TAHITI INQUIRY OPENS

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1074, 11 September 1930, Page 1

TAHITI INQUIRY OPENS

Marine Court Sits in Wellington MASTER’S STORY OF DISASTER Sinking of Royal Mail Liner Press Associatio)i , . WELLINGTON, Today. HE nautical inquiry into the sinking of the R.M.S. Tahiti in the Pacific on August 18 opened in Wellington this morning. Plans of the ship and documents relating to the voyage were produced, and then the master of the vessel, Captain A. T. Toten, told his story of the disaster from the moment when he was awakened by the shock of the propeller shaft fracturing, to the moment when he finally left the ship for the Matson liner Ventura.

When Captain Toten's story was finished, the second officer gave evidence j,.nd the court adjourned to inspect the Marama, a vessel similar in construction to the Tahiti.

Tie Marine Court which is hearing the inquiry is composed or Mr. E. Page. S.M., Captain L. C. H. Worrall, nautical assessor, Mr. W. Parker, engineer assessor, and Mr. George Huntley, naval architect. Mr J. Prendeville appeared for the Marine Department, Mr. E. K. Kirkcaldie and Mr. Parry for the master and deck officers of the ship, Mr. E. p. H»7 for the engineers, and Mr. C. G. White for the Union Steam Ship Company. Mr. Prendeville said he did not think it necessary to say anything in opening. He at once called Robert Livingstone Gillies, assistant-superintending engineer to the Marine Department, who produced for the court certain plans in connection with the lost vessel. Captain Toten. master of the Tahiti, produced the official log book of the ship. The ship left Auckland for San Francisco on August 12 with a crew of 149, and, he thought, 102 passengers. On leaving the vessel experienced moderate to fresh southerly wind 3. Up to August 15, Western time, everything was all right. ASLEEP IN CABIN That morning he was asleeo in his cabin under the bridge and he woke up on hearing a loud noise and feeling a violent shaking of the ship. The second officer came down from the bridge at once and informed him that the starboard engine had stopped. At the same time a messenger arrived from the engine room telling them that the starboard shaft had apparently broken, that the tunnel was full of water and that the engine room was flooded. From the time he was wakened by the vibration to then was not more than two or three minutes. Witness at once ordered all hands to be called and proceeded to the engine room himself to ascertain the extent of the damage. He saw that the engine room bulkhead door was shut, but that water was spurting out ship was rolling a little and the water wa!, bing up to the men's waists. The engineers and carpenter were busy at work on the door, trying to stop the water. OFFICERS SENT TO BOATS He returned to the deck and gave instructions to send all material and whatever men the engineers required to help them in shoring-up the bulkhead. He then sent wireless messages *k v , com P an >' and later returned to k? ar * d^e and sent the second and thhrd officers to prepare the boats. When the engines stopped the ship lost steerage-way and as she had no steam or steering gear she got into the trough of the sea and rolled about considerably. The position was seri°us and he sent further wireless messages. At 5.27 a.m. a wireless message was sent reporting that No. 4 hold and the engine-room were filljug and that the position was getting is a.m. a message was sent that the port engines were stopped, the dynamos flooded and useless and the water rapidly gaining in the engineroom and Nos. 3 and 4 holds. thV 16 P asser *gers were all called at that stage and ordered to assemble in the lounge with their lifebelts. Two boats were then being prepared and the stewards were ordered ™ e 3“iP them with extra provisions, m the meantime the wireless officers were told to try and raise any station Un xx 6 emer ® enc y s «t. ,” r - Page: The main wireless was then out of commission? Captain Toten: Yes. knew of any vessel kti 6 near vicinity, witness said they new an unknown steamer had passed etween and 1 a.m. on _Ugust 15, but of nothing nearer. It fun soon found that the holds were thi* ns aud they £°t ready to bail T , In ' The pumps were all concenn °. n tde en Sine room and the boat UnU! 1 *? been working since 6 a.m. and bailing were kept going continuously. ~ nasSß ngers were assembled on “ 8 and allotted to boats. There was -'™ ,s every now and again and it ~ hacesaary to assemble the passen- * rs by the boats at different times. MESSAGE GOT AWAY /successful message was got away us ,e of the dynamo. This was shit, be necesary to abandon I- p ' Witness spoke of the possibilreceiving assistance from the h Jbry u and said tha.t messages were Tif sent to attract her attention. “® Position remained the same in j ev ®hing. There was a crisis about mr^ m ' and the Passengers were again “lade ready. cam 1 P- m - °h August 16 tho water I ® e in the freezer platform on the „ rt er deck. The lower hold was full , “ w ater was up between the lower eg and the main deck. The water th 8 , up in number 3 hold and erefore above the men working at the bulkhead door. „ , 1 before 7 p.m. rockets were sent at int tlle P® ny bryn and she arrived Tl, s P ’ J - and came within a mile. 0 . ? »entura was expected at 10 •nock on the following morning and

