on both sides of the vessel with the same result. Tho distance from tho break of the forecastle head to the pact wars approximately 180 feet. Soundings were taken in the vessel, and it was found she was making no water. Endeavors were made for some 14 hours after grounding to work her off with the engines, but with no result. A hedge anchor with a wire, rope was put ready to run out astern, but it was eventually decided not to do so, and a message was sent ashore .for lighters. The hatches were taken off and the derricks got ready. Measures were also taken to lift the stern, by pump- i ing 19 tons of water into the fort peak, filling, it up, and shifting 37 | tons of fuel oil from the after to the forward coffer dam, and pumping all boiler water overboard from the afterpeak. The captain estimated that this would lift the stern by about a; foot with a falling tide and a heavy swell in from the south.

At 3 p.m. the agents came off and reported it was too rough for the lighten- to come, alongside with the swell and incoming tide, which would he high at 11.36 p.m. The vessel commenced humping badly and at 1.22 it was decided to start the engines and endeavor to work her off the hank. At 5.30 it was found the vessel was making water fast in the after held, and also in the forward bold, although the engine room was dry and the ship’s pumps were unable to cope with the. inflow. From 8.22 the engines were working in an endeavor to shift the vessel, hut she did not move till about 9.6. At 9.46 she began dragging towards the north mole, and had 14ft, of water in the after hold, and 10ft- in the forward hold.

An indication of the damage she had sustained by 9 p.m. was a bent sounding pipe under the br'dge. and in the after hold. This pipes goes through tlio double bottom to within a foot of the bottom of the ship, and is fastened by flanges to the inner bottom. It was found impossible to get the sounding rod down for a distance of more than about Bft from the top. which is in the captain’s outer cabin, thereby indicating that the bottom had been forced up at least a- foot, and caused the bend in the sounding pipe. An endeavor was made to get the steamer in between the moles, but as idie was bumping and dragging all the time ar.d the wind and sens were forcing her towards the north mole it was decided to beach her.to the north of the north mole. This manoeuvre was eventually carried out, and the captain succeeded in squaring the vessel up before she took the bottom more firmly by steam about a quarter of a mile to the northward of the north mole. At 9.59 p.m. heavy seas wore breaking over the stern and the after part of the vessel was working. An examination next morning showed that the plater; were buckled on •either side of the vessel at the waterline just forward of the mainmast and abaft the watertight bulkhead between Nos. 1 and 2 hold, and there was a crack on either side of the shin extending to tho rail. The stanchions in No. 2 hold for a distance of about 20 feet, and just about . opposite the cracks in the vessel’s side, were found to be bent as if forced up from below.

The vessel has, since June 11, parted in two. At the line of thd cracks every endeavor was being made in the meantime to bring her into port. It would appear that the vessel was badly damaged on the bar, and that the damage was sustained about 8.30 p.m. on Sunday, May 21, as it was their found that she was rapidly making water. She was practically unmanageable from the time she got off the bar.

After the casualty soundings were taken on the -bar and ail obstruction was found on the position where the vessel had 1 grounded. This obstruction was buoyed and by means of a. .spear it was thought to bo a log of wood lying on the bottom. A southerly came up later and covered the obstruction with san'd and tho dredge, in an endeavor to move the sand, fouled the buoy and carried it away, and the obstruction has not since been located.