LOSSES IN THE N.Z. TRADE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 90, Issue 7, 9 January 1946, Page 7

LOSSES IN THE N.Z. TRADE

The Nottingham, sailing under the flag of the Federal Steam Navigation Company, left Glasgow on November 1, 1941, on her maiden voyage. Six days later, when well into the Atlantic, the ship was attacked by enemy craft and sunk without trace, the master, Captain F. C. Pretty, and all 61 members of the crew being lost. From the point of view of lives lost this was the most serious sea tragedy of the war suffered by the New Zealand Shipping Company and the Federal Steam Navigation Company, whose men and combined fleets of vessels have been so long identified with the New Zealand and Australian trades. ,

On the outbreak of war the two i companies owned 32 vessels. Later I they acquired six new ships and undertook the management and manning of ten others for the Ministry of War Transport. Twenty-two vessels were lost directly through enemy action, one sank after collision in convoy, and many others were damaged in greater or lesser degree but made oort. nl all, 138 members of the sea staff of the two companies won honours and awards. The first loss suffered by the fleet occurred off the New Zealand coast on August 23, 1940, when the Turakina fell victim to a raider in the Tasman Sea. Captain “Jock” Laird had stated in Sydney that if attacked he would fight, and that he and his men did for two and a-half hours until the inevitable end. He and 34 of his crew lost

their lives, the remaining 23 reaching Germany as prisoners eight months later. Also on August 23 the Cumberland, Captain E. A. J. Williams, with general cargo from Liverpool to New Zealand, was sunk by torpedo off the northern coast of Ireland with the loss of four lives. Three days later the Remuera, Captain F. W. Robinson, homeward bound from New Zealand in convoy, was sunk off the , north of Scotland by aerial torpedo. All hands landed safely next day. “NO LONGER AVAILABLE’’ In the following years all too often a cable was received from London with the code reference to a vessel and the simple words, “Regret no longer available.” Sadder still was the increasing loss of life among the' sea staff, the final total being 244 kill- ‘ ed in the companies’ ships, 18 killed ; while on loan to other companies, and ' 12 killed on active service with the i Royal Naval Reserve. In addition, 73 1 were taken prisoner and many suffer- I ed injury. In all, six o£ the companies’ ships were lost in 1940. The Hurunui, Captain B. Evans, in ballast from the United Kingdom to New Zealand, was sunk by torpedo off the northern coast of Ireland on Octgber 14 with the loss

of two lives, and on November 7 the Cambridge, Captain A. J. Angell, struck a mine in Bass Strait, and sank with the loss of one life. Four days later the Rotorua, Captain E. R. Kemp, was torpedoed off the coast of Scotland and went down in 20 minutes. Eighteen lives were lost, including Captain Kemp and his chief, second and third officers.

IXJSS OF THE RANGITANE On November 27 occurred the disastrous attack on the passenger liner Rangitane, Captain H. L. Upton, D.S.C., R.D., A.D.C., R.N.R., by three enemy raiders off the east coast of New Zealand. A number of lives among the passengers and crew were lost by shell lire and drowning. Captain Upton and some of the passengers ana crew were among th e 500 survivors of sunken ships who were landed on Eimrau Island and subsequently rescued. When landed on the island the prisoners were all required to sign a parole document, and lor their own saKe this was held binding by the British Government, and they were not permitted to return to service at sea. Captain Upton received a shore appointment with the Admiralty. The year 1941 opened badly for the companies, the Middlesex, Captain J. P. Styrin, being mined but without loss of life in the Bristol Channel on January 10. Some six weeks later Captain Styrin’s new command, the Huntingdon, outward bound from Swansea, was torpedoed and sunk. Again all hands were saved. There followed nearly three months without losses, and then, on May 11, the Somerset, Captain R. G. Rees, en route from the River Plate to Liverpool, was sunk after attack by German aircraft when about 400 miles west of I Ireland, no lives being lost. On May 11 also, the Biako, Captain B. Evans, homeward-bound from Australia, was torpedoed 120 miles off Freetown, ten of the crew being killed and three injured. Those killed included Second Steward Trundley, who had been awarded the George Medal eight months before for gallantry when the Sussex was bombed at sea. The survivors sailed 40 miles in lifeboats before being picked up. The Norfolk, Captain F. Lougheed, outward-bound to New Zealand, was

