Ulimaroa Rides Through Heavy Seas

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 403, 11 July 1928, Page 1

Ulimaroa Rides Through Heavy Seas

buffeted by storm

NO DAMAGE DONE

A day overdue and with a heavy to port, the Ulimaroa arrived Auckland this morning from Sydney after being battered by heavy seas during the whole of the V °‘Mt 9 was the worst trip I have e.we»r experienced on an intercolonial run," said Captain W. J. Wy!li*> master of the vessel. Another officer said that it was the worst voyage he had known tor 20 vears. Passengers detailed graphic impressions o£ the heavy seas and the rolling ship.

Despite her buffeting the Ulimaroa rode splendidly through raging seas nnd a heavy south-easterly gale. As Captain Wyllie remarked: "No one has come to any harm. A small amount of crockery was broken in the dining saloon, but no serious damage was done to the vessel. The list to port was caused through not being able to work the bunkers. Captun Wyllie and the officers of the ship had an anxious time on the voyage and many of the passengers paid tribute to their work in such a trying time.

Most of them appeared to have had little sleep. Captain Wyllie showed evident signs of weariness, as he has scarcely closed his eyes since last Thursday night. From the time the Ulimaroa steamed out o£ the Sydney Heads last Friday at 12.15 p.m. she met with heavy seas add a gale which pounded her starboard side for the four following days. The passengers realised what was coming as they saw ships ahead of them tossing about on the ocean. Soon after meeting the heavy seas the vessel heeled over to her port side, where the portholes were open, and water flooded several of the cabins. Passengers’ luggage was soaked and one man said that about £2O worth of damage had been done to his clothing and property. Most of the cabins in that part of the vessel had to be vacated. Few passengers attended meals during the voyage. Some of them came out of their cabins only when the vessel came into the shelter of the New Zealand coast yesterday. Others did not ventffre out until this morning. Last Saturday the Ulimaroa was still ploughing through heavy seas which sometimes swept over the vessel as high up as the second deck. Although the vessel was rolling uncomfortably she did not pitch. The starboard propeller was racing and the bearings heated. On Sunday the vessel stopped for a time, so that the engineers could attend to the bearings. The gale was still raging on Monday, but on Tuesday the seas and the wind died down considerably, though there tvas a heavy swell.

When the seas swept over the vessel some ironwork near the after hatch was torn away. A large number of cases of oranges and mandarins, stored wn *be aft deck, were thrown about !?“ a few °f the cases were damaged, ibis morning they looked as though they had had a good buffeting. One passenger remarked that the cmidren seemed to enjoy the voyage most. They certainly reaped the beneflt when the cases of fruit broke open. ~1 s the first tri P of the Ulimaroa since the Australian cooks’ and stewnn i~ S i ri i e ended - She has been laid .Sydney for four months. Her last trip to Auckland was on February