S.S. AOTEA WRECKED.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1032, 23 January 1911, Page 5

S.S. AOTEA WRECKED.

ASHORE AT THE CAPE. WEDGED ON ROCKS, AND BUMPING BADLY. ALL HANDS SAFE Dy Telecraph—Press Association—Copyriefct, (Ree. January 23, 0.25 a.m.) Cape Town, January 22. : The steamer Aotea, of the Shaw-Savill line, is ashore at Moville Point, close to the spot where the Maori, of the some company's licet, was wrecked in August, 1009.

The Aotea lies broadside on to the beach, and has listed seaward. There is water in all her holds.

The vessel is bumping badly on tho rooks, where she is wedged, and there is little hopo of saving her. ,

There are good prospects of salving the cargo if tho weather is. favourable. All hands are safe.

Steam lighters have been dispatched from Cape Town to salve the vessel.

Tho Aotea left Liverpool on December 26 for Auckland, Wellington, Lyttelton, and Dunedin, via Cape Town, with a full load of general cargo, and was due at this port about February 16. She is a steel-screw steamer of 5600 tons gross, and was built by Swan and Hunter, of New-castle-on-Tyne, in 1895, for her present owners, the Shaw, Savill, and Albion Co., Ltd. Her principal dimensions are: Length, '130 ft. 6in.; breadth, 49ft.; and moulded depth, 32ft. lOin. • . It will be remembered that last year, while on a voyage from London to Australia, tho Aotea, which was to tako the loading berth at_ tho Canadian port for Australian and New Zealand ports, when 34 miles off the Martin River, suddenly took tho ground and remained there for some days, ultimately being towed to Quebec with her fore holds full of water, and the engine-room tank leaking. The Maori, 5371 tons gross, was. lost at Duiker Point, near Cape Town, in August, 1909, with ,the loss of over 30 lives, only nine of the crew being saved.