NAPIER HARBOUR TRAGEDY

Hawera Star, Volume LII, 27 January 1933, Page 5

NAPIER HARBOUR TRAGEDY

OPENING OF INQUIRY LAUNCH MASTER’S EVIDENCE (By Telegraph —l'ress Association.) NAPIER, Jan. 26. The marine inquiry into the disaster at the entrance of the inner harbour on December 28, when ten men were drowned in a collision between their launch and the Tu. Atu\ was opened to-day before Mr A. M. Mowlem, S.M., with whom were associated a,s marine assessors Captain J. W. Holmes and Captain L. C. H; Worra-11. Am inquest into the deaths of the ten men drowned was held in- conjunction with the inquiry. Robert William Martin; master or the Tu Atu, said that when proceeding clown, the west side of the channel he saw the white light of the launch Doris. He kept in view for some time without noticing any variation in its colour. Martin suddenly saw the light flash across- his bow and in a- second or two the launch was struck. Eric Mentzer, who was in charge of the Doris, said on seeing lights in the channel he thought them at first to be of some vessel stuck on the bottom of the channel. A,s he approached the lights of the Tu Atu swung more over ibis starboard bow. The Tu Atu was on the west side of the channel and Mentzer considered he could not have passed -on the west side of the other vessel as - lie might have -rum on the rocks. He saw the red light of the Tu Atu moment- before the collision.