AUXILIARY SCHOONER RUNS OFFICIAL TRIALS

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 570, 24 January 1929, Page 1

AUXILIARY SCHOONER RUNS OFFICIAL TRIALS

HOKIANGA AT SEA / SPEED OF 9.68 KNOTS Successful official trials were carried out on the Waitemata this afternoon by the new auxiliary schooner Hokianga, which has been built to replace the Isabella do Fraine. The engines of the new vessel—twin four-cylinder Fuirbanks-Morse full Diesel direct reversing’ engines—gave a little trouble prior to setting out on the official test, but they made up for it by completely satisfying both engineers and the owner when the test did come. Answering the helm to a nicety, the Hokianga swung away from Albert Wharf at 11.35 a.m., and proceeded up harbour past Auckland’s “rotten row” almost to Chelsea, in face of a stiff south-westerly breeze. She was then brought about, and entered upon the three-knot run from Queen’s Wharf to Bean Rock Beacon. The distance was covered in 18.5 minutes, with the south-wester now behind her, at an average speed of 9.6$ knots. The return trip, which had to be made in the face of the gale*, 'va» naturally somewhat longer than the flurt trip, but it worked out eventually at an average of 8.57 knots. As the vessel's bows were well out of the water (owing to her hold being empty) and caught the full force of the wind and the sea, this performance was also regarded as a satisfactory one.

The Isabella de Fraine went to pieces on the Hokianga Bar in June of last year, taking with her all hands, so that the owners have constructed a particularly stout vessel to take up the Isabella de Frame's trade. On her trials this afternoon the little vessel gave every indication that she is well fitted to stand up to rough West Coast "weather. The Hokianga is 97 feet long, 25 feet in beam, and has a beam draught of 8 feet. Her full .Diesel engines have a nominal rating of 100 h.p., but their axle-power is 156 h.p. The Hokianga is the first coastal vessel, other than a launch, to be so powered at launching. The engines ourn residual oil. the initial pressure of compressed air being raised by the neat of the flame from the fuel valve. They will start instantly from cold, and * r ® 80 sensitive that a half-turn of a wneel will reverse them in three seconds. Their use obviates the employ- ***** °f firemen, and two engineers hi comprise the mechanical staff. LINK WITH PAST

On board the vessel this afternoon curing her trials were the owner, Mr. \ o’ ranktl£ un. representing Messrs, nit Frankha m- Limited; Mr. H. T). superintendent engineer of the _ air banks Morse Company; representatives of the builder of the vessel, 5- JfCorge Xiccol; and the master of \r° “Paanga, Captain J. K. Kennedy, •h is chief engineer of •to vessel, and Mr. W. Wright chief The ship carries a crew of e, Sht all told. a ,f“ e Hokia nga has .already associated with her a link with one of the £?'*** romances of this century. In are included the iron knees m _,“ 6 barquentine Retriever, the reThi n ?> of . whicl * are at Pine Island. 0 # Retriever was the first command Beasley, who brought her r *** Capetown to San Francisco in -py" time to the astonishment of Ricks.’’ with whom the young nhu n exchanged many caustic f)wnf^ rams * The Retriever and her R v anc * shipper provided Mr. Peter earl!*? with the material for the Ricks n hapters of his book, “Cappy Bokianga will leave to-morrow Voyage 8 " f ° F hokianga on her maiden