THE MOEWE

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLI, Issue XLI, 15 October 1921, Page 10

THE MOEWE

HEH LATEST EXPLOIT

LONDON, Aug. 24. Under her fresh name, nOreenbrier," very few will recognise an ex-enemy ship, whose record us a raider is probably unique. She was formerly the Moewe, and is now in use as a fruit carrier in the West Indies by Messrs Elders and Fytt'es, who bought her from the Government after the war. A few days ago, by some accident, while outward bound in the Mersey, the Greenbrier hit and holed dne of the lightships near the Formby Sandbanks. The lightship went to the bottom, but happily her crew of six were savod. One of the rescued men remarked: "The old Moewe has not* yet finished her war tricks." It seems that while in the main channel of the Mdrsey, outward bound to Toneriffe, something went wrong with her steering gear, and she came into violent collision with the Formby lightship Planet,, one of three similar vesselH stationed near the mouth of the river an guides to navigators. Water immediately poured into both vessel*. The captain of the Greenbrier promptly u,nvt orders to his engine-room which h&4 the efl'ect of "keeping the steamer's I head in the lightship's oreach, and so minimised the inrush of, water. EXCITING RESCUE. The lightship's crew of six hands were in great peril. One of them either plunged or was thrown into the river. The other hve succeeded in lowering i the ship's boat, into which they I scramblod, .-d shortly afterwards they ! picked up t oir swimming colleagues. | Hones were iirown from the steamer, ; and after ai exciting adventure all j the men were escued and taken aboard ' the Greenbrie from which they were transferred to the eteam tug* Flying Cock nnd takei; to Liverpool. They had nothing on but trousers and shirts. At the dock offices the mate stated that this was not the first time he ha<l been wrecked. The men lost all their belongings in the lighlship, which disappeared from view almost immediately. The Greenbrier, having received damage to her bowe, put abdut, and returned to Liverpool for repairs. Her sailings have meanwhile been postponed indefinitely. Subsequently the Dock Board, with a v:ew to safeguarding shipping as much ns possible, arranged for "their tender vigilant to tow a watehship, the Orion, to a position seaward of the wreck, where at night she will exhibit four irreen lights. Prominent places in the city have been placarded "with notices ri? riU? R negators of the sinking of the Planet at her moorings, and warning navigators to tsrooeed with caution and to give the watchship a wide berth