SEA MYSTERY

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23381, 24 June 1939, Page 12

SEA MYSTERY

LOSS OF A LAUNCH PARTY OF 12 ABOARD FEARED TAKEN BY SHARKS DISCOVERY OF DINGHY [from our own correspondent] SYDNEY, Juno '2O After a grim and hopeless struggle against man-eating sharks, death is believed to have been the fate of 12 men in the 45-foot Brisbane launch Nerita, "which was given up for lost after a search which lasted a week. On the eighth day after the launch was last seen in Moreton Bay, a dinghy was sighted by the pilot of a searching aeroplane. The pilot steamer Matthew Flinders steamed to the spot and picked up the dinghy, which bore the name Nerita. Its condition suggested that, a fire or explosion had occurred in the launch and had iorced the occupants to take to the dinghy. An improvised life line found in the dinghy suggested that the Nerita had foundered, and that some of the occupants had to cling to the side of the dinghy, which would hold only six- persons. Tho life lino was rigged from a new halyard recently acquired for the launch's sail, and was looped to support three people floating on each side, while a bridle from the dinghy's painter, found inside, had • been rigged, it is thought, as a safety measure. Man-eaters Found Near Dinghy When tho dinghy was retrieved, almost submerged and bottom up, there was a three-foot tiger shark almost trapped in it, and swimming close by was a 14-foot shark. As these waters teem with sharks, it is assumed that when the launch was abandoned tho men decided that six should sit in tho dinghy, while tho others clung to the life lines. In the dark, the men hanging on to the life lines were probably attacked by sharks, and the dinghy was overturned during their struggle for life. Once attacked, the men would have no hope of surviving the ferocity of the man-eaters. The tragedy must have occurred at night, and the grim fight assumed to have been waged in tho darkness against the waves and the attacking sharks , probably will remain another mystery of the sea. On the day after the finding" of the dinghy, floating objects off (Jape Moreton, which were seen from the air, were believed to bo wreckage from the Nerita. The objects were seen almost at the spot where the dinghy was found. Searchers believe that the launch must be breaking up aa she lies on the sea bed. Names of the Missing Men The Nerita left Brisbane on June 10 for a fishing-ground across Moreton Bay that the launch's owner, Mr. Edwin A. Carey, frequently used. It was last seen crossing the bay at dusk. It failed to return by Monday night, as expected, and an intensive search was instituted. A private aeroplane was chartered, and the crews of five Air Force machines also searched. Dozens of vessels were on the look-out. The finding of the dinghy was the first trace of the missing launch, and the aeroplane pilot who saw it had then travelled 2200 .miles in his search. Those on board the Nerita, in addition to the owner, were:—Douglas Bradbury, inspector of hospitals; Gerald Malonev, hotel licensee; Gerald Vincent Malonev, his son; Harry Biltoft, hotel licensee: John Wreddan, grocer; William Stacey, plumber; James Laister, boarding-house keeper; Andrew Stirling, miner; J. Stacey; Roy Palmer, dental mechanic; and James- Turnbull. When W. Stacey joined the party last Saturday week, , he was delighted with his good luck. That morning, he had heard that he had won ji- substantial amount in a Brisbane lottery. Three months previously, his wife had won £2OOO in the same lottery. '