ADVENTURES IN WARL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20490, 15 February 1930, Page 13

ADVENTURES IN WARL.

ATTACKS ON A TRANSPORT.

WELL-KNOWN CARGO STEAMER.

CHANGE OF OWNERSHIP.

Advice received in Sydney states that the Scottish Shire Line steamer Argyllshire has been sold to the New Zealand Shipping Company. The vessel is now loading at Southern ports for London. She is a steamer of 11,984 gross tons, and is a sister ship to the New Zealand Shipping Company's liner Rotorua, formerly the Shropshire, and also, to the Federal Line steamer Wiltshire, which was wrecked on the Great Barrier in 1922.

The Argyllshire was built at Clydebank, Scotland, by J. Brown and Company, Ltd., in 1911. She is a steel, twin screw, five-masted vessel. She has visited Auckland on at least four occasions, once with troops, when she arrived from England on Christmas Eve, 1918: Known as transport A 33, the Argyllshire had some thrilling adventures during the war. On one occasion when she was en route from Melbourne to Great Britain, via Panama, with a valuable cargo of flour, frozen meat and general merchandise, a fire broke out on board and she escaped destruction by a narrow margin. The fire was burning freely in No. 3 hold, and the vessel at the time was within three days' eteam of Newport News. The crew was unable to subdue the outbreak and it was a race against time to reach port, wheire fire appliances were used to flood the hold. Considerable damage was done. After repairs were effected the steamer resumed her voyage, but another narrow escape was experienced before she reached England. When steaming in a convoy of 42 steamers off the Irish coast she was attacked by a German submarine. However, she eluded the U boat, which was sunk by depth charges from the escorting destroyers of the convoy.

Another attack by a submarine on the! Argyllshire later in the war was more successful. She was steaming from London to Devonport (Plymouth) to embark wounded Australian soldiers, when a torpedo shattered her stern, carried away the rudder and crumpled her twin screws like paper. Water poured through the rent in the 6tern,*and although the stern bulkhead held the 'engineers were soon wading knee-deep in the engine room. The vessel was zig-zagged close inshore to permit of her being beached if the elec-trically-driven pumps failed to control the inrush of water.

' Plymouth was only 30 miles away, and an effort was made to reach port. In response to an "5.0.5." message five tugs were rushed to the assistance of the Argyllshire. When the tugs reached the transport she was drawing 37ft. at the stern, indicating that she was sinking rapidly. While negotiating a channel in the Plymouth Sound in tow of the fleet of tugs she'settled down to a 40ft. draught at the stern and the engine room and lower compartments were completely flooded. The port tail-shaft then failed, and just a few minutes before reaching the Government emergency dry-dock a report came from thj Argyllshire's engineers that the rush of water had mastered the pumps. The vessel was about to sink as she was then in deep water. The tugs redoubled their efforts and the large steamer, after great difficulty, was got into the dock, where she suddenly plunged at the stern, fortunately striking the -.7ooden chocks and resting there.