SHIPS AND THE SEA

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 25, 29 July 1939, Page 26

SHIPS AND THE SEA

(By ■•Helmsman.")

Mention was made this week of the fact that the spot at Castlecliff where the-Port Bowen stranded is near the place where the 7400-ton steamer -ndrabarah went ashore over 26 years ago.- The Indrabarah was eventually freed and when her owners, the Tyser Line, merged with* the Port Line she was renamed Port Elliot. As the Port Elliot she met her fate in 1924, when she struck near East Cape. The story of "the wreck is an interesting one.

The Indrabarah went ashore seven miles north of Rangitikei on May 10. 1913, in very b,ad weather, and when hopes of salvage were at Iheir lowest she was refloated early in July. Extensive overhaul and repair work was^ carried out in dock at Port Chalmers arid the ship was able to return to England. And for the next twelve years the ship continued to trade to the Dominion.

As the Port Elliot she was en route from Auckland to Wellington and she struck between Horoera Point and Te Araroa Point, hear East Cape, just beiore midnight on Saturday, January 12, 1924. Wireless messages promptly summoned assistance and, the sea being calm, no difficulty was experienced in transferring the crew to the Government steamer Tutanekai and from heir tp the-Port Victor when she arrived. The men were brought to Wellington. LIGHT SEEN. In evidence at the inquiry held later it was stated that the night was dull and overcast. No land was visible until immediately before the ship struck. At about 10.20 p.m. a light was seen on the starboard bow and was thought to be a flashing beacon on East Cape. Five minutes later the captain, on the strength of. the light having been seen, altered the ship's course. The light was seen again at 10.53 p.m. and those who saw it were-satisfied that it was the East Cape light. It was visible only intermittently, as the weather was patchy. After the ship had struck it was thought that the light had probably been from a bush fire, showing at intervals through the fog which enveloped the land. Shortly after midnight the settlers in the neighbourhood of Horoera Point were awakened by a ship's siren," fol- j lowed by distress signals. The settlers j did not attribute any great danger to the vessel, as it was thought it was a wool ship nosing her way through the heavy fog. At daybreak, however, the Port Elliot was seen lying helplessly, close to the shore, being about 200 yards out at low water. The bow was dipped and the stern out of the water so that the propeller blade was visible. HARD AND FAST. A member of the crew, interviewed at Wellington, said the vessel left Auckland, bound for Wellington, on the Friday. She was carrying 2500 tons of cargo, largely consisting uf motor-cars. The vessel struck at about 11:30 o'clock the following night. The impact was fairly severe. As soon as the bottom was touched the engines •were put. full speed astern, but the ship did not move. Putting the engines' full astern was tried three times at intervals, but there was no response.

In the meantime the crew had been signalled to .their places at the boats, and 'about 12.45 a.m. the order was given for the ship to be abandoned. By this time the ship had made some three or four feet of water all over. The bulkhead between the engine-room and the boiler-room at that tims showed grave signs of collapsing, and the engines themselves appeared likely

to break down, the engine-bed having been affected by the pressure from the rock the iship' was resting on., S O S signals had been sent out and answered by Auckland, Wellington, and the Chatham. There was a great fear that the ship would break in half at any minute. Three lifeboats were put down, and the whole of the crew left. There were no mishaps, and the men behaved themselves admirably "SIGNS OF CIVILISATION." As the boats were pulled away the lights on the vessel were still burning, the boilers having sufficient steam to iceep the dynamos running. The swell continued to increase. There was one heavy" squall of rain which drenched the crew, and they had a very cold and miserable "time. At daybreak the ship was found to be still in the same position and the whole crew returned. The electric -Sight was still burning, but the dynamos gave out at 6 a.m., and the wireless •was carried on thereafter off the accumulators. Advice was received that the Port Victor was en route from Napier, and was expected to arrive about 4 p.m. -v:"Distress signals had been given but at was after daybreak that we first saw signs of civilisation. The vessel was about a mile and a quarter from the shore; there were hundreds of rocks guarding the beach; the country behind was undulating sandhills; and there was one solitary tree to relieve the monotony," said the speaker.

