SURVEY OF COAST

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLVI, Issue 21361, 2 June 1939, Page 13

SURVEY OF COAST

Inaccuracies Revealed

Endeavour’s Work By Telegraph—Press Association AUCKLAND, June 1. While it is not expected that the survey of the whole of the New Zealand coastline, which she began two years ago, will be completed in less than 20 years, and it may even take 30, the Admiralty survey ship Endeavour has made excellent progress since her arrival at Auckland in June, 1937. The Endeavour returned to port to-day after doing a season’s work on the coastline to past Russell. Since January 3, when she left Auckland after Christmas leave, 1652 square miles of soundings have been taken and 227 miles of coastline have been mapped, while a large area of topography has been sketched. During the whole of last year 2185 miles of soundings were taken and 260 miles of coastline mapped. In the last half of 1937, the year the Endeavour reached New Zealand, 452 square miles of soundings were taken and 175 miles of coastline mapped. This means that for the whole of her commission the ship has taken 4289 square miles of soundings and 662 miles of coastline have been charted. Out of Position So far as marine dangers are concerned, none of importance to shipmasters has been discovered so far this year. It has been found that the whole of the coastline north of Whangarei to past Russell, the limit of the Endeavour’s work to date, is generally from one to two miles out of position. The programme ahead of the Endeavour now is that she will remain in port until October 2. In that period opportunity will be taken to give leave, undergo refit and draw up fair or final charts of the work done. When the ship entered port to-day she was flying her paying-off pennant. This was because in August she is due to recommissioji in the normal course of events, unless other orders are received from the Admiralty. The present commander, Captain A. G. N. Wyatt, his officers and men, would be replaced by new officers and crew. Orders to this effect, however, have not yet been received. About onefifth of the ratings have volunteered to serve the next commission. Some of these men volunteered for marine survey work in England, and others are men who have been drafted to the ship.