RAIDER IN TASMAN

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 227, 23 August 1940, Page 6

RAIDER IN TASMAN

ATTACK ON TURAKINA SEARCH FOR ENEMY Per Press Association. WELLINGTON, Aug. 22. The Prime Minister (Rt. Hon. P. Fraser) announced to-night that at 6.28 p.in. on Tuesday last the New Zealand naval authorities received a message by wireless from the steamer Turakina (8706 tons), in the Tasman Sea; to the effect that she was being attacked anu gunned by a raider, and giving her latitude and longi’ude. All possible steps to locate and deai with the raider were immediately taken by tho New Zealand naval forces and the Royal New Zealand Air Force, and the search is continuing. No further information is at present available. Tho Prime Minister explained that it had not been possible to make an earlier announcement on this matter, owing to the necessity of preserving secrecy in order not to prejudice the effectiveness of the steps that were being taken.

WELL-KNOWN SHIP. IN REFRIGERATED TRADE. The Turakina., which is owned by the New Zealand Shipping Coy., Ltd., is a cargo steamer of 8706 tons gross register, 480 ft in length and approximately 6.3 ft in breadth. She is propelled by a single screw, driven by gear-ed-turbine engines, giving her a speed of about 14 knots. She was built at Glasgow in 1923, and has been a regular trader to New Zealand for 17 years. She has a refrigerated cargo capacity of 430,150 cubic feet. The Turakina, commanded bv Captain Laird, is the third ship of the name owned by the New Zealand Shipping Coy., Ltd. The first was the clipper ship Turakina, which, as the City of Perth, was driven ashore in a gale at Timaru in May, 1882, in company with tho /ship Ben Venne, which became a total Joss. The City of Perth was subsequently refloated and repaired. and after being purchased by the New Zealand Shipping Coy. was renamed Turakina. A vessel of 1189 tons register, sho made 15 successful voyages to New Zealand under the company’s flag. The second Turakina was a twinscrew passenger and cargo liner of 8027 tons gross register, built in 1902. On August 13, 1917, slurtly after she had disembarked a large draft of New Zealand troops at Plymouth, the Turakina was torpedoed without warning and sunk 120 miles west-south-west from Bishop Ilock in the English Channel. The attack on the Turakina by an e.nemy armed, raider recal's the fate of the liner Niagara, which was sunk a few weeks ago by a mine a few hours after 6he had left Auckland for Suva, Honolulu and Vancouver. Subsequent sweeping operations discovered a number of mines in the vicinity.

Although it was common knowledge in Palmerston North, Feilding and adjacent districts, yesterday, that the Turakina had been involved in an incident, no mention could be made of this in the Press because of the censorship regulations.