TRAGEDY AVERTED

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXII, Issue 119, 20 April 1942, Page 4

TRAGEDY AVERTED

FISHING LAUNCH SINKS RESCUE BY~NAYAL BOAT (Press Assn.) AUCKLAND, April 20. A' party of 43 fishermen narrowlv escaped drowning when their bOlt launch motor vessel, Lady Jocelyn, of 50 tons, grounded on a reel and foundered in steep seas, almost halt a mile from the eastern shore of Motuihi Island yesterday afternoon. A major tragedy was averted bv the arrival of a naval patrol which took off all the passengers. A short while before the Lady Jocelyn went under five members of the partv made a hazardous trip to tie island in the vessel's dinghy, while the remainder stood on the sinking boat watching their progress. At the time of the mishap the vessel was making tor Motuihi wharf to land a naval rating who was found in distress in a dinghy in mid channel. . Captain H. E. Carey, owner of the Lady Jocelyn, said they had decided to make for Home Bay in Mottitapu and found the rating in bis dinghy on the way. "We then decided to go to Motuihi and land him," Captain Carey said. "While going round the corner we struck the end of the reef. We tried to get the boat off but we had to wait for the tide to rise as it was then about dead low water. 'I here was a sea running and she started to make water, so we hoisted a distress signal. One boat was passing at the time but didn't notice it. Eventually, she float, ed off. ..... i "At that stage we were drilttng and gradually sinking, and part oi the crowd of five people made for the shore in a dinghy. The dinghy had just arrived back when a naval launch came alongside and took everyone off. Just afterward the Lady Jocelyn turned on her side and sank bow first. The stern was still sticking up from the water and she did not disappear altogether. We were about an hour on the vessel before she finally went tinder. She was sinking all the time." ~11 The whole party was brought back to Auckland by launch. None of them suffered anv ill-effects from the accident. Still in his working clothes and barefooted. Captain Carey was makino- arrangements late to-night to hire a lowboat to salvage his vessel.