Ship Due at Dunedin To-morrow has had an Adventurous Career

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27017, 28 February 1949, Page 4

Ship Due at Dunedin To-morrow has had an Adventurous Career

“ The ship that wouldn’t sink ” is the name given to the 7266-ton freighter Leicester, which is due at Dunedin on Wednesday from New York, via Auckland, Wellington and Lyttelton. Abandoned in midAtlantic in a sinking condition during a hurricane, the derelict was later taken in tow by tugs, only to break loose during a second hurricane and pile up on rocks on the Bermuda coast. After taking a terrific pounding from high seas, the Leicester refused to break up and was later rescued by tugs for the second time, and towed to Baltimore for repairs. She is now a first class ship again.

When the Leicester enters Dunedin Harbour, she will have completed a loading programme that was set six months ago. The ship was bound for New York from London in ballast to load for New Zealand when she was struck by a hurricane while 400 miles south-west of Cape Race in Newfoundland. Mountainous seas caused the ballast to shift and a list of 55 degrees developed on September 16 The condition of the vessel was considered so alarming that a decision was made to abandon her in a 70-mile-an-hour gale. Of the crew of 45,

Recovered once more, the Leicester was towed to Baltimore, where repairs costing about 400,000 dollars were carried out. She was given an almost completely new bottom, her superstructure was renewed and the engine room pumps and boilers were either repaired or replaced. , Formerly the Liberty ship, Samesk, the Leicester is a sister ship of the Samkey, which disappeared with all hands in the Carribean Sea on March 17 after the ballast had shifted on a voyage from Liverpool to Cuba. Captain Hamish Lawson, the captain of

four members were lost, the remainder being picked up by the Argentine steamer Tropero and the American freighter Cecil N. Bean. Five days later the French steamer Gien reported that the Leicester, listing heavily, was afloat about 300 miles south of where she had been abandoned Two Canadian tugs were sent out and found the Leicester 10 days after the first mishap, when she was 450 miles away from her original position. She was listing as much as 70 degrees when picked up by the tugs. Near the coast of Bermuda the worst hurricane experienced in that area for 22 years blasted her ashore on to rocks where terrific seas gave her a pounding.

the Leicester, who was among those rescued, was appointed to command the Samkey in .January, 1947, but because of an attack of mumps had to relinquish the position. Other “ Sam ” ships which have been lost include the Samwater, abandoned on fire off Portugal in January, 1947: the Samtampa. driven ashore on the coast of South Wales in April, 1947; and the Sameveron, which capsized in the Atlantic five years ago. The Samesk, the name the vessel bore at the time, came to southern New Zealand ports in May. 1947. to load cargo for London, and she returned to the Dominion in June of last year. The present voyage is- the one that was supposed to have been made last November.