the Tofua was due on the following night. Earlier steam had somehow been raised on the steering gear and the vessel was making from two to seven miles an hour. This enabled her to be kept steady. DECIDED TO ABANDON On the morning of August 17 at 7.15 o clock, the position was again serious, and at 9.30 the engineer reported that he hoped to control the water for about one hour more. On that report witness decided to abandon ship and the Penybryn, which was to wind-

ward, came nearer upon receiving the abandonment signal. However, the Ventura was then in sight. After the passengers had gone the bailing was stopped, and the mails and luggage were collected. The Ventura arrived about 10.15, and there were then about six boats in the water. Witness abandoned the Tahiti at 1.35, but went back on the Ventura’s boat for a final inspection to ascertain how long the Tahiti would float as the Ventura was anxious to continue her voyage. He thought the ship might go down immediately and called off those on board. About 15 minutes later she sank, at 2.34 p.m. No lives were lost. In reply to a question if he had any theory as to the cause of the loss of the ship, Captain Toten said he knew something very unusual had happened to make the ship shake as she did. If the tail-end of the shaft broke with a scarf break it was possible that the loose end would fly round and cause a rent. Witness gave details of his surmises to support his belief. There were fractures into Nos. 3 and 4 holds. There was a risk of fouling the port propeller by lines in looking for damage over the stern, witness said, and the engineers and crew were too busy keeping the vessel afloat to try to find out what had happened. In reply to a question witness said the chief engineer and staff acted in a. way that was beyond reproach. They did everything in their power. To Mr. White, who wanted his reply on record, he said the Penybryn on her arrival was fully prepared to take the Tahiti’s passengers. She asked if they wanted to abandon ship that night. The Penybryn did not actually launch her boats, but was fully prepared for any action. Witness, to a further question, was definitely of the opinion that the Tahiti did not strike a submerged object. SECOND OFFICERS STORY Mr. Duncan McKenzie, second officer, who was on watch when the accident oc irred, said there was rather a rough sea with a long, heavy swell. At. about 4.30 a.m. he felt a violent vibration and heard a dull rumbling sound. The engine-room telegraph rang “stop” in about a minute, indicating that they had stopped. He knew something very unusual had happened in the engine-room. Witness immediately went down and notified the captain, who was out of bed. While speaking to the captain a messenger arrived from the engine-room with a verbal message that apparently the starboard tail-shaft, had broken, the tunnel watertight door was closed and the engine-room was filling rapidly. Witness went back to the bridge. The Tahiti was still steering her course with the other propeller going slowly. At approximately six o’clock he was sent by the Captain to see that all the boats were ready for a hurrfed abandonment of the ship. He saw that all the boats had extra provisions and that everything was ready for any emergency. It. was 6.15 when the port engine stopped. Witness was on board the Tahiti till the last boat left and returned with the master for a final look-round. All the boats and the life saving appliances were in perfect order. After lunch the court is going to inspect the steamer Marama, Mr. Page wishing to see a ship himself, in order to get an idea of her internal construction. (Proceeding.)