THE IMPERIAL STAR

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22948, 28 January 1938, Page 11

THE IMPERIAL STAR

AUCKLANDER IN COMMAND VISIT TO HOME PORT One of the few New Zealanders at present commanding a ship in the Home trade is an Auckl.mder, Captain D. R. Macfarlane, master of the Blue Star Line's motor-ship Imperial Star, now at Auckland. Captain Macfarlane, who is a son of Mr. D. R. Macfarlane, of Dominion Road, is the only New Zealander commanding a unit of the Blue Star's big fleet. He was born in Auckland in 1895. As a 15-year-old boy in a Dunedin newspaper office, Captain Macfarlane decided to go to sea, and joined the Union Company's intercolonial steamer Moeraki as ship's boy. After serving in the Shaw, Savill and Albion Line's Mataura he joined the Blue Star Line in 1915.

Captain Macfarlane was first appointed third officer of the Brodstane and during the war he servad in the Brodstane and the Brodmede on Government service. He was in the Brodmede when she was torpedoed and shelled in 1917 by a German submarine. In 1926 he was appointed to his first command, the Celtic Star, and he later was master of several; vessels of the company's fleet, including the lonic Stpr, Royal Star, Tacoma Star, Rodney Star and the Stuart Star, which" was recently wrecked off the African coast.

When, in 1935, the Imperial Star was launched a§ the first of six line new motor-ships for the Australian and New Zealand trade, Captain Macfarlane was appointed to the command from her maiden voyage. He has visited Auckland only once previously since then.