H. -15.

Return of Wrecks and Casualties to Shipping reported to the Marine Department from the 1st April, 1918, to the 31st March, 1920.

46

"Date of ! Vessel's Name, Age, Casualty.! and Class. Rij J> § Number of j Nature of Number of Lives lost. Place where Casualty occurred. Win Direction. Wind. ad. Force. Finding of Court of Inquiry. Name of Master as | Passeng j gers. Cargo. Casualty. ! ! 1918. Nov. 17 Dec. 2 1919. Jan. 11 Feb. Feb. 14 „ 14 3 ) Laurel Whalen, Schooner 1,049 aux., 2 years ! i ! Awanui, 28 years Schooner 96 Wairoa, s.s., 25 Ketch .. 49 years Elsie, aux., 16 Ketch .. 23 years Ketch .. Cutter .. 96 49 23 4 18 7 General General Copra .. ; Breakdown of machinerv; damage, £1,870 Stranded; total loss, £1,520 Stranded: total loss Collision ; no darnage h r j Lat. 9 C S., long. 160|° W. Alofi Bav, Niue Island ! Tairua Bar ., Off King's Wharf, S.W. Auckland Breakwater, Gisborne S. Napier Roadstead .. S.W. Wellington Harbour .. N. Off Cape Campbell .. Calm .. ! The starboard engine broke down on 17th November, and on 2nd December the port engine also broke down and the vessel headed for Auckland, reaching there on 1st January, 1919 Gale .. The vessel was at anchor working cargo when the wind suddenly shifted and brought a heavy sea into the bay, causing the cables to part. The vessel then drifted ashore and became a total wreck Calm .. The vessel struck heavily on the bar, carrying away her stern-post and rudder-trunk, ancl putting the engines out of action. She then drifted on to the sandspit and became a total wreck. The Court exonerated the master from blame, being of opinion that he acted with reasonable prudence The Court found that the collision was due to the default of the master of the " Ellen and Light <J Martha " in not showing any lights, and he was ordered to pay £5 towards the cost of the inquiry Moderate Struck breakwater owing to propeller being fouled by rope Light .. The lighter was deeply laden, and in coming alongside the s.s. " Kaikoura "■ came into collision with that vessel's propellers, which knocked a large hole in the lighter's starboard quarter f The vessels came into collision off end of Light <{ Queen's Wharf, not observing each other until too late to avoid a slight collision Calm .. Vessel stranded on reef off Cape Campbell in hazy weather. The casualty might have been avoided if the master had made an allowance in his course to counteract the effect of the tide, and taken proper observations, which would have shown that the 2 degrees of easterly deviation shown on his compass-adjustment eard were non-existent H. Docherty. R. Anderson. Edward Sellars. "1 E. MeGemey. I Wm. Reid. J J. Brown. Ellen and Martha, Cutter .. 4 o.e.v., 28 years Fairburn, aux., o.e., Schooner 69 13 years Agnes Martin, 37 Ketch .. 41 years 2 Collision ; damage, £90 Stranded; no dam2 I April 10 Schooner 69 5 •• „ 29 i Ketch .. 41 3 Tallow.. i age Collision ; damage. £250 W. MacDonald. TJta, o.e.v., 19years Cutter.. 23 Cutter .. Collision ; trifling damage Ditto Stranded; total loss H. O'Neill. May It 3 3 10 Karaka, s.s. ,8years Cutter.. 10 Queen of the South,j Schooner 121 s.s., 42 years Cutter .. Schooner 23 10 121 3 3 13 General Light <\ Calm .. J. R. Owen. I I