Coastal Ship Sinks; Twelve Men Missing

Wanganui Chronicle, 24 February 1949, Page 5

Coastal Ship Sinks; Twelve Men Missing

(N.Z.P.A.—Copyright.) SYDNEY, Feb. 23 (Rec. 7.25 pm).— The coastal steamer Bombo, 539 tons, with a crew of 14. capsized and sank in heavy seas off Wollongong late last night while on a 60-mile trip from Kiama to Sydney. Twelve of those who were on board are missing. Fears for her safety were entertained after she used her emergency radio last night to advise that she was hove to off Stanwell Park, 30 miles from Sydney in stormy conditions She did not answer radio signals from Sydney and shortly before noon today a member of the crew, Marshall Fitzsimmons, of Sydney, was found wandering in a paddock near Wollongong. About noon the police posted on the cliffs near Bulli sighted a second man floating in the sea. A surfboat of the Bulli Lifesaving Club was hastily manned and, after fighting through heavy seas, picked up Able Seaman Thorvald Thomsen. Though both were suffering from shock and exposure, the survivors told the following story: “The Bombo developed a bad list off Stanwflll Park just before dark yesterday. The captain decided to turn around and make for Port Kembla, which was the nearest port. The ship had gone only a few miles when the list became so dangerous that the seamen could not stand on the decks. Captain A. R. Bell then issued an order. “Every man for himself.”

The ship turned turtle and sank before all the crew could jump clear. Four men did not come up They must have been trapped below and carried down with the ship. Two men saw a red light in the distance, about where Port Kembla would be, and swam towards it. Everyone had a lifebelt. Fitzsimmons and the others trod water without moving from where the ship went down and all were alive at daybreak. They then decided to separate and swam towards different parts of the coast, according to where they thought would be the safest place to land. When the trouble occurred the ship was carrying a load of blue metal. She was fitted with a large mechanical loader for handling metal and when swung out this caused her to She was sighted yesterday by tbe coastal collier Beliambi hove to in a rough sea and a strong south-west wind. The ship was built as a blue metal carrier and was used exclusively ; n the carriage of road metal. She served as a minesweeper during the war and cleared fields off West Australia. Twelve men are missing. All lived in Sydney or suburbs. .