FIFTY YEARS AFLOAT

Opunake Times, 11 January 1935, Page 3

FIFTY YEARS AFLOAT

POPULAR SKIPPER HAS NEVER BEEN ILL. Due of the most popular North Atlantic skippers, Captain Thomas E. Gates, has just retired from the sea after more than 5U years’ active service.

Captain Gates, big, breezy, and with a laugh that ean be heard from bows to stern, will be 73 in January, but he does not look a day over 50. No wonder, as ne has never had a day’s illness in his life!

When 1 visited Captain Gates at his Twickenham home the other day to congratulate him on his many years’ service, says a writer in a London paper, he told me something about his career. “'‘Well/’ he began in a booming voice, "X have been in ships tor just over 50 years, for 45 ot which I have been in command. “How did 1 begin!’' That's a deuce of a long way back. However, to start with, 1 went to school at Bury St. Edmunds. Then when I was 15 t went to sea, in one of the old sailing ship called the Dorset. “1 had live and a half years in sail. Xt was a hard life, but,” Captain Gates added quickly, “ a healthv one.” “Xn 1883 I joined the Atlantic Transport Line, with whom 1 have been ever since. My first command was the Missouri which .X took over in 188S1. Since then I have been in charge of 18 others. When 735 Were Saved.

“I cannot remember them all now, hut the Manitoba, Mohawk, Mississippi, ami Manhattan arc all well known. Incidentally, the names of all the ships I have ever commanded have started with the letter “M.”

('aptaiu Gales has figured in many rescues at sea. The most dramatic was probably in 1887, when he was chief officer of the Missouri. On that occasion he

was responsible, with others, for saving 785 lives from the Danish emigrant steamer, fho Danmark. The rescue is justly regarded by sailors as one of tlie most thrill’

ing- in the history of the sea. It was made the subject of a well known painting entitled, “And hi very Soul was Saved,’ the original of which is in Baltimore, IT.S.A.

lii J 914 Captain Gates became commander of the Miunewaska, the first of its name, of the At-

lantic Transport Line, and remained with her until lie beached her on the Island of Crete, after a fjreat part of her had been blown away by a mine. By his ]»roni])t action Captain Gates saved the lives of 1800 troops and crew, for which deed he was awarded the C.B.E. When the Armistice was signed a new Minnewaska was built, and he was put in command, but the following year he was ft'iven charge of the sister-ship, the Minnetonka, which he commanded for ten vears —from 1924 until 1984. It is a strange coincidence, but both these ships are to be broken up. just at the same time as Captain Gates is retiring from the sea.