FIRE AT SEA

Southland Times, Issue 22916, 15 June 1936, Page 6

FIRE AT SEA

RESCUE HAMPERED BY FOG GOOD WORK OF OIL TANKER (Special to The Times.) Wellington, June 13. An interesting account of the rescue of passengers from a ship on fire at sea is given in a letter to a friend in Wellington by Captain H. MacKinnon, master of the Vacuum Oil Company’s tanker Yarraville, and formerly chief officer of the tanker W. B. Walker, now in port at Wellington. “On April 5, when in mid-Pacific, the SOS was sent out by the Norwegian motor-ship Tricolor,” wrote Captain MacKinnon. “She was on fire deep down in the cargo holds, and required assistance. At this time the Yarraville was 150 miles distant, and the nearest vessel to the Tricolor, so in response to their urgent call we proceeded to their assistance. “The weather was bad then—a big sea and swell with plenty of rain. Hence our progress was slow, as the conditions were against us. At midnight the rain made visibility poor, and I don’t suppose we could see more than a few hundred yards. However, by the aid of a fog whistle, rockets and radio compass bearings, we sighted the Tricolor at a few minutes before midnight. The captain of the Tricolor desired to transfer his 16 passengers over to this ship, but the weather was so bad that we decided to wait until daylight in the hope that conditions would improve. I’m afraid if we had transferred in the dark something would have happened. “We stayed close to the Tricolor all that night. We were both stopped and just rolled about waiting for dawn. After a long night daybreak came and with it a decrease in the wind, also the sea. There was still a big swell running and then, with the wind going down, dense fog shut in. “At 11 a.m. it was still foggy, and by this time the Yarraville and Tricolor were invisible to each other. However, it was decided to transfer the passengers before the wind and sea started up again. By means o" signals on the whistle both ships came as near as was safe and the transfer commenced. We couldn’t see each othei, and the lifeboats were only 100 yards away when we saw them. Three lifeboats came over, and only when the passengers were all on board did the fog lift a little, and there only 200 yards away was the Tricolor, so you can imagine how thick it was.

“After the captain had seen his passengers safely off the ship, he opened the hatches where the fire was, and after two days defeated it, much to everyone’s delight. We carried on to San Pedro with our load of women and children, and had 12 days of it before seeing California. “I gave up my quarters to a family of seven, and one old lady in delicate health occupied my very comfortable bed. I was sleeping sometimes in the bridge chartroom and sometimes on Mr Gibson’s couch. I was very tired when we arrived at San Pedro, having for 24 hours before arriving encountered more fog. However, all’s well that ends well, and, believe me, a sigh of relief went up when we arrived. “The food supply was also running low, but we managed. I thought when we docked that everything was over, but no, the worst was yet to come. The ship was besieged with Press reporters and movie camera men. Pictures were taken, and they even wanted me to speak into the microphone.”