Divers Examine Wreck

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31082, 10 June 1966, Page 1

Divers Examine Wreck

(New Zealand Press Association) AUCKLAND, June 9. Naval divers today found a jagged h ole about a foot in diameter and two large V-shaped indentations in the hull of the sunken collier Kaitawa. They also found a depression about 20ft long and 4ft wide.

Oil was seen flowing in spurts from a split in a riveted seam. Lieutenant N. L. Merrick, leader of the diving team, and Able Seaman R. L. Cormack dived to the Kaitawa this afternoon. Lieutenant Merrick said the metal about the jagged hole was petalled outward at a point just forward of amidships. Ten per cent of the superstructure, which had been moved sideways a few feet, was visible. “The hatches I saw, apparently Nos. 3 and 4, appeared to be open,” he said. “It was

quite dark, and I saw something of the Kaitawa's cargo.” The rudder and two propellers were stiff intact The starboard anchor was still on its hawse pipe, the other anchor was buried. Lieutenant Merrick and Able Seaman Cormack spent 25 minutes surveying the wreck and 15 minutes in decompression stops on the way to the surface.

Three dives are planned for tomorrow. Lieutenant Merrick said no decision had been made on the hazardous task of going inside the ship.

di/ers twice de-

scended to the Kaitawa this morning but they failed to find whether the liferaft was still on the ship. A strong tide rip made conditions difficult for a full inspection. The first dive lasted nearly half an hour. In their first dive to the wreck Lieutenant H. R. Hume, of the Inverell, and Able Seaman R. F. Anderson, saw white pieces of superstructure strewn about a large rock outcrop and on the seabed near the hull.

The two divers entered the water beside one of three marker buoys put in position by the Tui.

Lieutenant Hume said the Kaitawa appeared to be lying with the bilge keel uppermost. “The first buoy was 50 feet away from the ship and we could make out the dim outline of the hull,” he said. “We swam toward the hull up one side of the ship to the bilge keel. We swam as far as we could along the bilge keel, a distance of about 80 feet.”

“We came up the middle of the ship and we could see portholes sited beneath the bridge superstructure.”

It appeared that the whole superstructure had been torn off the