THE LOST WAIRUNA

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 151, 15 March 1918, Page 7

THE LOST WAIRUNA

MESSAGE FROM THE SECOND OFFICER

TORPEDOED ON A PREVIOUS TRIP . ■ The first direct news received in Now Zealand from any member of the qrew of the Wairuna, which was sunk in the Southern Pacific by the German raider Wolf, was contained in a cablegram from Mr. T. E. Rees, _ second officer of tho vessel, who, 'with the ship's cook, was placed on board the Spanish steamer Igotz, Meridi, which was captured by the Wolf. The Igota Mendi was stranded ,'off Jutland, and Mr; Rees and the cook were landed in Denmark. A Press message published in yesterday's issuo stated that Mr. Rees and Mr. Donovan had reached London. Mr. Uees's cablegram, whion was sent Irom Skageu, Denmark,' was addrossed to Mrs. Braidwood, AVanganui Avenue, i'onsonby. The message reads: "Landed safely, writing later; tell Douglas. . E.'Rees." The "Douglas" mentioned in the message is Mr. Rees's brother, who is third of- | iicer of the Union Company's Eteamer Kaiapoi. This is the second occasion on which Mr. Rees has suffered at the hands of the enemy, the "New Zealand Herald" states. He was second officer on the steamer Asliburton when she was torpedoed in the 13av of Biscay, while on a voyage from Wellington to London, in 1916, laden with wool and jute. On April 1, when the Asliburton was 150 s miles off the land, a German' submarine was sighted. The commander ordered the master of the Ashburton to abandon his ehip as speedily as possible, and practically simultaneously he opened fire. The wireless aerial was brought down with one shot, but not before the wireless operator had dispatched the S.O.S. signal. Two lifeboats on the Ashburton's deck were smashed by gunfire, and five of the orew were wounded during the firing. Tlie submarine closed to within 100 J yards of the British ship, and the Ger- j mans were asked by means of signals j to attend to the wounded. j

Tlie only answer was tho, shifting of j the submarine to the port side anoj the { firing of a torpedo, which struck the vessel at No. 4 hatch. She steadily settled down, and sank about 8.45 a.m. The ship's company had to scramble hurriedly into tho bosti, and ono lifeboat' was lost in tho launching. All that Mr. Rees saved was his camera-. ..The , .boat in which he left the ship contained. 29 people. . Tlie tfermansmiide no effort- to rescue tho men in the. boats, and the submarine was submerged.. The crew of tlie Ashburton were afloat in one large steel lifeboat ..ind a small boat. The hslos in the lifeboat wero plugged with clothing, and the boat kept.afloat by continuous . A supply ot fresh trater had been part of the boat's equipment, but tho receptacle in which it was contained had been perforated by the shot and -the water lost. TJie only food, in the lifeboat consisted of biscuits.. The two boats wero tied together, and were kept head on to the seas by using a large sheep-pen as a soa-nnchor. After drifting all day tlio survivors wero picked up by a British destroyer about nine o'clock at night, by which time all hands were suffering severely from cold and exposure. The following morning tho crew were landed at Plymouth. '