EAST INDIES DISASTER

Grey River Argus, 22 October 1936, Page 5

EAST INDIES DISASTER

STEAMER SINKS 296 People Saved 3-1 MISSING (Aus. & N.Z. Cable Assn.) SYDNEY, October 21. News has been received from Sourabaya of the loss of the lioypl Packet steamer Van Dep IVijck, which capsized and sank, about twenty miles west of Sourabaya early on Tuesday morning. With a death roll of seventy i lie vessel, which had 330 people aboard, went under in live minutes. There was no time to issue life saving equipment.

Ten military planes and live warships rushed to her rescue ’when the Naval Commandant at Sourabaya received an SOS “Vessel listing heavily,” which was followed by an ominous silence.

Warships rescued 210 people from floating debris, and seaplanes picked up forty-seven. The death roil includes eight Europeans, among them being the wirless operator The Commander. Captain Akkerman, was rescued.

Reports as to the cause of the tragedy tire at variance. One message says the sea was cairn', and the disaster was apparently inexplicable, while anothe r states the ship, which carried a large cargo of oil. rolled heavily in a rough sea, turned over and' sank. Although the ship went, down at 1 a.m. it. was 7 a.m. before any were rescued, bee.ruse the origin of the SOS was not known.

The planes had to fly in wide circles to search for signs of the survivors. When the seaplanes arrived on the scene, a number of native fishermen were dragging people to safety. The seaplanes alighted in the sen, and did splendid rescue work, but their capacity was limited. The vessel was on the run from Sourabaya to Batavia. It appears that the ship turned over, as the wireless operator was half way through sending an SOS message, when it was cut short. The ship’s iipme and position were not given. Some of the rescued men were found floating about on chairs and wreckage. The search for possible survivors continues. FLYING BOATS TO THE RESCUE SAVE 43 PEOPLE. LONDON, October 29. Aeroplanes and ships are still searching in the hope of finding further survivors of the Van D'er AVijck, ■which mysteriously capsized and sank within two minutes in the sharkinfested Java Sea, between Sourabaya and Samarang. Of the 226 passengers and crew, all, except 34, including 14 Europeans, were saved. The victims include the Dutch wireless opeuator, who stuck to his post, sending out SOS messages.

The saved include sixteen Europeans, besides Captin Akkerman, all the officers and the chief stewards. Akkerman jumped at the last moment when the vessel had actually capsized. He swam for seven hours before being rescued, saving a Dutch woman and child, by keeping them afloat.

Oil from the vessel covered the sea. and probably kept sharks .away. As it is unlikely that an oily sea. would cause the disaster, if is believed to have been through a sea phenomenon, which sometimes occurs in the -lava Sea.

Immediately the 80S messages were received. the Defence Department despatched nine flying-boats and light naval craft. The flying-boats saved 43. bravely risking collision with the floating wreckage, each time they landed on the sea.' It was the first time these machines have been thus used; Native boats also effected rescues. LONDON. October 20. Tn response to on SOS from tJie Greek steamer Okeanis. which had sprung a leak, and was sinking in the North Sea. off Yaud'en. two tugs and a life boat hurried out, >and took off the crew.

34 Missing VESSEL SINKS IN TWO MINUTES (Aus. & N.Z. Cable Assn.) (I’eceiveq October 21. 7.19 p.m.) LONDON. October 29. Those niiss»ng are eight Eumpea-' passengers, three children, three of the sh'p’s officitr’-, and twenty nativis The vessel' mysteriously developed a list at ] a.m. which it proved ’m possible to correct, and at. 2 a.m. Die operator sent out a message; “SO 1 -' Heavy list.’’ The captain ordered the stopping of the eng'nes, and the boats to be lowered, but the bttle vessel 'urchcd heavily to starboard, and w’fhin two m’nutes. overturned and disappe/ared, leaving one lifeboat containing twenty-twq. in the winter. A second fifeboat was struck by the ves=el’« funnel and overturned. The w'roless operaJor. Uyterrnerk. wa s drowned while, still* sending out messages. Native fishing boats rescued eightysix people.