Wanganella Is 48 Hours Late; Strikes Storm

Wanganui Chronicle, 30 May 1949, Page 4

Wanganella Is 48 Hours Late; Strikes Storm

AUCKLAND, Last Night (PA).— Forced several hundred miles off her course by gales, the Huddart Parker liner Wanganella will now berth at Sydney 48 hours late on her voyage from Auckland, according to a wifeless message received by the “New Zealand Herald” from her commander, Captain H F. Norrie, tonight. Winds reached 60 miles an hour early on Saturday morning when the liner was more than 200 miles north-east of North Cape. Six elephants are on board, included in Wirth’s Circus The animals are being returned to« Australia Irom Auckland and weathered more than 24 hours of the gale chained to an exposed foredeck. Other animals, including lions, horses and dogs, were in between decks. None was injured.

Captain Norrie reported that all the Wanganella’s 391 passengers were well and that the ship was not damaged. Having left Auckland shortly after 4 p.m. on Thursday, the Wanganella was due to berth at Sydney about 8 a.m. tomorrow. Captain Norrie advised that she will not arrive there until late on Tuesday night and berth at 8 a.m. on Wednesday.

“We encountered a north-north-east gale early on Friday morning,” stated the wireless message. “With the wind and sea increasing the vessel was hove-to at 8.30 a.m. During Friday the wiad increased to fresh gale force, being accompanied by high seas.”

The Wanganella’s position at 6 p.m. on Friday, given in a meteorological message to the Auckland weather office, was about 150 miles north-east ot North Cape. With the Wanganella more than 200 miles north-east of North Cape, the gale reached its climax about 6 a.m. on Saturday when a wind of 60 miles an hour lashed the vessel. Two hours later the wind began to drop, and at 9.30 a.m. the liner was able to resume its course at full speed. Throughout the gale tht Wanganella was quite steady and was not damaged, stated Captain Norrie. Thirty-six hours late, the liner passed 140 miles to the north of Cape Reinga at midnight on Saturday. Steaming from Sydney to Auckland, the Union Company’s passenger liner Monowai experienced a fair crossing of the Tasman until today- when she ran into southerly winds. She Is due here on Tuesday morning. The Blue Star Line motor-ship Napier Star reached Auckland this morning from Sydney, having been delayed 24 hours by weather off the coast.