MAUNGANUI ARRIVES

Chronicle (Levin), 20 March 1946, Page 5

MAUNGANUI ARRIVES

-Press Association \

— TERRIFIC GALE ENCOUNTERED i ALL SICK MEN NOW HOME |

Bv Telegraph—

WELLINGTON, March 20. j Every sick New Zeland servieeman who was at the time of depar- j ture in England, .Italy, Egypt or | Fremantle was embarked on the Maunganui, which arrived this morning. She also brought a iarge number of wivcs and a few fianctes from Engiand. . j Although tne voyage as a whcle was uneventual, the Maunganui struck oue of the most terriiic gales of her career in the Channel | and Bay of Biscay, repeating Lie i experience encountered in tne; Mediterranean on tne way Homc. | Tne service personnel aboard numbered 218 sickness, accident and battie cams, and the dependi ents consisted of 118 women and 30 ; children. Owing to the closing of ; ihospitals in England and Itaiy, tne j ! Maunganui also brought a small [number of mec ical eorps personnel. ! j The. ship was compietely full. Lieut.-Colonel F. O. Bennett, officer commanding the troops, said j [ that all patients had shown consid- ! erable improvement as a result of ! the voyage. The improvement in j ; health was particularly noted in the ; ! children. He said the gale in the j Channel drove hundreds of ships j to shelter in the mouth of the ; Thames, but normal -precautions were taken and the Maunganui ■ suffered no damago. On the wav home a terrific gale i occurred while the Maunganui was ; fuelling at Aigiers, and several times when trying to leave the , wharf the tow line broke and the attempt had to be abandon -a uii.ru ; ! tne next day, when she did leave port. One of her first duties was to stand by a Greek vessel in distress.