TEMPESTUOUS TASMAN

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 80, Issue 87, 13 April 1938, Page 5

TEMPESTUOUS TASMAN

AVVATEA’S ROUGHEST PASSAGE

[ Per Pi**n Abioclatlon. ]

AUCKLAND, April 12.

With salt spray on her hull and funnels, the Awatea arrived at about 7 o’clock this morning, a day late, from Sydney. Her log is a record of one of the most tempestuous crossings ever experienced. Captain Davey said that before the ship had cleared Sydney Heads on Friday evening, the Manly ferry-boat was dipping its bows under the water. That was an indication of what was ahead. Clearing the Australian coast, the Awatea ran into a south-east gale, which later veered to the east. Visibility was poor, with a high head sea. The weather was just as bad on Sunday, and at reduced speed the Awatea plugged into the big seas, and violent squalls damaged the bulwark head and the starboard side of the breakw’ater and carried away the spurling pipe covers and the capstan gratings, and smashed three windows on the bridge 65 feet above the w’ater level.

The Awatea was then slowed down and the crew was busy effecting repairs. Fierce squalls continued all the way to the New Zealand coast, but after passing the Three Kings last evening the weather moderated. There were few outward signs of the storm when the Awatea berthed this morning. Passengers agreed that the Awatea had come through well, proving herself a splendid seaboat.