THE RONA STRANDING.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXVI, Issue 18531, 13 July 1922, Page 2

THE RONA STRANDING.

NAUTICAL, inquiry. (Per Press Association.) AUCKLAND, July 12. | The Nautical Court enquiry into I the stranding of the Rona on Flat I Rock began this morning. I Jasr. Allan Wallis, master of the i Rona, seated in evidence that at 10 ■ a.m. on June 28 he sighted Poor I Knights, and passed four miles west I °f the Little Barrier. The weather I conditions were good. Flat Rock was sighted by the third officer about j 6 p.m. Witness went on the bridge and saw the light a quarter point on the starboard bow, bearing south !*-east. The Rona was doing about 10 knotsf, and was about 7 or 8 miles off the light. Witness then brought the light right ahead. The chief oliicer was on the bridge with him. About’ 6.15 i p.m. he gave the man at the wheel I the order to bring the light right i ahead. The custom was to steel | straight for Flat Rock till about, a i mile or a mile and a-half off, then ledge the ship inside. That night 1 the land about was discernable, but : there was no outlined point to take i bearings from to the. westward. It I was largely a matter of guesswork ’to arrive at the moment of the turning point. Witness toid the mate io steer for the light, and left the bridge.

In cross-examination, witness said that when he left the bridge he left an experienced officer there, and there seemed absolutly nothing to worry about. He was changing to warmer clothing in his room when the mate called out asking whether he should pass Inside or outside of the light. He replied. “Inside as usual. He was putting on his overcoat to go on the bridge when the vessel struck.

Captain Wallis, continuing his evidence, said to the mate: “My God. what have you done?” The mate replied: “We have hit Flat Rock. You put your trust in me and I have let you down.” or words to that effect. Witness then ordered boats to be swung out and took other measures to safeguard the liner.

Mr -Mayo, counsel for the Department: The mate says he called to you when he thought he was about a mile from the light. Can you account. for him being a mile ahead of where he thought he was?

Witness? “He miscalculated his distance, I suppose ” Witness added that he considered he was perfectly justified in leaving the bridge when he did.

Cyril Talbot Grantley, chief officer of the Rona, stated in evidence that about 6 p.m. he relieved the third officer on the bridge. Captain Wallis followed him on io the bridge. The third officer passed the word “The same course,” and said he had raised the Flat Rock light slightly on the starboard bow. Before the captain went below, he told witness to head for the light. Witness entered the chart room on the bridge for a .couple of minutes at half-past six to enter the order in the fog book. The ship struck at 6.47. He had called down to the master a couple of minutes before that ask-

ing, “Are you going inside?” The master replied, “Yes’ The same usual.” He was more than ordinarily careful, but that was not owing to the weather conditions. Asked how did the mate come to run on the rock, witness replied: It is incomprehensible. Would the lighting of the trawler deceive him? Certainly not. He could not have mistaken his two lights. In reply to a question, witness said: The lookout man on the forecastle head told him he called out before the Rona struck, and asked: “Was there anybody on the bridge, sir?” The man added that he called out the warning when they were pretty close up. CASE FOR THE MARINE DEPARTMENT. (Per Press Association, j AUCKLAND, July 12. In opening the case for the Marine Department, Mr Mays said that though at the preliminary inquiry the chief officer took all the blame, counsel considered there was some responsibility on the captain It would have been a simple matter for Captain Wallis to have fixed a course to take the ship in perfect safety between Flat Rock and Kawau. There was no reason indicate-d why Captain Wallis departed from the ordinary practice: That in leaving and entering port the captain shall be on the bridge and shall fix the course.

Mr Merdith (for Captain Wallis) ; Does my friend suggest that he was entering port?

Mr Mays said that the pert of Auckland was not confined to the channel between the mainland ana Rangitoto. In the ordinary course, a ship’s navigation was always the captain’s responsibility. It. seemed to him that the captain was callee upon to justify his not. having fixed the course, and leaving the bridge when they were going into narrow waters, even though the officer left in. charge was an experienced man in this port, and helid a harbour pilotage exemption certificate. 11 was an axiom of the sea that the

master was responsible for the navigation of his ship, especially when entering leaving port, and that, to his mind, was the most serious element for consideration in this case.

