LOSS OF CYRENA

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 16 June 1925, Page 5

LOSS OF CYRENA

NAUTICAL INQUIRY OPENED

STORY OF VESSEL’S GROUNDING

PILOT’S EVIDENCE

(BY TELEGRAPH PRESS ASSOCIATION.) WANGANUI, June 15. ’ The nautical inquiry into the wreck of tlie Cyrena commenced this .morn-. , mg before Mr. J. S. Baiton, S.M., and • Captains Edwin and Barron'(assessors). The evidence of the harbourmaster (Captain Mclntyre; occupied six hours. This was the on'y evidence taken. Captain Mclntyre stated that when - he hoarded tlie Cyrena for the purpose of piloting her in. Captain Paterson informed him that- tlie steamer was drawing 16ft. 6in. fore and aft. Captain Mclntyre's soundings and' measurements indicated that there should be jßft. Gin. at high tide.- He also informed Captain Paterson that the bar was composed of mud. Captain Paterson and the- pilot were quite satisfied that, with two feet under the Cyrena’s bottom, it was perfectly safe to take the bar, considering that the. sea was smooth. At 10.30 a.m. the Cyrena headed for the entrance, keeping the beacons open slightly to the south. The sea was »; smooth with no lift at all upon the ves—sel. Tlie Cyrena grounded gently at 10.40. There was no jar, hut just a gradual pulling, up as Would be expected on a lriud bottom,, and a slight lift of the bows o n grounding. The' en-gine-room te egraph was at “full speed ahead” in accordance with the pilot’s instructions. He estimated, that-, the v pace immediately prior to the ground- ' ing was about seven knots, as she had not had time to gather full speed, which would be about 9-J- or 10 knots. After grounding the Cyrena appearedto 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 tlie secoiid officer, who was on the bridge, took the lead hue from him and went to the break of the forecastle head, heaved the-lead and reported 18 feet. He then walked along aft, dragging the lead, feeling the bot)-,~; torn all the way, .and reported; kjss'than 17 feet iust forward .of,the., mainmast (that would be just abaft the' bridge), and 18 feet at the poop. He took soundings on both sides of the vessel with the same result. The distance from the break of the forecastle head to the poop was approximately 180 feet.. .. Soundings were taken in the vessel p and it was found that she was making no water. Endeavours , were.-made for some one and a-ha’-f hours after grounding to work her off with the engines, but without resu't. A kedge' anchor with a wire rope was got ready, to run a out astern, but it was eventually decided not to do so, and a message was . sent ashore for lighters. Hatches were taken off and the derricks got ready. Measures were also take n to lift the stern by pumping 19 1 tons of wfjter into the fore peak, filling it up, and shifting 37 tons of fuel oil from the after to the forward coffer dam. and pumping a’l the boiler water overboard from the' after peak. The captain estimated that this would lift‘the stern by about a foot with the falling “ tide. . A heavy swell set in from the south at 3 p.m. The agent came off and reported that it was too rough for lighters to come alongside with the swell and incoming tide, which would be high at 11.26 p.m. The vessel commenced bumping badly, and at 8.22 it was decided to start the engines and 'endeayour to work her off the bank. At 8.30 it was found that the vessel was making water fast in the after bold, and also in the forward hold; although the engine-room was dry,- and the ships pumps were unable to cope ... with the inflow. From 8.22 the engines . were working in an endeavour .to shift the vessel, but she did not move till aliout 9.6. At 9.45 the vessel began dragging to. , wards the north mole, and had 14 feet of water i n the after hold and 10 feet in the forward hold. An indication of the damage she had sustained.by 9 p.m. was a bent sounding pipe under the bridge and in the after hold. This pipe was through v a double bottom to within a foot of tho bottom of the ship, and is fastened by flanges to tlie inner bottom. It was found impossible to get the sounding rod down a distance of more than about eight fee j, "from the top, which is in the captain’s outer c-abin, thereby, indicating that, the, bottom lmd been forced up at least, a, foot and caused the bend in the sounding pipe. ' • '" r ’ . An endeavour was made to get the steamer in between the moles, but as she was bumping and dragging all the time and the wind and seas we be carrying her towards the north mo e, 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 t-cok tne bottom more firmly by the stern about, a quarter of a mile to the northward of the north mole .at 9.50 p.m. Heavy seas were breaking over the stern, and the after part of the vessel was working. •• . . .. .. An examination next, morning showed that the pkites were buckled on either side of the vessel at the waterline, just forward of the mainmast, and; abaft-the.. watertight bulkhead between No. I and No. 2 holds, and there. wa s . a crack on'either side of the ship extending to the rail. The stanchions in No. 2 hold for a distance of about 20 feet, . ana just about opposite the cracks in the esse ’s sides, were found to be bent as if forced up from below.* The ves- - sel has since June 11 parted in l two at the line of tlie- cracks, . eve.ry:,-en-deavour being made in the meantime to b ing her into the 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, Mav 24. at it was then found that she was rapidly making water. She was practically unmanageab’e from the time she got off the bar. Soundings were taken on the bar, after the casualty, and an obstruction was found on the position where the vessel had grounded. This obstruction was buoyed and by mean s of a spear.j ?t. was thought to be a log of wood lying on the bottom. A southerly cam© "n later ar-d covered the obstruction with Sand, and the dredge in an ene"clcavour to remove the sand foulded the buov and carried it away, and the obstruction has not since bee n located.