TIMELY SALVAGE

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 238, 5 July 1944, Page 4

TIMELY SALVAGE

Freighter Refloated Just Before Storm

FOUR DAYS AGROUND NEAR NORTH CAPE

(By Telegraph.—Press Association.) AUCKLAND, July 4. The combined salvage efforts ot New Zealand Navy ships, two coastal vessels of tlie Union Steam Ship Company, and an Auckland Harbour Board tug last week resulted in the salvage of an overseas freighter with only an hour to spare before a storm broke. Tlie vessel, which flew the Panamanian flag, aud was manned by a Greek crew, was hard and fast on a sand beach two miles south of North Cape for four days. An hour after she was refloated the storm broke with such fury that the ship would have been totally wrecked. “If it had not been refloated, then, it would never have been refloated,” declared the master of the ship, Captain P. Dracatos, after arriving safely in the shelter of a North Island port. Captain Dracatos said he knew 12 hours beforehand that the storm was coming up, and in that time every minute was precious. The story told by the captain and those who commanded the other vessels concerned in the rescue was one of hard work with inadequate materials. Lines broke repeatedly under the heavy strain, and the rescuing ships worked at times with barely two feet of water under their keels. Throughout the four days aud nights Captain Dracatos and his mate remained on deck without sleep. The drama did not cease with the refloating of the vessel. Each ship then had to battle against wind and sea in one of the worst storms recorded off the New Zealand coast in recent ’years, two of the vessels, the salvaged ship and the Auckland Harbour Board’s tug. William C. Daldy, being hampered by the long heavy trailing tow lines, which they were unable to bring inboard. One of the naval vessels. H.M.N.Z.S. Waipu, a Port Chalmers-built minesweeper, was hove to for 48 hours off Cape Brett, riding out mountainous seas with her mess deck awash. All the other vessels bad taken shelter along the coast. Comparatively minor damage was done to the freighter’s hull and rudder, but she lost a considerable amount of gear, including an anchor. Several other anchors were left at the scene of the grounding. as well as £2OOO worth of towlines, which were cut and dropped immediately the ship was refloated. Some of this gear may be salvaged later. Captain’s Story. Captain Dracatos said his vessel was outward bound from Auckland in ballast. After encountering bad weather all. the way un the coast, he had been forced to seek shelter for 24 hours in the lee of the land near North Cape. The ship was weighing anchors and swinging to resume her voyage on Friday. June ~3, when the stern touched the hard sand of the beacli. It was full tide, but he found less water than indicated on the chart. The usual manoeuvres failed to refloat the vessel. A second attempt was made with the next tide, but was again- unsuccessful. Then he radioed for immediate assistance and received an answer from the naval authorities pext morning that, assistance wag on the way. Meanwhile the vessel had swung round nearly broadside on to the beach. She was listing and was nearly high and dry at low tide. During the early refloating attempts, both the lifeboat and jollyboat of the freighter were broken and also two rafts while trying to carry out anchors. Tn one attempt, the third mate, Mr. John Coridas, had taken out an anchor to the full length of the cable and had to break up the raft to drop it. He then had to swim back to the ship. The crew had worked manfully day and night. Assistance reached the scene in the early hours of the morning of Saturday. June 24, and the naw went immediately into action. Air Force planes cooperated, (akin" photographs of the situation, and keeping in touch. The stories told reveal that the salvage was one in which co-operative and strenuous efforts triumphed over difficulties and misadventures.