NAUTICAL INQUIRY.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 16 January 1929, Page 5

NAUTICAL INQUIRY.

STEAMER’S STRANDING AT OHAU POINT. CAPTAIN GIVES EVIDENCE. (By Telegraph—Press 'Association.) WELLINGTON, Jan. 15. A nautical inquiry lias opened regarding the grounding of the steamer Invercargill at Ohau Point on the morning of December 3, while en route from \vanganui to Wellington. The master, Captain Smith, gave evidence that he was called at 11 p.m., when he found that the weather was thick, but not thick enough to slow down. He went back to his cabin. He went on duty again at midnight, and made allowance of a mile an hour for six hours on account of the tide. His course would take him 3£- miles clear of the point. The ship struck at 3.10 a.m. lie had made 211 trips on that route. His practise was not to run more than eight lion is from Wanganui bar in thick weather. He would then make for the open sea, and would never enter Cook Strait until he could see the Brothers light. There was no hurry to make port, as the ship did not have to reach Wellington till 8 a.m. He had consulted the chart since the mishap and found that his dead reckoning was a mile per hour out. He agreed that that was a considerable error. He did not take soundings because he did not think he was out of deep w'ater. Captain Smith attributed the stranding to the abnormal set, which took him on to the Ohau point, an hour and ten minutes sooner than lie had ever done even in a good trip. He saw land lsoou enough to take some way off. He put the engines astern and the ship backed oft steadily. Very little damage was done.