NORTHERN SEAS

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20125, 20 December 1939, Page 6

NORTHERN SEAS

LINER’S LONG DETOUR OCEAN CRISS-CROSSING ICE FORMS ON RIGGING DODGING SUBMARINES “Ocean travel can be decidedly uncomfortable for passengers in the present circumstances, but their, discomforts are insignificant compared with the strain carried by the officers and crews of ships tailing out of United Kingdom ports. For eight days during our Atlantic crossing we did not see the captain of our ship. He was almost constantly on the bridge,” said Mr. J. A. Macleod, a well-known Gisborne resident, who returned this week from a tour abroad.

Though the people in Great Britain were quietly confident of winning the war, and were going about their respective parts in the wai y effort with characteristic thoroughness, said Mr. Macleod, the menace of mines and torpedoes was nevertheless a matter for deep concern in the operation of Britain’s mercantile marine. He and Mrs. Macleod had booked via Suez, but later decided to journey homeward to iNew Zealand via Canada, and realised they were assuming a greater immediate risk, in crossing the Atlantic, than if they had taken any other route. The precautions taken in the course of the voyage convinced them that the risk was far from negligible. Instead of the normal six da.vs from Liverpool to Quebec, the voyage occupied 10 days, a portion of which was spent in waters so far north that ice formed continually on the rigging and decks, as their liner plunged through heavy seas.

Rigours of Deck Duties

The crossing was very rough, but it was felt that in such weather submarines were less to be feared, so that there was some compensation in the weather conditions. Discomforts for the passengers were many, but they were mild compared with the rigours of duty upon deck and bridge, with the consciousness that any moment might bring the additional hazards of submarine attack or mine misadventure.

Not until safely in the St. Lawrence, the gateway to Canada, did the passengers have an opportunity of meeting the captain and some of his officers. These men were the type to inspire confidence, salty sons of the sea who would bid farewell to one group of passengers and greet another, to face again the perils of war-time voyaging on the hazardous North Atlantic. One felt that in their hands the tradition of the British mercantile marine was safe.

Once ashore at Montreal tension relaxed and a very pleasant 10 days were spent in Canada, with stop-offs at Toronto, Niagara Falls, Banff, including Lake Louise, Sicamouse and Vancouver.

Although all precautions were taken on the voyage from Vancouver, and the sea was still rough, a very pleasant time was spent on board and ashore at ports. France Before the Conflict

Before the outbreak of war put a stop to pleasure travelling on the Continent, Mr.- and Mrs. Macleod visited Switzerland and parts of France. The Swiss they found most congenial, and the difference in national tongues was cancelled out to a great degree by the familiarity of many Swiss with the English language. At all times, and in all places, the nationals of the little mountain republic seemed anxious to make visitors feel at home.

France was still suffering from the after-effects of political and labour troubles when the Gisborne tourists passed through Paris, and in consequence the city was not in its usual holiday mood. Comparatively few people were about, and businesses were feeling the pinch a good deal; Mr. Macleod’s contacts in banking circles enabled him to appreciate more keenly than the average tourist just how badly the pinch was exerting itself. Theatres were not crowded, nor were the shops, but this was no drawback to the enjoyment of the Gisborneites, who did Paris fairly thoroughly before returning to London.

England Keeps its Charm Within a short time the Allies were at war with Germany, the actual declaration coming when Mr. and Mrs. Macleod were in Edinburgh. The English countryside was still open to tourists, however, and a short stay at Windermere with friends, en route from Edinburgh to London, gave Mr. and Mrs. Macleod an opportunity to appreciate the beauties of the countryside just as summer was fading into cool autumn. A tour planned without a thought of war intervening was completed with its major features unchanged, therefore, despite the dramatic developments ol' early September, and tlie setting-in of a war regime in the United Kingdom. But for the outbreak of war, they might have stayed longer abroad, commented Mr. Macleod. Knowing that they could do nothing to help the war effort, however, they elected to return to New Zealand, and left early in November.

“Britain is intensely interesting in her preparation for a great effort, but we felt that we had no right to remain tliere as spectators only. There is not much room for spectators in England now,” he concluded.