DAMAGED WHALER

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 127, 27 February 1928, Page 10

DAMAGED WHALER

C. A. LARSEN’S PLIGHT STILL HARD AND FAST AGROUND BY Telegraph.—press Association. Invercargill, February 26. There is no alteration in the position of the C. A. Larsen. She is still hard and fast aground, but it is stated that providing the weather keeps good, there will be no difficulty in raising the vessel. The balance of her cargo of oil will be removed and oil tankers are reported to have been chartered for that purpose. Divers who went down at the end of the week had some difficulty in estimating the damage owing to faults in the diving suits, which leaked badly, but they reported that the ship is holed in three places, two forward on the starboard side and one aft. The forward boles are large, being twelve feet by ten feet and ten feet by eight feet respectively. The hole aft is about six feet by eight feet. The extent of the ’damage to that part of the vessel’s bull embedded in sand is not known.

As soon as the oil is discharged, pumping will be proceeded with at full capacity and collision mats will be placed over the holes until the vessel can be taken up to the base out of the likelihood of heavy weather.

The Bluff Harbour Board's dredge, Murihiku, on arrival at the inlet from Dunedin, will grapple for the anchor that was cut away from the C. A. Larsen shortly after she struck the rock, and will probably assist in pumping operations. The tug Dunedin is still alongside the damaged vessel engaged in pumping, though progress appears to be very slow.

Two divers went down on Saturday morning, but as yet their report has not been made public. A passenger on the damaged vessel is Mr. Konow, one of the directors of the company, who joined the ship in the United States. There is every prospect that about 50,000 barrels of oil will be saved, the loss not being as severe as at first reported. The weather at Stewart Island was warm and fine on Saturday, but it is cold and squally to-day. INTEREST IN LONDON London, February 24. The city is deeply interested in the fate of the whaler C. A. Larsen, the total insurances on the ship and cargo exceeding half a million. The rate fell from 30 per cent, to 3 per cent, on Wednesday, but is now at 25 per cent. The owners are chartering an oil-tanker to re-ship the cargo.—Svdney "Sun” Cable. '