INQUIRY ENDS

Waikato Times, Volume 125, Issue 20952, 3 November 1939, Page 2

INQUIRY ENDS

PORT BOWEN MISHAP CERTIFICATE RETURNED EVIDENCE TO BE CONSIDERED (By Telegraph.—Press Association) WELLINGTON, Thursday After hearing evidence to-day, the Court of Inquiry appointed to ascertain the cause of the overseas steamer Port Bowen stranding on Castlecliff Beach, Wanganui, on July 19, returned the certificate of the master, Captain F. W. Bailey. The Court intimated that, although it would take time to consider the evidence, the case was not one where the master’s certificate should be either suspended or cancelled. The Court was presided over by Mr J. L. Stout, S.M. The assessors were Captain Worrall (Wellington) and Captain Charman (Christchurch). Mr J. Prendeville appeared for the Marine Department, and Mr E. K. Kirkcaldie for the master, Captain F. W. Bailey. Captain Macindoe also watched the interests of the master and officers on behalf of the Navigators and Engineers and Officers’ Union of England, and Mr R. C. Christie represented the owners of the vessel. Mr Prendeville said the Port Bowen, which had now been abandoned to the underwriters, was insured in London, but the amount of the insurance was not known in New Zealand. Continuing his evidence, Captain Bailey gave details of the attempts thereafter to get the ship off, the breaking of the anchor cables during gales and the driving of the vessel over the sandbank and closer inshore, with all the subsequent salvage operations. To the magistrate witness said he was so confident his position was safe that he did not check the echo sounding device. He had been in the Wanganui roadstead about six times over a period of fifteen years, as chief officer. He was making for the usual place of anchorage shown on the chart, but was actually to the north of it. He had since found out that there was rain and hail over land that night. Clean Record To Mr Kirkcaldie witness said his record as a seaman was a clean sheet. At 8 p.m. the ship was half-a-mile to westward of her course. The bearing along the course, the bearing by log and the position by cross bearing corresponded within a quarter of amile. A rising bearing such as he took on the Castlecliff light gave a fairly definite fix; coinciding with the log reading. Deceived By Lights Actually he was deceived by the harbour lights and did not see them when he expected. He had come to the conclusion that the weather conditions ashore that night were responsible for the orange appearance of the mole light. It was when he did not pick up the red light that he instructed the fourth officer to take a bearing off the Castlecliff light, and immediately found that he had overrun the distance and was to the north of the breakwater. Mr Kirkcaldie: Up to that time had you any hint of danger because you could not see the red light? Witness: No, I was quite sure of my position. The third officer gave evidence that the lights at the time of stranding were not as distinct as they appeared later on the watch. Vapour Off Beach John Norman Devlin, fourth officer, corroborated the evidence of the orange appearance of the light, and said that several times since he had observed that one of the mole lights appeared definitely orange, and vapour always appeared off Castlecliff beach at night time. The chief officer also gave corroborative evidence, and to Mr Prendeville said there were no breakers or anything else to indicate that they were so close inshore. The third engineer, Ronald Oliphant, who was on duty when the vessel stranded, said he went on watch at midnight and before going below noticed that the Wanganui town lights appeared to be a good distance away. When he felt a bump 14 minutes later he remarked to the fourth engineer that he did not think the vessel could have grounded because the shore lights were a good distance off. Harbourmaster’s Evidence Vessels were constantly using the port of Wanganui, day and night, and since he had been there, a period of 10 years, no complaints had been received about the navigation lights, said the harbourmaster, Captain F. G. Taylor. He said he was not on duty* when the Port Bowen was stranded, but the station log book produced would show the weather at the time. A log entry made at midnight showed that there was a moderate south-easterly breeze and the sea on the bar was moderate to rough. The weather was overcast, but clear. A chart showing the approximate bearings of the different lights was produced. Oil lamps were located at the end of the north and south moles, and witness added that he had never known them to show orange. They were visible from the shore and were always red. The lamps were attended to once a month and more often if necessary. Tides Higher Than Average “I have never heard of any complaints about these lights since I have been in Wanganui,” said witness, who added that when he was called about I. a.m. there was a very light north-easterly wind. The weather at the time was cloudy but clear and fine on land. High water was at 11. p.m. and the tide was higher that night than the average. The first thing he noticed when he came on duty was that the lights were in good order. A statement by Captain J. Knox, who was not called as a witness, but who was on duty when the Port Bowen stranded, was produced. Captain Knox said he saw the Port Bowen approaching, and, as was customary when a vessel was making for the anchorage in the roadstead, he switched on the red beacon light. Captain Taylor explained that a vessel approaching the roadstead anchorage would take the rear beacon in line with north mole light and at the intersection of that line and the green beacon line would find the anchorage. He had never experienced

any case where a ship approaching the anchorage had encountered difficulty. Lights In Order “I do not know anything about the chief officer’s statement that one of the green lights was faulty,” said Captain Taylor under cross-examin-ation. Mr Prendeville said he did not propose to address the Court. Two questions to be answered were: What was the cause of grounding, and was the grounding due to any act or omission on the part of the master? Mr Kirkcaldie said he was speaking for a man with 28 years’ experience at sea. The number of cases where masters were held blameworthy was so few that it spoke highly of the calibre of the men in charge of ships. The Port Bowen was a well-run and well-equipped ship. There was no question of any lack of discipline and there was a very strong distinction between honest mistakes and culpability. In the present case the Port Bowen was within an ace of getting off. It only touched some distance abaft the beam and with any luck at all should have ewung round and got clear.