OVER 50 YEARS AFLOAT

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22006, 12 January 1935, Page 2 (Supplement)

OVER 50 YEARS AFLOAT

SKIPPER'S NOTABLE CAREER HERO OF MANY RESCUES DRAMATIC WAR INCIDENT One of the most popular North Atlantic skippers, Captain Thomas l'\ Gates, recently retired from the sea after more than 00 years' active service. Big, breezy, and with a laugh that can be heard from bows to stern, he attains the ago of 73 this mouthy but he does not look a day over 50. No wonder, for h<j has never had a day's illness in his life! When a correspondent of the News of the World visited Captain Gates at his Twickenham home the other day to congratulate him on his many years' service, lie related some particulars of his career. " Well," he began in a booming voice, " I have been in ships just on 56 years, for 45 of which J have been in command. " How did I begin F That's a deuce of a way back. However, to start with 1 went to school at Bury St. Edmunds. Then when 1 was 15 I went to sea in one of the old sailing ships called tho Dorset. I had five and a-lialf years in sail. It was a hard life, but a healthy one. s " In 1883 I joined the Atlantic Transport Line, with whom I have been ever since. My first command was the Missouri, which 1 took over in 188$. Since then I have been in cliarce of 18 others. 1 cannot rejnember them all now, but the Manitoba, Mohawk, Mississippi and Manhattan are all well known. Incidentally, tho names of all the ships I have ever commanded have started with the letter 'M.' "

Captain Gates lias figured in many rescues at sea. The most dramatic was probably in 18S7, when he was chief officer of the Missouri. On that occa-

Bion lie was responsible, with others, for saving 735 lives from , the Danish emigrant steamer the Denmark. Tlio rescue is justly regarded by sailors as one of the most thrilling in the history of the sea. It was made the subject of a well-known painting entitled, ''And Every Soul was Saved," the original of which is in Baltimore, United States. In 15)14 Captain Gates became commander of the Minnewaska, the first of its name, of the Atlantic Transport Line. Ho remained with her until lie beached her on the Island of Crete, after a great part of the ship had been blown away by a mine. By his prompt action Captain Gates saved tho lives of 1800 troops and crew, for which he was' awarded the C.B.E. When the Armistice was signed a new Minnewaska was built, and Captain Gates was put in command, but the following year ho was given charge of the sister-ship, the Minnetonka, which I ho commanded for ten years—from 1924 until 1934. It is a strance coincidence, but both tlie.se ships arc to be broken up, just at the same time ns Captain is retiring from the 6ea.