FIRST PORT OF CALL

Evening Star, Issue 22445, 16 September 1936, Page 12

FIRST PORT OF CALL

TACOMA STAR FROM LONDON UNEVENTFUL VOYAGE Within the last few months Dunedin and Port Chalmers have been made the first ports of call for a number of overseas vessels. The Rangitata, Canberra Maru, and Port Fairy are notable examples, and yet another vessel, the Tacoma Star, berthed at Dunedin yesterday. From London direct, the steamer arrived well down in the water, indicating her large cargo of general merchandise for discharge to the agency of the New Zealand Shipping Company. The Tacoma Star left London on August 6, and, after a good trip across the Atlantic*, made a brief call at Port Royal, Jamaica, for bunkers. She then sailed for Dunedin, experiencing good weather conditions until about 3,000 miles off the New Zealand coast, when the south-west wind, which has prevailed during the past few days, reduced the ship’s speed to eight knots. It was thought that the vessel might not arrive on time, but she reached the Otago Heads yesterday morning, and had some time to wait before the tide was sufficiently high for her to come ,up the Victoria Channel. She berthed at the Victoria wharf at 3.30 p.m. The Tacoma Star is to leave Dunedin on Friday evening fon Lyttelton to complete discharge, and from that port she is to proceed later to' Australia to load Homewards to the agency of the Blue Star Line ■■ Captain W. Walsh is in command of the Tacoma Star, and his officers are:—Chief, Mr L. W. Allen; second, Mr H. E. Gough; third, Mr J. A. / Elliott; fourth. Mr R. H. Stark; chief engineer, Mr R. Brown; second, Mr J. Johnston; third, Mr W. Stortenbeker; fourth, Mr J. Furlong; chief steward, Mr W. Lockyear; wireless operator, Mr T. Tubb; chief refrigerating engineer, Mr A. Black. Formerly the Wangaratta, the Tacoma Star was built in 1919 at the yards of Messrs Workman, Clark, and. Co. Ltd., Belfast, and is now owned by Messrs Frederick Leyland and Co. Ltd. Of 7,924 tons gross register and 4,962 tons net, the Tacoma Star is 450 ft long, 58.5 ft beam, and 37.1 ft in depth. She is a twin-screw vessel, and her engine? were supplied by the builders.