THE BERTHING.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 10767, 13 May 1913, Page 2

THE BERTHING.

HARBOURMASTER'S FEAT. The Hnrbourmaster. Captain A. H.. Thorpe, and his staff have on various occasion* been called, upon to exercise much caution and skill in berthing ■merchant, shins inside the moles at Lyttelton. but not on any previous occasion had such a feat been accomplished as that done by Captain A. H. Thorps this morning, when called upon to berth a vessel oi the magnitude of H.M.S. New Zealand. When the mammoth cruiser entered the moles there

were thousands of people congregated at the waterfront, only too ready to, throw jest at even the mere thought of the authorities endeavouring to bring the super-Dreadnought alongside, but with the skill' of a well-trained and experienced navigator Captain Thorpe left his critics bewildered as he slewed the big mass of steel 590 feet long safely to her berth. It was the first time that the big battle-cruiser had been berthed alongside a wharf in Australasia, and Lyttelton was placed on a footing equal to that of Portsmouth) .Durban and Gape Town. The mighty ship was well down in the water, as her I?'™ , allowed that she was drawing JBtt 3m aft and 26ft forward. This and the limitation of space made the operation more difficult, but, as it happened, the more creditable. " What did you think of her?" said a reporter to Captain A. H. Thorpe when he came ashore after fulfilling the s !l ccessfull y- "A good snip, replied the cap*»in. -She eaUtif l& and ' in fact < rauch bettei than a good many merchant vessels of four tiroes less the tonnage. I thought that I would have had some difficulty in slewing her within the confined limits at my disposal in the inner harbour but she answered her helm beautifully, and this made the work much easier. Indeed, it surprised roe that a vessel of 19,000 tons could be so easily handled at Lyttelton." ihis was all the captain had to say of the great task that had been so well done, but there is still many a landsman wondering yet as to how'it was accomplished. For the accomplishment of such a. feat the harbourmaster and his staff deserve the entire praise of the whole community.