The Durour

Ship with Romantic History Now Freighting Kauri Logs to Melbourne.

she was engaged in a search for precious specimens for the private museum of the Prince of Monaco; then she came to the Pacific Islands to enter the copra trade: now she is freighting huge logs from Vanikoro Island to Mel bourne.

That is something of the history of the little 820-tons steamer Durour, which came up the river to South Wharf, Mel bourne, early in January, but she has known many other changes since 1914, when she was launched in Dutch waters, (writes “Semaphore” in the Melbourne Star).

As a three-masted twin-screw motor ship she was reconstructed at Sliedrecht in 1920, when she was owned by the Societe du Madal, whose name she then bore, and it was in this period of owner ship that she served the Prince of Mon aco.

In 1926 she was purchased for the Pacific Islands trade by her present owners (W. R. Carpenter and Co.), and in the following year she was converted into a steamer at Sydney.

Copra gathering in the ports of the Solomon Islands and New Guinea became her regular task, and now for a time she is fulfilling a freighting contract arranged between her owners and the Vanikoro Kauri Timber Co. Pty. Ltd. (South Solo mon Islands).

When she arrived at South Wharf her cargo consisted of 176 huge logs, mostly kauri, for the handling of which the sturdy little vessel has especially strong gear.

Mixed Nationalities

Captain A. J. D. McArthur, who com mands the Durour, and the chief engineer are the only two Britons on board. She has a Danish mate, three Chinese engi neers, a Chinese cook, and Solomon Islanders for deck hands, firemen, and cabin boys, but in spite of the mixture of nationality there is a common language on board —pidgin English.

Captain McArthur formerly commanded one of the most historic schooners in the Pacific Islands—the former Whitney Ex pedition ship Prance from the United States—which, after a period spent in collecting tropical flora and fauna speci mens, was sold to W. R. Carpenter and Co.

The France has visited every port large enough to admit her in the Pacific Islands, and is regarded as the most travelled ves sel in the Islands trade.

Yacht, Schooner, Steamer

Captain McArthur skippered the Auck land keel yacht Heartsease on a six months’ cruise of the Islands in 1932, and subsequently joined the service of W. R.

Carpenter and Co., who gave him the Prance as his first command.

When he was transferred to the Durour he took with him practically the whole of the France’s crew, most of whom are from the Island of Malaita.