Captain Hart "Swallows the Anchor"

NZ Truth, Issue 1147, 24 November 1927, Page 6

Captain Hart "Swallows the Anchor"

FORTY-SIX years at sea, of which 35 years have been spent m the service of the White Star Line, and 18 years m continuous command of the Corinthic, is the record of Captain Frank Hart, R.N.R., who is now making his last voyage and will retire from the sea on his return to London next month.

Born m Liverpool on April 7, 1867, Captain Hart went to sea at the age of 14 and was master of a ship ten years later. He joined the service of the White Star Line m 1892 as fourth officer of. tho Coptic, m which he made his first voyage to New Zealand.

the White Star Line, the cargo || steamer, Bovic. t II Eighteen" years ago, m June, H 1909, Captain Hart took command y of the. Corinthic, m which he is |1 now making his 45th voyage. || During that time he hag steamed |l well over one million miles and || carried more than 30,000 passen- fg gers without a singe mishap. || During the ii war Captain ||

Hart carried from New Zealand the 18th and half of the 23rd Rei n fo r cements and across the Atlantic he transported m the Corinthic 3000 Chinese laborers and two large detachments of American soldiers.

Later he became third officer of tho Doric and. subsequently was promo ted to second officer of the Coptic when she transferred to the trans- Pacific service between San Francisco and the Far East. , . » He was four years chief officer of the Coptic, which, during the Spanish - American War, carried the first news of the annexation by ' the United States of the Hawaiian Islands. '-„., After serving as chief offioer m the Persic, Medic and Athenio on their maiden voyages, Captain Hart became "chief" of the Oceanic and m June, 1904, was appointed to his first command m

Quiet and reserved, h e has, nevertheless, made many friends among the thousands of New Zealanders whom he has carried m his time as commander of the Corinthic. During his present visit to Wellington, Captain Hart's valued services to the "diggers" have been rightly recognized by his being made one of them.

The Wellington returned soldiers have elected him an honorary lifo member and presented him with the silver badge of the R.S.A.

When he "swallows the anchor" on arrival m London, he will carry with him into retirement at his home m East Molesey, Surrey, the good wishes of thousands of New Zealanders.