Masts Ripped Out

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 267, 1 February 1928, Page 1

Masts Ripped Out

SAILING SHIP’S TERRIBLE ORDEAL Struck Hurricane While Disabled By Cable.—PrCis Association. — Copyright. Received 9.5 a.m. LONDON, Tuesday. A THRILLING epic of th,e sea was revealed on the arrival at Victoria Docks under tow, of the famous sailer. E. R. Sterling, over nine months after her departure from Adelaide with a cargo of 5,000 tons of wheat. Such an adventurous voyage has not befallen the ship in all the years she has sailed the southern seas.

Rounding Cape Horn nothing worse than icebergs were encountered, but 300 miles north-east of the Falkland Islands a terrific tropical hurricane ripped out the mizzen and driver masts, killing the chief mate. Steps were taken to repair one mast and the ship carried on successfully despite the raging seas. A month later,, slowly progressing, the already crippled vessel encountered a second hurricane, which ripped out three masts,, stove in her lifeboats and damaged the bulwarks. The wireless aerial was blown away. The captain' of the Sterling agrees that it was the most thrilling experience of his lifetime.—A. and N.Z;; ’ ’ ' ■ STERLING WRECK RECALLED Tiie battering suffered by the E. R. Sterling recalls- the wreck of the illfated Helen- B. Sterling of the same

line, which was wrecked in a cyclone about 100 miles south of Norfolk Island in January, 1922. The crew of the Helen B. Sterling was rescued by the Australian cruiser Melbourne —then on her way to Auckland—which raced 250 miles at full speed through terrific seas. On this occasion it was due to the fact that her main mast went over the side without taking the wireless aerials with it, that the disabled schoner was abje to send out “5.0.5.” messages and keep in touch with her rescuers. The E. R. Sterling is a six-masted iron barquentine of 2,577 tons, and was built at Belfast by Harland and Wolff in 1883. She is still classed “100 Al” at Lloyds. Originally she was named the Everett G. Griggs and subsequently sailed as the Lord Wolseley and as Columbia. She is 308 ft long, 42ft in breadth and 25ft deep.