POPULAR COMMANDER RETIRES

Hokitika Guardian, 28 August 1929, Page 4

POPULAR COMMANDER RETIRES

CAPTAIN B. M. ALDWELL’S

CAREER

WELLINGTON, August- 26. When the Union Company’s mail steamer Tahiti arrived at Wellington to-day from San Francisco her popular commander, Captain B. M. Aidwell, completed his last voyage in the company’s sendee; for 1 it is announced that he has retired from the sea, and intends to settle in .San Fran- • ciseo, with his wife and family. Th& news of Captain Aid well’s retirement 1 will he received with regreb by many, hundreds of people who have travelled with him across the Pacific during the past ten years, hut more par- j tieulnrly by. the shipping circles of Wellington, Sydney, and San Fran- (• <•: cisco. V. , , •'/

Commencing his seafaring \eareerS the early age of twelve and a half -• • years. Captain Aldwell' joined, the British Shipowners’ large .three-mast- .v ed sailing vessel, British Isles, as an apprentice,. and made his ‘first voyage to Calcutta, where ho celebrated t,4 his thirteenth birthday. -He oontin- ; V ued in the service of / the British Shipowners for several years, and at. ; the age of 18 secured his , second T mate’s certificate. In 1889 Captain Aldwell joined the sailing ship,- M. E.. •, . Watson, as second officer, and made a number of voyages to San Francis- .. co and Melbourne. Leaving tlie M. E. Watson in New South Wales, Captain Aidwell took his mate’s certifi-. > cate and joined the wooden ship Verluam, which was engaged in the coal trade between Newcastle, and Wallaroo. as chief' officer, before taking, command of the timber carrier Handa Isle,; which travelled between <Kai-~ ; . para and'Sydney. .1. In 1896 Captain . Aldwell made, a voyage as second mute of the infamous Australian convict ship, Success, which lie describes ns a real ghost ship,, for on her were the wax figures of the Commonwealth’s most noted, criminals ;,.j not to mention the unpleasant feeling that came oyer me when the shackling irons and chains attached to the. walls recalled stories of the. gruesome incidents^of hpr career.

On relinquishing command of the Handa Isle,. Captain Aldwell joined the Howard Smith Line, as master of the 'Tyrian, trading between Melbourne and Townsville. His next ship was the Union Company’s Rotorua,., from which he transferred to the Rotoiti. For a further period he was on the Pateena, after which, for five < years, he ran the Maori and the Wahine on the Wellington-Lyttelton service. During the period of the Great War he was in command of the hospital ship Marama, and at the close, of hostilities was appointed to the Tahiti, which he has commanded ever, since.

In 1926 the Tahiti, with Captain Aldwell in command, accomplished the probably unparalleled feat for a. mail steamer of making a trip from Sydney to Wellington without a crew'. The ship carried neither greasers nor sailors. Being an oil-burner she did not require firemen. This ’ unprecedented performance was due to trouble with the crew foUowing complaints about the quality of their {A Christmas dinner. With a little assistance the officers and engineers managed to bring the steamer to Wellington after a smart run of three clays nine hours. Just ns the Tahiti was about to leave the wharf at Syd-r itey, the Crew let a rope ladder down. ' over the side of the .ship and 31 sailors and greasers climbed down to the wharf. When negotiations with the 'ycrew proved fruitless, Captain Aid-. well decided that the ship should pub to sea without them. ' Captain A. H. Davey will succeed Captain Aldwell as master of the Tahiti. . •