THE KOMATA STRANDING.

Taranaki Daily News, 8 February 1916, Page 8

THE KOMATA STRANDING.

■. SHE MASTER'S EYISgJf«& By Telegrapli.—Press MmMfon: Wellington, tot Tlie Magisterial Inquiry eeueeraihg tho stranding of the Union. Gotapaay'si collier Komata at .the Wellington aesth opened to-day. Evidenee Was given that the cost of repairing tile damage to Hie vessel wou.ld l)e about £SOO, William Carey, master, stated, that owing to foggy weather he took what |i o considered to bo all tho necessary precautions, but when lie went aground lie found he was live miles out of his reckoning.

Continuing, Captain Carey said he passed Terawhiti three miles off, and then set ,v south-south-east course, travelling about lO'/j knots.) He kept thjit course for half: an hour, allowing for the flood tide, which was against him. On the weather becoming foggy he rejduced to half speed, arid- altered the course to south-east at 1.30, and also at 2.10. He went slow from 1.30 to 3.40. He estimated that he ran eight miles. At 3.40 the weather was very thick, so he stopped, remaining stationary for three minutes. Here the lead was used, but there was no bottom at 25 fathoms, so he went slow ahead' and steered east-north-east until 4.32. A few minutes after 4 o'clock he stopped again for another cast of the lead. At 4.32 the fog lifted, and he could see ahead about two miles. There was no land in sight, but he could hear a fog -signal, which sounded a long way off. The direction of the signal was north by east, and he steered north by west by half west, increasing speed to half, and he ran on that for twenty-two minutes, when the fog began to get thick again, so he went slow. He reckoned he ran about two miles and a half, and then stopped to take soundings. It came down pretty thick all'at once, and just as he gave the order "Stop" he saw rocks on the port how. He rang "Full astern," but failed to clear the land and went aground. He found that he was five miles out of his reckoning. The vessel touched sit 4.56. Cross-examined: He was not sure of his position, which was dead reckoning all the time. The course set after leaving Terawhiti should have taken him well out into the Strait. He had no intention of making port if the fog continned thick. He had not been off the bridge since the previous night. A proper lookout had been kept all the time.

Captain Lambert, one of the assessors, I remarked that no man should come through Cook Strait on dead reckoning. The Court found, that the stranding was primarily due to .the heavy fog prevailing, which prevented the captain from ascertaining his true position before the casualty _ In view of the presence of the fog, and the fact that fog signals were heard at regular intervals, ithe stranding and -the serious damage to the vessel were contributed to by the master's failure to take soundings after altering his course. The Court added that the stranding was not due to any default on the part of the chief officer, and ordered the master's certificate to be returned to him, bn't he to pay the costs of the inquiry.