LABURNUM IN STORM.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20607, 4 July 1930, Page 14

LABURNUM IN STORM.

LOSS OF FORE-TOPMAST. v; —— WIRELESS OUT OF COMMISSION. ARRIVAL AT PAGO PAGO. Advico has been received in Auckland tliat H.M.S. Laburnum encountered a scvcro galo early this week while en route from Vavau, Tonga, to Pago Pago, the United States naval baso in the Samoan group. Ilio vessel received a tremendous buffeting. r !ho sloop struck the storm approximately 400 miles out from Pago Pago, which port sho has now reached. According to official advico received by the naval authorities in Auckland, tho gale carried away tho Laburnum's fore-top-mast, temporarily leaving the vessel without wireless communication. All on board arc reported to bo safo and as far as is known the only serious damage is to tlie mast.

The sloop left Auckland on Juno 18 on a cruiso in South Sea Islands waters and is not due back until about tho middle of October.

Tho Laburnum and her sister-ship Veronica aro units of tho Acacia typo of the "flower" class. Theso ships wero built under tho emergency war programme in 1914-15, and to ensure rapid construction their design was mado as simple as possible. They wero built under Lloyd's survey in about 25 weeks, and have triple hulls at tho bows to givo protection against loss when taking up mines. They aro not handy ships, as the single screw gives a wido turning circle. Tho normal tounage of all tho "flower" class boats is about 1200, tho full-load tonnage ranging from 1269 to 1325 tons. They have an over-all length of 262^ft., with a beam of 33ft. and a draught of 12ft. Tho maximum speed is 15 knots, driving power being supplied by a set of four-cylinder triple-expansion engines.