LAUNCH DISABLED

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23515, 1 June 1938, Page 10

LAUNCH DISABLED

TRIP FROM PORT CHALMERS ADRIFT FOR THREE DAYS BREAKDOWN OF ENGINE (Special ro Daily Times) CHRISTCHURCH, May 31. After drifting for three days, during which time she was blown off shore and out of sight of land, the large fishing launch Rosa Marie, bound from Dunedin to Lyttelton, v/as picked up last night by the Sumner lifeboat. Rescue 11, close in to the beach at South New Brighton, and towed into Lyttelton. The sea was calm and the rescue presented no difficulties. The Rosa Marie was recently purchased by the South Sea Fishing Company for fishing at the Chatham Islands, and is to be taken from Lyttelton under the escort of the steam trawler South Sea. Two Port Chalmers men, Messrs J. J. Abernethy and A. Mitchell, were engaged to bring the vessel from Dunedin to Lyttelton. Sailing from Port Chalmers at 6.15 a.m. on Thursday, the vessel made a good run to Timaru, arriving there at 6.45 p.m. the same day. She cleared Timaru again at 1 p.m. on Friday and met with a south-easterly breeze and a heavy swell, keeping well off the shore. Land Not Visible Off Akaroa Heads, which could not be seen at the time owing to haze, the generator began to give trouble, and after a back-fire, the engine broke down. During Friday night the Rosa Marie was blown out to sea, and at daybreak on Saturday there was no sight of land. The crew tried to drop anchor, but found no bottom. After much hard work the engine was started again, and after some hours a landfall was made at East Head, off Le Son’s Bay. The course was then again set for Lyttelton, but shortly afterwards the petrol supply gave out. Sail was made, however, and a stiff south-easterly breeze carried the vessel to a position about seven miles off Lyttelton heads, where the anchor was dropped at 9 p.m. on Saturday. On Sunday attempts were made to sail in, by taking advantage of the light airs, but little progress was made. Improvised flares were burnt that night, and distress flags were flown ail day yesterday, but the vessel was some distance off the shore and a light haze made visibility poor. Signals Seen At 4 p.m. yesterday a light breeze sprang up, sail being hoisted again, and the Rosa Marie made her way close inshore. The wind again failed, and she drifted into Sumner Bay. It was about 6.25 p.m. yesterday that the signalman on duty at the Adderley 1 Head signal station sighted what he thought might be signals from a' smalLvessel between Sumner and New Brighton. He communciated with the Sumner Life-boat Institute, and the alarm was given from the siren on the Cave Rock at 6.33 p.rri. Fifteen minutes later the Rescue 11, manned by a full crew, left the boat harbour to investigate. A search was made for nearly an hour before a glow was seen from a small fire in a bucket, hung over the side of the disabled launch. With the heavy Rosa Marie in tow, the lifeboat then set out for Lyttelton, where the two vessels arrived shortly after 9.45 p.m. The trip was made without incident, and both were made fast at the launch jetty for the night. The crew of the Rosa Marie were none the worse for their experience, as they had plenty of food aboard, but they were in need of sleep. Over coffee and pies at a waterfront pie stall, they told their story to the lifeboat crew and insisted that the latter be their guests at supper.

The Rosa Marie is about 40 feet in length, by about 10 feet 6 inches in beam, and is equipped with a benzine engine.