Interiguing Story Of A Man And A Boat

Chronicle (Levin), 13 February 1948, Page 3

Interiguing Story Of A Man And A Boat

Press Association)

(Per

AUCKLAND, Feb. 12. A radio message from the' Fort Caddotte en route from London to Suva tliat it ' ' took in tow EX 671, with apparentlv oue man aboard," prob'ably answers the question of what happened to a well known Auckland yachtsman, Mr. Eonald Ernest J"ohnson, who, when last previously heard of was adrift in a submarine "chaser 200 miles south of Hawaii. Since then, when u*ith his eonsent his craft was cut off after bemg towed by ex-subchaser Taurua en route from Honolulu to Tahiti, nothing hasbeen heard of him. When farewelled by the skipper of the Taurua he had ! enough food for a""year and enough water for 2J years. | Mr. Johnson left Auckland in the 6U feet A class keeler Thelma in August, 1 1916. His wanderings around the , Pacilic were frequently publicised m the Honolulu press. He reached Hawaii I on November 13, 1946, .and sold his I yacht to the United ,Btat;es Navy for ! 12,000 dollars. He purchaSed some smali surplus craft from the United States 1 Navy and after a flying visit to New 1 Zealand, returned to Honolulu and de1 cided to sail a subchaser' which was without a motor, to Tahiti. Mr. William Mowry, skipper of the subchaser j Taurua, agreed. to buy Mr. Johnson 's j craft for 10,000 francs on delivery at j Tahiti. Mr. Mowry agreed to tow the boat there, Mr. Johnson to travel witn it and colleet the money. Rough weather hit them two days out of Honolulu and the towline kept breaking and, according to Mr. Mowry 's sworn evidence to the British Consul at Tahiti, Mr. Johnson refused to abandon ship, stating he would sail for Samoa or the Philippines.