MARITIME DISASTER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20338, 20 August 1929, Page 9

MARITIME DISASTER.

TUG SINKS A STEAMEIt.

CREWS DESPERATE PLIGHT.

EIGHTEEN SPANIARDS MISSING

Australian Press Association— United Service LONDON, Aug. IS.

Four officers and 14 men are missing as the result of a collision 30 miles from the mouth of the River Humber.

A largo ocean-going tug, tlio King's Cross, struck the. Spanish steamer Ogono amidships and she sank in six minutes.

The crew of the stricken vessel could not launch the boats and all but a steward jumped overboard. The steward climbed the after mast and clung to the shrouds until the crew of another vessel rescued him.

Tho King's Cross stood by and picked up oight of tho men from tho Ogono. The collier Starlight saved a ninth man and a third vessel a tenth. It also recovered tho body of tho Ogono's wireless operator.

The stein of tho King's Cross was badly buckled, but she took the survivors and tho dead man to Grimsby. The second mate of the Ogono, named Ugaldo, was the only officer saved. He said he saw from tho bridge tho lights of tho tug as she approached. He heard two blasts from a siren and tho collision followed immediately.

Ugaldo and five of his shipmates clung to a capsized lifeboat until they were rescued.

Tho Ogono was a steel-screw steamer of 2416 tons gross register. She was built by Furness, Witty and Company, Limited, at West Hartlepool in 1894. She was owned by tho Sanda-Mendi Company and her port of registry was Bilbao, Spain.