THREE YEARS’ VOYAGE

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 775, 23 September 1929, Page 16

THREE YEARS’ VOYAGE

PRUNUS PAYS VISIT TO AUCKLAND CIRCLED THE WORLD Three years ago, in October, 1926, the cargo steamer Prunus sailed from England. Since then she has visited 26 ports, ranging from the frozen north to the tropics. She arrived in Auckland for the second time on Saturday evening. Her crew has not been home during the three-year period except for one night in Neweastle-on-Tyne. Japan, Russia, Java, Germany, Morocco, Italy, New Zealand, Australia, Nauru Island and Gibraltar are only a few of the places visited during that time. The Prunus visited Auckland last December, and after discharge bunkered at Westport before proceeding to Nauru Island, where she loaded phosphates for Australia. At Fremantle she picked up a wheat cargo for Naples, and passed on to Gibraltar where she was docked and cleaned. She returned to Casablanca and loaded phosphates for Australia, where she loaded a wheat cargo for Calcutta, spending five months in Indian waters, carrying coal from Madras to Ceylon. From India she went to Seychelles Islands to load her present cargo, proceeding to Durban to bunker, then to Albany and on to New Zealand. During the voyage across the Indian Ocean heavy weather and mountainous seas were met, doors being broken and two boats smashed out of the chocks. The Prunus assisted in searching for the missing sailing ship Koebenhavn in the southern part of the Indian Ocean. From Albany the Prunus sailed for Bluff, via Bass Strait, and when nearing Tasmania collided with and killed a large whale, almost cutting the cetacean in half. She unloaded 5,600 tons of guano at Bluff and will complete discharge at Auckland. Orders have been received for the vessel to proceed from Auckland to Wh.valla, Australia, to load iron ore for Antwerp, from where she will go to England, thus ending the long voyage. Though she is now a steamer the Prunus was formerly a motor-ship, owned by the Ellerman-Bucknall Line, her name being the City of Stockholm. The vessel was sold to her present owners. Messrs. Howard 3 enens, London, who converted her into a steamer.