Phosphate Steamer Has Stormy Voyage

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 380, 14 June 1928, Page 1

Phosphate Steamer Has Stormy Voyage

hove-to for two days

POUNDED BY HEAVY SEAS

After a stormy passage, during which she was Hove-to for two days in the face of a fierce southerly gale, the Andrew Weir steamer Aymeric, arrived at Auckland this morning with a phosphate cargo from Nauru Island.

The Aymeric left Nauru on June 1, taking 13 days for what is normally a 10-day trip for tramp steamers. Fine weather interrupted only by frequent heavy rain showers was experienced during the first nine days of the voya?e but on Saturday evening a strong wind blew up from the south. By Sunday morning it had increased in velocity till it almost reached hurricane strength. For the next two days the Aymeric was hove-to in the fury of the heavy *eas, which pounded her continually. Although no serious damage was done on board, the ventilators were buckled and twisted. The bridge rail was smashed, and an exceptionally heavy sea dashed out the port in the chief steward’s store-room. The storm reached its height on Monday evening and early- on Tuesday morning, when, as a precautionary measure, the captain decided to drain oil on the troubled waters. Later in the day the gale moderated, ancl the Aymeric continued her voyage, experiencing a stiff blow for her run to port. The Aymeric is a vessel of 5,196 tons and was built by Messrs. R. Thompson and Sons, Ltd., of Sunderland, being launched in May, 1919. She has a cargo of 7,700 tons of phosphates, part of which is for discharge at Auckland, and the remainder at New Plymouth and Wanganui. Captain R. Nimmo is her master, the officers and engineers being Europeans and the remainder of the crew lascars.