UNEARNED GLORY

Hokitika Guardian, 25 September 1930, Page 8

UNEARNED GLORY

VENTURA AND TAHITI RESCUE. caustic COMMENT. Caustic comment upon the overostinuition of the part which the Ventura played in the Tahiti drama by the Americans is contained in a recant issue of a San Francisco paper, “The Arognaut.” The article regards it as glory being thrust down the captain’s throat.

“The Sail Francisco newspapers uive been going into characteristic spasms of exultation over the alleged saving of the passengers of the lost Union line steamship ' Tahiti by the Matson line Ventura,” says the ‘-'Argonaut.”

“These spasms might hnvQ beep ■ustified {but for the fact that it was the Norwegian freighter Penybryn that arrived in the hour of peril and tood by the Tahiti, ready to take off : ier passengers as' and when the necessity arose.

“Captain G. S. Lincoln, of the United States naval station at Pago Pago, Samoan Islands, reported that the Penybrvn reached the Tahiti at 7.40 o’clock on Saturday evening, and stood by her all Saturday night and Sunday morning ready- to take off the passengers and crew'at' a moment’s notice. /Fortunately the need was •rot urgent, and the Ventura, with far superior accommodation for so large a party, was known to be cn the way. Therefore, as a matter of convenience and luxury, it was decided to wait as long as the Tahiti’s master deemed prudent for the Ventura. This plan was feasible because the Penybryn was standing by, ready to give instant relief in case of emergency. The Tahiti in fact, was saved by the Penybryn, and was enabled to keep her passengers on board —avoiding the risks of a double transfer by open boats in a heavy sea —as long as the- Penybryn was alongside.

' “Sunday forenoon, presumably some fifteen hours after the arrival of the Penybryn, the Ventura hove in sight, and in due time, before 2 p.m., the passengers and orew of the Tahiti bad been taken on board that vessel. At 4.24 p.m. the Tahiti sank. “Such are the unadorned facts of the incident. The Penybryn was the ship on the spot, whose early arrival, hi response to the Tahiti’s SOS call, automatically saved the situation and ended her peril. Why, ‘in face of these Circumstances, the San Francisco newspapers should ignore the achievement of the Norwegian freighter and propose—as lias been done—a public ovation for tlie captain of the Ventura, the ordinary individual must remain at a. loss to understand. It would be almost as appropriate in the premises to prepare an ovation f or the jpkipper of the official garbage scow, or for tlie editor of the ‘Police Gazette.’ But if they give such ovation to the captain oif the Ventura he will have a gay time of it here•fter whenever he tries to hold up bis head among other sailor-men in my port, of all the Seven Seas. Tk>--ause if there is one thing sa'ilor men particularly dislike and resent, it is any attempt to filch the glory that oertains to the achievement of another. A skipper may and often does annex tlie ‘kudos’ that belongs to his mate or his second officer That, by Virtue of the law of responsibility alike for success and failure, is recognised by other skippers as possible and even justifiable. But the act of stealing similar credit or glory from another skipper is worse than dog| eating clog. Tt ip perfectly impossible. Even if the glory be thrust down iiis throat by some publicity bounds in bis home port—as seems to be the risk in the case of the Ventura’s commander—the stigma of it, will follow him. This is especially the ease when every seafarer afloat knows the details of the episode, as every seafarer will know the details of the Tahiti and the Penybryn before the .Ventura reached her home port,”