Coastal Ship On Bank, But Refloated

Northern Advocate, 28 October 1949, Page 5

Coastal Ship On Bank, But Refloated

Owing to the failure of a beacon in the Whangarei Harbour, the Northern Steamship Company’s vessel Ranginui ran aground on a bank off One Tree Point at about 1.30 o’clock this morning.

The Ranginui was refloated at 10.25 a.m. and reached the Town Wharf at about 11.30.—three and a half hours late.

It is thought probable that the failure of the light at One Tree Point was due to a slow leak in the apparatus.

The ship grounded opposite Snake Bank and a short distance from the beacon—about 20 or 30 yards from safe water.

Visibility was poor at the time. The ship came off easily on the rising tide. Harbour Board employees replaced the fuel container at the beacon this morning, and the light is now working satisfactorily. As a result of the slower shipping turn round at Auckland, brought about by the present labour trouble, the Ranginui, has made only two trips to Whangarei this week The shipment of butter from Whangarei to the Auckland stores has been affected and because storage space at Whangarei was becoming a problem, the Whangarei company yesterday railed about 1500 boxes south.

At the wharf shed this morning about 280 bales of wool were stored.

They will be shipped to Auckland tomorrow.

Sufficient union and non-union labour was available this afternoon to make good progress in unloading the vessel's cargo but it was doubtful if she would be able to leave for Auckland until tomorrow morning.