ROUGH WEATHER

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XVIII, Issue 140, 28 May 1928, Page 8

ROUGH WEATHER

STEAMER’S STORMY VOYAGE TERRIFIC CYCLONE EN. COUNTERED, / COLLISION WITH SUBMERGED DERELICT. Auckland, May 27. An adventurous voyage of 86 days from Antwerp was experienced by the Belgian steamer Scheldepas, which reached Auckland on Friday night. The vessel sailed from Antwerp on March 1, with 7000 toils ol basic slag, for Auckland and Wellington. Off Azores Islands she encountered a fierce north-west storm and mountainous seas, which washed away ventilators, ladders and other deck fittings. After battling with the storm foi three days, the vessel was hqve to for 16 hours, in order to secure tarpaulins and deck gear. She then ran before the storm for another four days. Near Madian Islands the weather moderated, and the vessel was headed for Jamaica, to replenish the bunkers. When nearing Jamaica the captain was advised by wireless that no coal was obtainable at that port, owing to a strike of the coal heavers, and the same conditions also prevailed at St. Thomas, another nearby coaling port in the West Indies. In consequence, the Scheldepas had to divert from her course and go to Newport News, where she obtained 900 tons of bunker coal and resumed her voyage. En rqute from Newport News to Colon, a terrific cyclone was reported only 110 miles from the Scheldepas, but she was not affected by the storm. At Colon more bunker coal was obtained, and the vessel cleared Balboa on April 12. Six days later, during dull, overcast weather, she collided with a submerged derelict and afterwards sprung a leak. ’Hie accident occurred at 9.40 p.m. Tho steamer struck the derelict with her stem and then kept bumping the derelict as it passed along the port side; but an out-of-sight sounding of the steamer’s hold immediately afterwards did not reveal any water. Next morning, however, there was two feet of water in the forepeak. At midday the water in the forepeak had increased to four feet-, so the captain decided to make for Papeete. Two days before the vessel reached Papeete the peak had filled and the water was pressing heavily against No. 1 hold bulkhead. After reaching Papeete, on May 7, the cargo was shifted from the fore part of No. 1 hold to clear the rose boxes in the bilges. The pumps were also repaired, and afterwards they could cope with the leak. Five days later, after the bunkers had again been replenished, the voyage was resumed. Two days after clearing Papeete, she encountered the cyclone which did so much damage to the steamer Rimutaka. For two days the Scheldepas was like a submarine, with the seas breaking all over her decks. Owing to the seas washing into the galley, no cooking was done on board during that period, and the crew had to grope their way along the decks by clinging to the life lines. To ease the pressure on the forepeak, the vessel was puj before the storm, which began to moderate on the evening of May 16. The swell and seas continued heavy, but the weather was moderate for the remainder of the voyage. It is expected that the vessel will have to be docked for repairs before she leaves New Zealand.