SHORT OF SUPPLIES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23117, 16 August 1938, Page 9

SHORT OF SUPPLIES

DREDGE FOR DOMINION BATTERED BY CYCLONE OTHER MISADVENTURES PUTS INTO NEWCASTLE By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright SYDNEY. August 10 Having been driven out of her course by a cyclone encountered in the last stage of an adventurous voyage from the United Kingdom to New Zealand, the little grab hopper dredge Kerimoana put into Newcastle short of coal, water and stores. The voyage has already taken five months. The Kerimoana encountered storms almost all the way, 'vas stopped once by a rebel armed trawler off the coast of Spain, twice had to put sick members of the crew ashore, and several times was driven far out of her course.

An attempt to make a direct voyage from Java to Townsville was frustrated when the coal supply ran short, and the vessel called at Thursday Island. The Kerimoana left Brisbane 11 days ago for Wellington, and was well on the way when cyclonic storms battered her for several days and forced her to make for Newcastle, where she arrived with her supplies almost exhausted. Ihe Wellington Harbour Board's dredge Kerimoana, which left the Clyde on March 15 for Wellington, is a stejl self-propelling single - screw vessel with a hopper amidships, and her speed, under favourable conditions, is eight knots. The deadweight tonnage is about 20U. She has been constructed to Lloyd's special survey requirements, and is classed 100 A 1 grab hopper dredger. The Kerimoana was built by Ferguson Brothers at Port Glasgow, the contract providing, for her delivery at Wellington. Early hopes were held that she 'might arrive there late in June but Colombo was not cleared until the end of May.