SOUTHERLY GALE

Southland Times, Issue 21430, 26 June 1931, Page 8

SOUTHERLY GALE

EAST COAST SWEPT WORST EXPERIENCED FOR YEARS SHIPPING BUFFETED (Per United Preps Association.) Wellington, June 25. Reports from incoming ships indicate that the southerly gale which swept the East Coast of the Dominion from Tuesday night till this morning was the worst experienced for several years, the seas encountered being unusually heavy. Minor damage was done to the Shaw, Savill and Albion liner Mataroa, which arrived in Wellington shortly after noon, some six or eight hours late. The ship ran into the gale on Wednesday when nearing the coast, the conditions rapidly becoming so bad that she had to ease her speed. The vessel about 1 o’clock this morning was several hours steam to the northward of Cape Palliser. Without warning a huge sea—what is termed by mariners a “rover” —crashed over the ship’s forecastle head and completely filled up forward. Several ventilators were knocked out of shape, rails were bent and the awning spars and stanchions, as well as the “crutches” on which the cargo derricks rested and other fittings, were damaged by the force of the huge sea. No one was injured. The German motor tanker Mittelmeer, which left Auckland on Monday evening and should have reached Wellington on Wednesday night,' ran into the gale after passing East Cape. She was finally compelled to heave-to north of Castle Point until the weather moderated and she finally arrived in the stream to-night. STORMY PASSAGE MAORI IN TEETH OF GALE. UNABLE TO ENTER INNER HARBOUR. Captain B. B. Irwin, his officers and men will have good reason to remember the Maori’s trip south from Wellington on the night of June 23. It will be placed on record amongst the worst made by the ferry steamer during the 24 years she has been running between Wellington and Lyttelton, states the Christchurch Times.

The 140 odd passengers, including the world-famous pianist, Mischa Levitzki, will also remember the trip. It was a wintry day when they left Wellington, and an even worse one when the ship arrived at Lyttelton during the severest gale experienced for a number of years. The trip was made somewhat easier for the passengers because when the vessel left Wellington there was only a moderate southwest breeze blowing, accompanied by heavy rain. Pencarrow Head was reached to scheduled time, 8.20 p.m., and Cook Strait was crossed before the storm struck the vessel at its full force.

The Maori shortly afterwards ran into a heavy head sea, which was making fast. The wind increased very rapidly, and by 9.25 p.m. the vessel’s speed had to be reduced from seventeen to fifteen knots. At 9.40 p.m., speed was further reduced to 14 knots. Cape Campbell was not passed until 12.7 a.m. instead of 10.20 p.m. The weather at the Cape was blowing a strong gale and still increasing. Instead of reaching the Kaikouras at 1.15 a.m., it was 6 a.m. when the vessel steamed past in the teeth of a whole gale.

On nearing Point Gibson, Captain Irwin, to gain time and for the comfort of the passengers, decided to point in towards Ihe land to get whatever shelter could be obtained from the lee of the land. Even this did not improve matters much, and the weather did not let up until the vessel entered Lyttelton Heads about 3 p.m. The Maori arrived off Gladstone Pier at 3.i20 p.m., just as the wind freshened considerably. On reaching the entrance of the inner harbour, an effort was made to head the vessel up towards Charteris Bay, but the strength of the wind was such that she could not be controlled against it. Two or three further efforts were made, and then, during a lull, Captain Irwin appeared to have made his objective. Just when between the moles, a fresh southerly squall caught the Maori so quickly that she was blown to what appeared from the ferry wharf to be but a few feet off the dolphin at the entrance of Gladstone Pier. Having more power to go ahead than astern, she must have been given full speed ahead to keep her out of danger of drifting on to the pier. The Maori then steamed across the outer harbour towards Diamond Harbour and down wind towards the heads as far as Purau Bay. By this time it was 3.55 p.m.

The fug Lyttelton went out and met the Maori on her way up the harbour from Purau. Captain Irwin made a further successful effort to enter without the assistance of the tug, and berthed his ship at 4.20 p.m., an hour after her arrival off Gladstone Pier.

Most of those who watched proceedings from the ferry wharf were watersiders and' seafarers. They commented on the very bad fortune Captain Irwin had in arriving just as the weather freshened. Under the circumstances, it was considered that he had handled his ship remarkably well. Speaking of the trip after his arrival, Captain Irwin said that the weather was “as bad as you could get it.”' When Captain T. Bowling referred to a trip made by the Maori some years ago, when she arrived at Lyttelton at 9.15 p.m. on a Sunday, Captain Irwin replied that it was worse, but that on that particular trip the ship had poor steaming bunker coal. On the present trip, the weather did not let up a minute, and the conditions outside the inner harbour were such that he could not make the Maori do as he wanted owing to the wind taking charge. A member of the crew expressed the opinion that the Wahine would strike even worse weather than the Maori had done.