LOSS OF COASTAL CARGO VESSEL

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXIII, 10 December 1940, Page 5

LOSS OF COASTAL CARGO VESSEL

“MIGHT HAVE BEEN HUE TO MINE” (U.P.A.-By Electric Telegraph-Copyrightj SYDNEY, Bth December. The Minister of the Navy, Mr Hughes, admitted in the House of Representatives that the loss of the coastal cargo vessel which occurred off the New South Wales coast last Thursday, might have been due to a mine. If that was so it must be assumed that the mine was laid by an enemy raider. Survivors of the ship had no doubt that their vessel was mined. One of them the chief engineer, Stuart Kennedy. 49, said that an explosion blew away a large portion of the ship, which sank in three minutes. Seven of the crew of 20 are missing, and are believed to have been killed or drowned. Only for the alertness of the pilot of a Royal Australian Air Force plane, all 20 members of the crew might have been lost. He had jdst taken off from a base on the New South Wales coast for a flight seaward when he noticed smoke several miles out to sea. He flew straight to it, saw considerable wreckage on the surface, ,and alighted. The water was considerably rougher than he had anticipated, and because of this and the extent of the wreckage, which threatened to pierce the hull of the amphibian, he was unable to approach close enough to a piece of wreckage to which he saw 13 men’ clinging to pick them up. The pilot was about to return to his base to

obtain help when he saw a ship, communicated with it by signal lamp, informed it of the position of the wreckage, and directed it to the scene. RAFTS FROM CARGO The rescuing ship was another small coastal boat, and she brought the survivors to Sydney late that night. The ca go of the sunken vessel included a considerable quantity of plywood, which pr.-ved admirable rafts for the crew to cling to. About 50 pigs had been carried as deck cargo, and these also sought positions on the rafts and had to be kicked off by the men. 4 T was having a cup of tea when the exolosion occurred,” said Chief Engineer Kennedy. “There was no chance to get a /boat away. I scrambled out of the messroom and the next thing I knew I was in the water. The ship just went from under me I scrambled on so.ne plywood and saw other men on pi-, wood, too. I didn’t see any of the m°n who were lost after the explosion.” The missing men are: W. Bysantson, master; C. Chapan, mate; A. McAllister, tmrd engineer; E. Carlson. N. Hulton, and E. Hallett, greasers; and W. Gorry, seaman All lived in Sydney suburbs. Captain Bysantson was in his cabin when the explosion occurred. The third engineer and the greasers were in the engine-room. Four of the 13 survivors were taken to hospital after they had been landed in Sydney. The day after the sinking precautionary measures against raiders and mines wero announced in Parliament. These include the patrolling and sweeping of waters in the area where the coaster wa; sunk; a decision to equip with mine-cutting apparatus, and “measures similar to the closing of the ports of Sydney and Newcastle last week.” A message yesterday stated that a second victim, a British overseas cargo v\>sel, was mined in South Australian water late on Sunday night, but was reoorted yesterday to be still afloat. Two powerful tugs and a ketch have erne from a South Australian port to th« vessel’s assistance, and naval authorities are also rushing immediate assistance to clear waters in the vicinity of danyt-i.