FORTY FIVE YEARS AT SEA

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21415, 6 March 1935, Page 17

FORTY FIVE YEARS AT SEA

♦ | RETIREMENT OF CAPTAIN | J. <i. WATSON I After 45 years at sea. 35 of which he spent in the service of the Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand, Ltd., Captain James Gecre Watson, one of the best-known masters on the New Zealand coast, handed over the command of the company's steamer Waikouaifi to Captain W. A. Grey at Wellington on Saturday, and entered upon j his retirement. ! Captain Watson was born at Shef- | Held, England, in 1872. and was { brought to New Zealand at the age of | 12 months by his parents, Captain and Mrs James Watson in the barque Chili. Captain Watson, sen., was in the service of the Shaw, Savill Line and visited Lyttelton on several occasions in the ship Mataoka, with immi-! grants. The family lived in Napier i and at Havclock North. It was in 1890 that Captain Watson first went to sea. He served in the Gracie, Beazley Line, and in the clipper ships of the New Zealand Shipping Company and the Shaw, SavilL and Albion Line. He passed for his second mate's certificate at London and shipped as second mate in the barque Glenbervie. After securing his chief officer's certificate he was signed on as mate of the barque Peri, in the England-Australian trade. A few months after that Captain Watson returned to New Zealand and entered the service of the Union Company, under whose house flag he has sailed ever since—3s years. His first position was as third ofTicer aboard the Mapourika. and later he held that rating on the Rotoiti, Hakanoa, Hawea. and Tarawera. As second officer he served in the Janet Nichol, Mapourika, Waipori, and Takapuna, and as chief officer in the Te Anau, Kotuku. Arahura, Pateena, Takapuna. Penguin, and Koromiko. also in the Monowai and Wairuna. predecessors of Ihe ships now bearing these name;-. In 1909 Captain Watson was ap- : pointed master of the Poherua, and in . the following 26 years he commanded : no fewer than 29 of the company'., ships. These were the Hawea. Pu- | kaki, Koonya, Rosamond, Kini, Taka- j puna, Pateena. Corinna, Flora. Kamo I (about six years), Komata, Wanaka, Ngakuta, Atua, Waimarino, Kaiapoi, Kawatiri, Waikawa, Karetu. Kurow, Kairanga, Kaimanawa, Kanna, Kaikorai, and Waikouaiti (which Captain Watson has commanded since 1929). He has never had an accident with any of his ships, although several have been difficult to handle. When on Saturday the Waikouaiti steamed out of Wellington without him, Captain Watson was standing on the balcony of his house on the hillside above Oriental Bay. overlooking the boat harbour. His old crew knew that he was there, for they lined the rails and cheered; the syren hooted and the flag was dipped, as a last salute and tribute to the ship's retiring commander.