LIFETIME AT SEA

Taranaki Daily News, 26 April 1930, Page 31 (Supplement)

LIFETIME AT SEA

Captain d. todd to retire. '’a '‘TROOPING” IN THE WAR. After 30 years in the service of the -Union Steam Ship Company, Captain 1). Todd, commander of the transpacific cargo steamer Waiotapau, now at Auckland, is to retire when the vessel reaches Wellington. Captain Todd was born in Dunedin and went to sea at the age of 18 years. His first service was in overseas sailing vessels, including the Liverpool barque Villalla. After sufficient sea service in sail, he obtained his certificate and was second mate on the sailing vessel Star of the East. Later he held positions in intercolonial sailing vessels, being second mate of the barquentine Handa Isle, and mate of the schooner Clansman. Captain Todd joined the Union Company as third officer of the Rotorua, and afterwards he. was an officer in a number of the company’s coastal and intercolonial steamers. In 1895 he was appointed master of the Waimii. Other steamers he has commanded include the To Anau, Poherua, Wanaka, TaItine, Navua, Tofua and Tahiti. During the war Captain- Todd was in command of the Tofua and Tahiti, carrying troops. In the Tofua he took portion of the 6th, Sth, 10th and 32nd reinforcements from New Zealand to Suez, and the 13th, 18th and 23th reinforcements to England. His worst experience during the war was when he was in command of the Tahiti taking the 46th reinforcements id England in 1918. On board the Tahiti were 1200 New Zealand troops,

and after the vessel had called at Cape Town and had cleared Sierra Leone, for Plymouth an epidemic of influenza broke out and nearly everybody on board was suffering from the malady. In ten days 68 soMiers and five members of the crew died, and doctors, nurses and other medical officials were all ill. One morning over 400 attended “sick parade.” Captain Todd was suffering from the complaint, but he had to remain on watch because two of his four officers and five members of the crew were too ill to attend to their duties. There were 13 steamers in the convoy, and the epidemic swept through every troopship except one. On a warship* which was escorting the convoy 30 of the crew died.