At Sea Once Again

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17569, 20 June 1925, Page 17 (Supplement)

At Sea Once Again

Romantic Career of the. old Hinemoa.

(Written for the “Star" by

A. G. S.)

"jn**Oß nearly fifty years the little Government steamer Ilinemoa cruised around the New Zealand coast; sometimes carrying provisions to a stormswept lighthouse; sometimes in search of castaways marooned on outlying islands and ever a faithful servant. Then she became old and they laicl her up in Wellington harbour, where they left her at anchor rusting away. But her days of usefulness were not yet over. A few weeks ago workmen were put aboard her, the rust was chipped from her sides, the grime left by storms was washed away, and the clinging seaweed was scraped from her bows- To-day the Ilinemoa is almost as trim and neat a craft as when she first left the slips fifty years ago, and is again riding the seas; for she has taken up the service to the Chatham Islands, in which the Rama was lost some months ago. Henceforth she will trade between Xiue, the Norfolk Islands, the C-hathams and the Dominion. The Ilinemoa made her first plunge from the yards of Messrs Scott and Company, shipbuilders, of Greenock,

who had every reason to be proud of the handsome vessels they had produced. She was nothing more than a yacht, but the eye of the seafarer could see much about her that commanded admiration; she was what sailors might call a “peach.” Her gross tonnage was only 542 tons, while her length was 209 feet, her beam 25 feet, and her depth 15 feet. She was slim; and her handsome clipper bow, her three raking masts, and her grace- I ful poise gave her a charm that was lacking from her larger and more cum bersome sisters. She was fitted with two direct-acting surface-condensing engines, and with these could attain a speed of 11 knots an hour; but carried three square sails lcr’ard for emergencies. it was away back in IS7G that the Ilinemoa made her first trip to New Zealand, and for thirteen years she served as a Government yacht. While Parliament was in session the vessel c arried members to and from the capital and performed other similar duties Then, in 180!, she entered on a new era in her adventurous life to become a lighthouse worker. For thirty years the Ilinemoa stood up to the buffeting of the seas, and fought through tempestuous gales that ever sought to conquer her, as she kept in touch with the many little lighthouses around the New Zealand coast. Many an old lighthouse keeper looked out for her during those tnirtv long years, admiring her fine clipper bow and raking masts; and many an old keeper remembers her, although she never calls now. Her work on this service was of a varied nature—-and very often a perilous one. She cruised around the coast, taking provisions to the lighthouses, transporting men and materials for the erection vet another of these sentinels of the night near some treacherous shoal. She was New Zealand’s coastguard, and always did she perform her duties nobly and well, never j once letting her skipper down, though ; the trials they faced together were many. But the Ilinemoa has known several c aptains- not as many perhaps as one might think, taking into consideration Iter fifty years upon the water, i.'aptain John Fairchild was her skipper from 1876 until 1896; and then Captain John Xeilc, who had lor years. F, cn mr first officer, took over the \ CapAain J. Post, and a few months later fljaptam J. Bollons became her skip- j fier. Eventually he handed the com- j mand over to Captain G. M. Simpson, j her present captain, and former first j o*n.- j During her adventurous career in the £•• r vice ui the Dominion her duties have taken her on many strange errands, one

l ! of the most important of which was her . I yearly search for castaways. She i would cruise around the islands off ! 1 the coast of the Dominion in search • : of shipwrecked mariners, her captain ■ j ever watching for those unfortunates L j who might have been marooned. And often her search was not a vain one. It was the Ilinemoa that rescued the crew of the barque Spirit of the Dawn that went ashore on the Antipodes Islands during a squall in 1893. The arrival of the vessel was a timely one. for the crew of the barque had, during their three months on the island, been subsisting on wind-dried penguin flesh. They had failed to discover the provision depot which was on the island. The Hinemoa and her crew were given a rousing reception, for her arrival had meant all the difference between life and death to those castaways, whom she took back to Wellington with her. Twelve years passed away before the Hinemoa made her next rescue, and then she discovered the crew of the French ship Anjou, after the men had lived for ninety days on one of the lone Auckland Islands. Two years after, while on an island cruise, she discovered the survivors of the Dundonald’s crew, a vessel which was wrecked on Disappointment Island in 1907, with the loss of the skipper and his small son and the first mate. In a terrific squall a little north of New Zealand the Dundonald struck a

rock, but continued on her way until progress was no longer possible. Then the life-belts were served out- To have lowered a boat in the swirling waters which were pounding at the bow of Hie doomed vessel would have beep folly ; the odds in any case were against any member of the crew ever reaching land, even though they were almost hard against the cliff. They passed a night of peril, aboard the stricken vessel. and then made a bid for the shore. Some of them were successful, but the existence that faced them was a living death. They thought it was Auckland Island, and searched vainly for the provision depot which is established there. Their only food was the flesh of the mollyhawk, which they ate raw, tearing at the bird’s ribs like savages with their teeth. For seven months they lived a primitive life, ever hopeful that they might be found. They built boats from twisted woods which they covered with a canvas from the main-sail from -the Dundonald, and endeavoured to cross to Auckland Island, which they ascertained was not far away. It was a perilous undertaking, but they eventually succeeded, and with provisions and food from the depot their lot was.made a great deal easier. Then came the Hinemoa, rescued them and took them to Wellington. But she went the way of all old servants, and in 1922 was withdrawn from the service to make room for the new. I'll© Tutanekai, a much more up-to-date vessel, is now doing the work ■u hich she used to divide with the Hinemoa. The Hinemoa was taken to Kaiwarra Bight, Wellington; there they left her at her moorings; there to be buffeted by the seas that for so long had sought vainly to overpower her. Wind and rain battered the old ship, and Neptune for three vears played havoc with her. The Hinemoa’s sides became coated witii rust, then her hull became foul, and the old vessel quickly lost the polish that had been the pride of her masters during her years afloat. It seemed that she would just rot away to unseaworthiness, and then go the way oi all old vessels—to the shipbreakers- But late intervened. One nay there came the news that the Kama had been wrecked. Who would take her place? Someone remembered the Ilinemoa, faithful old servant, at her moorings in Kaiwarra Bight. It was decided to recommission the rustv hulk, which it seemed would never again sail the seas with the pride that had been hers during those forty odd years upon the water. But a complete -.-verhaul at Wellington has given her back much of the old charm that she boasted In her younger days, and there's many a vessel afloat that is much nearer the scrap-h..-ap than the old Hinemoa.