ROVER OF THE SEAS.

Putaruru Press, 2 June 1926, Page 2

ROVER OF THE SEAS.

VESSEL’S ROMANTIC CAREER. Romantic experiences of the sea as “mystery ship,” rum-runner, treasure hunter and Pacific Island trader are the secrets of a small French steamer which unexpectedly arrived at Auckland on Saturday night. Temehani is her name, and she has broken her journey from Papeete to Sydney to replenish her provisions, coal and fresh water. The Temehani was bought at Papeete by Captain F. T. Gladstone Dunn, who is on board and is taking the vessel to Sydney to convert her into a trawler for use on the New South Wales coast. He was unable to change the register at Papeete and consequently she has to remain under the French flog until she reaches Australia. The crew number 19 all told.v The captain and officers are French and the remainder of the crew are mostly South Sea Islanders. There are four passengers on board. Captain Dunn reports that the vessel left Papeete on May I and three days later a moderate easterly gale was encountered, lasting for 24 hours. During the storm, when the craft was being tossed about by the rough seas the chief engineer fell and fractured three ribs. After the storm passed the remainder of the voyage was fine. When north of New Zealand the supply if fresh water became short and Captain Dunn decided to make for Auckland. Though only a small steamer of 250 tons the Temehani has had an interesting career, according to Captain Dunn. She was built for a mine-sweeper in England in 1916 and was then named the Gunnar. Later she was converted into “a mystery ship,” carrying armament on deck and four torpedo tubes below. During 4he vessel’s career as “a mystery ship” she is credited with sinking one submarine and with capturing qnother. After the war the Temehani was purchased by a syndicate and she was employed in the rum running trade. On one of her cruises on the American coast she was captured by the coast guardsmen and later sold as a prize. A syndicate in California then bought the vessel and despatched her to Cocos I Island on a treasure hunt.

It was an unsuccessful venture, however, and the Temehani returned to California with her own treasure chest so depleted that there was nothing in it to pay the crew. She was then arrested for debt and afterward sold by the sheriff to meet the claim of the crew. The next owner of the steamer was a Chinese company, who bought her for the inter-island trade in the Eastern Pacific, with headquarters at Papeete. Owing to the competition of a number of auxiliary sailing vessels she was crowded out of the trade. She was idle at Papeete for ten months before being purchased by her present owner.