'"Ewo men were then seen standing! on the beach. They must have been ' mounted, and apparently aroused the whole neighbourhood, for by 8 a.m. there was a mounted party of about thirty on the beach. By this time we had found that, though the ship was j still on an even keel, the engines had collapsed, and the cargo in No. 2 hold "wrs afloat. The Tutanekai made her appearance about 6 a.m and anchored ©bout two miles away, which was as close as jt was thought advisable for lier to come. SIGNALS TO SHORE. "After the masters of the two vesfiels had beten in communication, the frutanekai left in about half an hour, find attention turned again t# Jtfoe

THE PORT ELLIOT WRECK

FIRE MISTAKEN FOR LIGHT

cers or crew."

people on the beach. We were in a sort of bay, and the waves were breaking over the rocks near the beach. It would have been very difficult indeed for us to have landed—in fact it appeared almost impossible. "About 9 a.m. a successful attempt was made to signal the people on the beach, one of the East Cape lighthousekeepers* answering the semaphore. He made his flags from sticks and a couple of handkerchiefs. The people on the shore could do nothing, but what we wanted was to find out whether there was a passage between the rocks. The people answered that' there was, and offered to mark it with two beacons in case we had urgent need to try and make it. It would have been a last recourse if the ship had broken.

"We could se<? that the people on the beach were preparing shelter and food for us in cace of need. Horsemen were continually coming and going, apparently collecting anythingthat might be considered necessary." ON BOARD. The member of the crew interviewed stated that on board preparations were made for leaving. There was little else that could be done. The Tutanekai, which had been sheltering in Hick's Bay, returned about 2 p.m., half an hour after the Arahura appeared on the scene arid had been advised that her assistance was not required. It was not without a great deal of difficulty that the crew were -transferred Sthe Tutanekai, and on the arrival the Port Victor at 5 p.m., later than she was expected owing to a strong head wind, retransf erred to that vessel. It was dangerous, heavy work for a crew that was already hearing exhaustion. The Tutanekai's motor launch rendered much assistance. A party of about ten, including the captain and chief engineer, were left aboard, and the others were got safely aboard, the Port Victor, where accommodation was found for them, and they were all soon asleep. '" ; ."While standing by on the Port Elliot waiting for ihe Port Victor to make an appearance we saw signs that the vessel was breaking up. The creaking and breaking noises down below indicated that she was breaking inside. It appeared that she struck the rock about No. 3 hold, which is a little forward of amidships. When we left in the afternoon, the after-part of the vessel was practically out of the water, with the propellers showing. We learned afterwards that the Port Victor, which left again on Sunday night, had turned back during the night. Those of the Poft Elliot's crew, who were on the Port Victor at this time, were sleeping the sleep of exhaustion, after very trying experiences." COMPLETELY EXONERATED. The Nautical Court completely exonerated the officers and crew from blame for the mishap. The Court's finding was as follows:: — "The Court, having considered the evidence tendered in connection with the stranding of the Port Elliot between Horoera Point and Te Araroa Point on the night of January 12, 1924, when voyaging from Auckland to Wellington, is of the opinion that the wreck was mainly caused by a set inshore. which affected the course of the vessel as she approached East Cape; that the master was unaware of this influence, and was, therefore, not in a position to" provide against it. The Court is further of opinion that the course set at iO.S p.m. would ha** 1 resulted in the vessel clearing East Cape, and the alteration of that course by the master at 10.25 p.m. was due to the

third officer and look-out reporting a light in the direction and corresponding to that at East Cape; that the master was, under the circumstances, justified in assuming that the light se^n by his officer was the East Cape light, though in fact it was not that light but one of a bush fire showing at intervals through.fog and smoke which obscured the land; that the alteration of the course, combined with the effect of the set, resulted in the stranding of the vessel, but under the circumstances and existing weather conditions, the Court is not prepared to say that the casualty was due to, or was contributed to by, the wrongful act or default of the master or any of, his offi.-

The Port Elliot remained upright and half broadside on to the sea much out of the water. She was fast amidships. An increasing swell caused her stern to swing slightly shorewards. Attempts were made to get ropes ashore to prevent the steamer slipping off but later she shifted about 50 yards closer inshore and sank deeper into the reef. The ship was flooded with,ten feet of water from end to end and soon became a total wreck.