BATTERED BY STORM

Hawera Star, Volume LIV, 4 April 1935, Page 7

BATTERED BY STORM

CARGO STEAMER’S EXPERIENCE SEAS SWEEP OVER BRIDGE TEN DAYS IN HURRICANE (By Telegraph—Press Association.) AUCKLAND, April 3.

For "fen days, during her voyage across the Atlantic en route from Liverpool to New Zealand, the cargo steamer Huruuui was battered by a fierce hurricane. The vessel arrived at Auckland this morning, anchoring off Motuihi to discharge explosives. Although it -us over a month since the. storm was experienced, the Huruuui still bears traces of the damage caused' by the pounding of mountainous seas.

In the same storm the small British steamer Blairgowrie, which was about 100 miles to the eastward of the Hurunui, was lost with all hands. “L never hope to experience another storm like it,” said one of the officers oa the Hurunui. "The seas actually swept over the bridge which is normally 45ft above water. The’ bows of the ship would rise to 'an immense green-grey barrier of water and for seconds it would appear that she would slip back. Suddenly she -would slide forward and then bury her nose d'eepi into the next huge wave. I "We had ten days of that, practic-' ally without let up, making at most about SO or 00 miles a day. It was a genuine relief to get into.calm weather again.” When the storm was at its height for two or three days'the ship’s speed was only from two to four knots. One sea crashing over the starboard bow stove in and carried away a wooden apron on the starboard side of the bridge deck. Later tvyo of the ship’s lifeboats on the starboard side had their woodwork smashed by another gigantic wave. Some idea of the fury of the storm can he gained from the fact that both the boat deck and the bridge deck are over 30ft above the -tvater-line.

The crew’s quarters aft were made uninhabitable through being flooded. Seamen and firemen had to seek other accommodation, some of them sleeping in the engine room. Officers and men were kept almost continuously at work attending to items of minor damage and keeping the decks clear as much as possible. It was no uncommon’ thing for seas to break over the bridge which is above the bridge deck. On one such occasion the fourth officer, who was on watch, was thrown off his feet by a torrent of water sw.eping over the bridge rail. He was not seriously hurt. Others on 'board suffered minor injuries. /

During the storm on February 26 SOS signals from the Blairgowrie were picked up by wireless. It was learned that the German liner Europa and other vessels nearer the Blairgowrie were answering distress signals but the Hurunui was about 100 miles away and in such weather was powerless to Tender any assistance. The Blairgowrie, which was bound from Swansea to Boston, was lost with her entire crew numbering 26.