STEAMER MEETS GALE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18773, 29 July 1924, Page 7

STEAMER MEETS GALE.

PORT CURTIS BUFFETED*

HUGE SEA COMES ABOARD.

DAMAGE DONE ON DECK.

[ST TKI/EORAPH.—OWS " CORIIESFONOENT.] -"M"o2ldSry. Exceptionally heavy weather wo 3 experienced by the (Commonwealth and Dominion Line steamer Port Curtis in tht< Pacific last week while the vessel was steaming the last few hundred miles of her long voyage from London to, Wellington. The Port Curtis arrived at 7 c.m. yesterday deeply laden with 10,000 tons of assorted freight.

Dislodged fittings on the forecastle* bond and her salt-sprayed funnel liyxa testimony to tho severe buffeting she had received when steaming through tho stormswept area. Tho Port Curtis loft London at midnight on June 14 and after a brief call at Falmouth set out on what proved to be a fine-weather and pleasant passage across the Atlantic. The first days of tha passage across tha Pacific were marked by tolerably good weather and tho eteamet made good steaming time. Ou July 19, however, the weather becalms overcast an<3 threatening, the wind blowing fresh from the southwest accompanied by ft iiigl^ confused swelL Tho wind increased in force, and on July 22 it wa3 blowing q moderate gale. ;

A very high sea was then running which caused the deeply-laden ship fa} pitch and labour considerably. Heavy seas wero almost continuously shipped, tha decks being flooded fore and aftThe galo was at its height on July 22 and at 11 a.m. on that day a lingd wall of water smashed over the forecastlo head. It left destruction, in it 3 wake ami caused the ship to shudder frotn Btsm t£ stern. When the swirl of waters had left tho forecastle head and the dccka cleax; again it was seen that this particular sea had torn thO ship's bell and belfrey from its fastenings and also & heavy mooring wire reel and other fittings, such as pipes and steam pipe casings, whila the vessel's rails were badly smashed. It wa3 fortunate that no members of the crew were on tho forecastle head at tha time, otherwise iives would probably havo been lost. :7 ;v

Heavy seas continued to pound tha steamer but no other damage resulted. Captain Vnndenburgh then hove-to tha vessel for nearly an hour while the crew were engaged in repairing the damaged sections of the; rails said. maluKg secure all loose articles and deck fittings which had been. scattered abotifc by the tide of receding waters. The gale raged until the morning of July 25 and during the threa days of storm the Port Curtis only logged seven knots, half her usual speed. The weather improved considerably oa Friday night, the remainder ofithVvoyaga being made under mora favourable Condi* tions. : •