Mr Grantley, continuing his evidence, said he had his mind made up io turn when about a mile from the lignt, certainly not unkler a mile. He saw the light, of a vessel he took to be a trawler. When the course was altered to the Tight ahead he saw two white lights, and he thought sometimes a red light, about two points on his starboard bow. He put his glasses on these lights and concluded it was a steam trawler going about south-east. While he was watching; the .trawler remained to the westward of Flat Rock. He thought the trawler was coming between the Rona and her course around Flat Rock. Mindful of porting bis helm when he arrived at the Turning point, he was carefully observing the movements of this vessel. Flat Rock light at this time was about on a level with his eye

as he stood on the bridge about 35ft above water level. Standing on the bridge, the light seemed very much further than the trawler’s light which he appeare|d to be approaching more quickly than Flat Rock ligli't". The trawler’s lights appeared to be distinctly between him and the course he intended to make arounu Flat Hock. lie would not take the risk of going between the trawler and Flat Rock, having made up his min;d to go behin dtho trawler. He dirt not change his course to starboard. He was at a much higher angle above the trawler’s lights than Flat Rock light, and he .thought he was approaching the trawler very rapidly. He had the impression that he was much further off Flat Rock light than off the trawler. He d ! ,id not alter his course to starboard to pass behind the trawler because ot thought he was at a safe distance from her. The trawler’s ligbr seemed to keep closing in until the Ilona struck Flat Rock. Then he realised that the trawler was on the other side of the rock. He would solemnly swear that when he thought he was about a mile off Flat Rock

and got instructions to pass inside, I he gave the orjdef “hard aport.” His! reason was to get rid of the trawler I by coming around promptly and j rounding the light. He thought it I was a time to act promptly. There I would have been no difficulty in i altering the course a mile further back Within a minute or two after | asking the captain whether he would pass inside, the Rona struck the j rock. “I was utterly deceive!;! by the light,” said Mr Grantley, referring to -the light of the trawler, which he said be had judged to be much nearer than was the case. He honestly thought the trawler was between him and Flat Rock light. Any bright white, light was deceiving, and every man at sea would back him up. It was an exceedingly difficult thing to gauge one’s distance from a light, especially a bright white light He tried to estimate his distance from the light, anld made an error of judgment. ’He still maintained that he thought he was a mile off the light at the time he had made the turn. He had taken • the ship round the light many times, and had used hi s judgment whether he was a mile or a mile and a hall away, when he turned, but this time be misjudged his distance. When about to pass a light there should be a margin of safety, and in this ease he was in error. Mr Meredith: Putting it broadly, you, as you have already said, made an error of judgment in estimating your distance from ths light?—Yes, that is so. Air Meredith: You do not suggest that any blame tor the unfortunate i accident can be attached to Captain Wallis?—Absolutely none. Mr Cutten: How close were you to the light when you struck the rock? Witness: About 200 feet. Even then it seemed much further away. How could you make a mistake between 2bu' feot and a miter Witness: It sounds almost im- j possible, but it happens, and the only explanation 1 cad give is that the bright light me. Further questioned by Air Cutten, witness said the look-out called out just prior to altering the course. The report did not worry him In the least, as he considered it superfluous at the time. The look-out had reported a trawler about I’s minutes before striking. Mr Cutten: And that trawler took up a good deal ot your interest?— A certain amount. Were you looking at it with your glasses?—Yes. What was the last time?—Just prior to calling the captain. Mr Cutten; You have already told us you got the report from the lookout just, before you spoke to the captain?—Yes. 1 And were you looking at the trawler at the time you got the repot t from the look-out?—'Very probably I was. You were worrying more about the trawler than the light?—l was ntorp concerned about the trawler. Mr Cutten: At the time you had Just got a report from the look-out you were interested in the trawler. . Why did you want to obtain advice from the captain? Witness: 1 cannot say. unless it I was that I was being more than ordinarily careful. It does not look being more than ordinarily careful, as far as the results are concerned; that Is the tragedy of it. W itness said it was an incomprehensible fact, and he had nauis a grievous error of judgment He was «i the bridge, attentive to’his duty, and for such an error ot' judgment to happen seemed almost impoissilble. Mr Meredith contended that the captain could not be held responsible I for the mishap, as he had with him his chief officer, whom he had known lor 10 years, a. man who had been < familiar with the locality for 13 years, and who had been in the habit of taking vessels through there day and night. He held the same certificates as the captain, with pilotage exemption for this port., and probably was marked out tor next promotion to command of the ship.

Evidence to the effect that in the conditions then prevailing it w as unnecessary for the captain to take charge of the vessel on the passage of Flat Rock, or to set a compass bearing was given by W. F. Norbury (master of the Manaia), E Dowling (Clansman), T. W. Haultain puhij, and Captain C. E. HoodUMaK ine Surveyor). The inquiry was adjourned.