MISHAP TO HAUTURU.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20976, 12 September 1931, Page 8

MISHAP TO HAUTURU.

PROPELLER SHAFT BREAKS.

VESSEL AT NEW PLYMOUTH. NEW PART FROM AUCKLAND. [Br TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT.] NEW PLYMOUTH, Friday. Another mishap occurred to-day to the Northern Steamship Company's motor vessel Hauturu, the shaft of the. starboard propeller snapping as the vessel was leaving New Plymouth for Onehunga. This is the second mishap to the ship in three months.

The Hauturu had just left the wharf arid was going astern. She had not got far into the stream when her starboard propeller 6haft snapped at the coupling. Fortunately, it was saved fronj being dragged into the water by a steel bracket which had been placed on the shaft in case of accident. The bracket caught on the flange of the propeller tube after it had slipped about 9in. or lOin. from the coupling. The vessel returned to port to await a new shaft, which is being sent overland from Auckland.

On June 28 the Hauturn lost her starboard propeller in rough weather off Patea. The vessel was saved from disaster by the prompt action of the engineers in stopping the flow of water into tha engineroom and by the crew in keeping the level of the water in the engineroom down so that the port engine could b« kept working. Last Saturday, in rough weather, tha vessel had to seek shelter at New Plymouth while en route from Wanganui to Onehunga, on account of the danger of injuring two valuable racehorses that were on board. It was then feared that the blade of a propeller had been lost, but a later examination at Onehunga proved this to be incorrect. The Hauturu is a steel vessel of 284 tons and was built at Greenock in 1927. She replaced the Ngapuhi in May, 1930, when the Northern Steamship Company abandoned the passenger service on tht west coast.