FISHING VESSEL FOUND WRECKED

Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28261, 26 April 1957, Page 10

FISHING VESSEL FOUND WRECKED

Crew Of Two Presumed Dead

(New Zealand Press Association) INVERCARGILL, April 25. The wreckage of the Bluff fishing vessel Gekeita, several days overdue on a fishing trip to the West Coast sounds, has been found on theshore of Goal Island, in Preservation Inlet. No trace has been found of the two brothers on board, Athol Joseph Waddick and Cyril E. Waddick, both of Invercargill, and it is presumed that they have lost their lives.

A police party today found the Gekeita beached just below highwater mark. The hull was in good condition, but the deckhouse and gear had been Carried away. The vessel’s dinghy was found wrecked nearby. The Gekeita, owned by Dixon Brothers, of Dunedin, a subsidiary of Otakou Fisheries, left

Bluff on April 3 and was expected to return to port on April 18 or 19, after collecting crayfish pots at Preservation Inlet. Although the Gekeita was

equipped with radio-telephone, nothing was heard of her and an amphibian aircraft was sent to search the sounds yesterday. Attempt to Land About 2 p.m. yesterday the aircraft, carrying Sergeant E. B. McCallum, of Invercargill, and Mr A. E. Tall, who has a wide knowledge of the area, saw the wreckage on the Puysegur Point side of Coal Island. The party landed and attempted to reach the shore in the launch Kestrel, which was cruising nearby, but the sea was too rough. Sergeant McCallum and the lighthouse keeper at Puysegur Point (Mr Barry Hill) then walked overland from the sheltered side of Coal Island, reaching the wreck about 6 p.m. after a difficult journey. Darkness prevented a search, and after spending the night at the. lighthouse Sergeant McCallum was joined by Sergeants W. K. Egan and J. Harman, who were able to land near the wreck in the amphibian. Assisted by the lighthouse keeper and his assistant, the party searched the coast of the island, but found no trace of the crew. Arrangements for a further search had not been decided tonight. Carried Over Rocks The vessel apparently encountered a severe storm, for it was carried completely over the top of rocks skirting the coast. Mr Athol Waddick is 34, married, with one young child. His brother is single. An insurance company assessor is expected to fly to the wreck tomorrow to investigate prospects of salvage. He is Captain B. McGowran, of Dunedin.