JUDGMENT ERROR
PORT BOWEN’S MASTER STRANDING OF VESSEL NOT CULPABLE ACT FINDING OF COURT (Per Press Association.) WELLINGTON, this day. The decision of the Court of Inquiry, which investigated the stranding of the Port Bowen on the beach at Castlccliff on July 19, was announced yesterday afternoon.
The court, which consisted of Mr. J. L. Stout, S.M., Captain Worrall. Wellington, and Captain Charman, Christchurch, found that the Port Bowen was stranded on the beach through an error of judgment of Francis William Bailey, master of the vessel:
(1) In coming in too fast after picking up a Castlccliff light in view of the fact that he had not picked up the leading lights at the anchorage. (2) In not paying sufficient attention to the record of the echometer sounding apparatus, and (3) In not stopping his vessel when the sounding of 80ft. was recorded, which indicated the vessel was close inshore.
The court felt that the error of judgment was brought about rather by lack of local knowledge than by any culpable act, and considered the circumstances did not call for the suspension or cancellation of the master's certificate.
No order was made regarding the costs of the inquiry.
Permanent link to this item
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/GISH19391104.2.130
Bibliographic details
Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20086, 4 November 1939, Page 10
Word Count
199JUDGMENT ERROR Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20086, 4 November 1939, Page 10
Using This Item
The Gisborne Herald Company is the copyright owner for the Gisborne Herald. You can reproduce in-copyright material from this newspaper for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International licence (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0). This newspaper is not available for commercial use without the consent of the Gisborne Herald Company. For advice on reproduction of out-of-copyright material from this newspaper, please refer to the Copyright guide.
Log in