CREW TROUBLES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26980, 15 January 1949, Page 6

CREW TROUBLES

TANKER AVANTTS RETURN ILLNESS REDUCES COMPLEMENT When the Swedish tanker Avanti visited this port early in November, her captain had a certain amount of worry, caused by illness among his officers and crew. It came to the stage when an officer had to join the ship at Dunedin to sail for Bahrein Island, in the Persian Gulf, or the ship’s schedule would be delayed while a mate was flown from Australia to New Zealand. Captain Edman was almost giving up hope when a well-known maritime personality in Dunedin, Captain E. F. Watson, aged 63, volunteered to take the position of second officer on the tanker. Captain Watson’s offer was gladly accepted, and he sailed in the Avanti. Quite a number of ppople, including a reporter from the Daily Times, were interested in the return of the Avanti to Dunedin yesterday, because it was expected that Captain Watson might be aboard. He did return to New Zealand in the tanker, but disembarked at Wellington to see a member of his family. The tanker’s master said that Captain Watson had enjoyed every minute of his voyage in the Avanti. and he would not be surprised if he again succumbed to the lure of the sea. Even with Captain Watson filling a vacancy, the tanker was short of an officer when it left New Zealand, but the problem was solved when two Swedish officers, who had flown from Sweden, joined the tanker at Bahrein Island. Captain Watson returned to New Zealand in the ship as an extra mate. “He insisted on taking a turn at the watch on the return voyage,” Captain Edman said, “and we all enjoyed his company.” There was another interesting incident in the life of the tanker’s crew yesterday after the ship had berthed at the oil wharf. Sven Asp, who had to be admitted to the Dunedin Public Hospital when the tanker last visited the port in November, was the first to climb the gangway to rejoin his shipmates. At first he gave the Hospital staff a few problems to solve by his inability to speak English, but everything worked out all right. When he was discharged from hospital on Tuesday he was taken to the home of Mr and Mrs A. Newton. Mr Newton was a student in Sweden some years ago, and his wife is Swedish. Yesterday afternoon Mr Newton received the gratitude of the tanker’s master for his hospitality. Captain Edman's problems are not yet at an end, however, for as soon as the ship berthed yesterday he was looking for three men to join the crew of the Avanti, which is expected to sail to-morrow.