I torpedoed on June 18, one member of the crew dying in a lifeboat from shock and exposure, and the Otaio, Captain G. Kinnell, was caught by a submarine during bad weather on August 28, shortly after she had left an outward-bound convoy in the North Atlantic. Thirteen lives were • lost when a lifeboat capsized; the 58 I survivors were picked up by a British ; warship. ! LIFEBOATS DISAPPEAR i Heavy loss of life occurred when, on February 16, 1942, the Opawa, Captain W. G. Evans, homeward bound from New Zealand, was torpedoed in the North Atlantic. The second engineer and the chief refrigerating engineer, were killed in the explosion, and in the storm which followed the sinking, lifeboats containing 55 men disappeared. Captain Evans and 14 of his crew were picked up by H.M.S. Hercules. The Hertford, Captain J. C. Tuckett, was the next vessel to go. She had struck a mine off the south coast, of Australia in December, 1940. and after, being at first abandoned had barely

made port in tow of tugs with her captain and a skeleton crew on board. After repairs, she sailed from Wellington with an almost record cargo on board. On March 29. 1942, when some 200 miles south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, .she was torpedoed and sunk, with the loss of several lives.

The Westmoreland, with Captain H. A. Fryer in command, survived a similar experience to that of the Hertford while en route from Glasgow to Liverpool in January, 1941, but while homeward bound from New Zealand under the command of Captain E. A. Burton, was torpedoed and sunk in the North Atlantic on June 1, 1942. Three of the crew were lost. Captain Lougheed again met disaster when the Surrey was attacked by a U-boat in the Caribbean Sea on June .10, 1942. Torpedoes blew away the ship’s stern, killing 12 men, and after the survivors had got away another torpedo struck in the vicinity of 300 tons of T.N.T., and the ship disappeared in a violent explosion. The survivors were rescued after some days in the boats. RUNNING THE GAUNTLET Some of the finest of the modern refrigerated vessels on the New Zealand trade were selected to run the

gauntlet to Malta. Among the numerous ships lost in that hazardous passage was the Dorset, Captain J. C. Tuckett, which went down on August 13, 1942, after repeated attacks by Üboats, aircraft, and E-boats. The next victim in the combined fleet was one managed for the Ministry of War Transport, the Empire Avocet. Captain F. Pover, which was torpedoed on September 29, about 300 miles from Freetown. Although the ship sank in five minutes, only two lives were lost. Captain Pover and his chief engineer were taken prisoner. This brought the total of losses to 20, but only two more vessels were added to the list before hostilities ceased. On April 11, 1943, the Empire Whimbrel, Captain A. E. Williams, was first torpedoed and then sunk by gunfire from a U-boat after having been abandoned by her crew, all of whom were picked up. Finally came the Samsip, Captain E. A. Quick, which, after taking part in the D Day landing and making 12 trips to the Normandy beaches, went down, probably through mines, in the River Scheldt on December 7, 1944. Seven of the crew were killed and all others on board injured. An additional risk in wartime caused the loss of the Empire Manor, Captain H. R. M. Smith, which was involved in a collision in convoy on January 27, 1944. During the war many other Vessels of the fleet were damaged in action and took part in various combined operations. Those damaged included the Hororata, Orari, Sussex. Durham, and Essex, all of which were brought, safely to port through the initiative, gallantry and endurance of their officers and men. The Essex, for example, survived two and a half years in Malta Harbour after being heavily bombed and damaged, and having 18 of her crew killed and 22 injured. Eventually she was towed to England and recommissioned.