BATTERED CUNARDER

Southland Times, Issue 19478, 30 March 1922, Page 7

BATTERED CUNARDER

28 DAYS TO CROSS ATLANTIC. NEW YORK, February 13. A thrilling story of peril at sea was related by the crew of the Cunard steamer Pannonia, 9,858 tons, which arrived at New York from London after being battered by four weeks’ continuous gales and with her rudder gone and the crew exhausted. For over 2,000 miles after the rudder had been partly carried away by terrific seas, the steamer was steered by the twin propellers, repeated heroic attempts to repair the damage haying failed. On the morfiing after the accident the chief officer and the boatswain’s mate were lowered over the stern, and, after two hours’ work, during which they were continually being submerged in the icy water, succeeded in passing a wire rope round the loose rudder, which threatened to dash a hole in the stern of the vessel. Then another sea tore it loose and dashed the boatswain’s mate against the ship’s side) rendering him insensible. Two days later, w’hen the seas moderated, the chief officer with another man made a second attempt and again failed, both men narrowly escaping death through the breaking of the wire hawser. The ship encountered three separate hurricanes during the voyage, and on one day she made only 21 miles headway. The voyage should have occupied only 11 days; it actually lasted 28.