A.S. "Makoa"

Struck Uncharted Reef at Hull Is.

From Our Own Correspondent APIA, July 15.

TVJEWS has been received from Fiji that the Marine Inquiry, conducted into the wreck of the auxiliary schooner Makoa at Hull Island, resulted in a find ing that the loss of the vessel was due to her striking an uncharted coral reef. The

master (Captain C. Doughty) and mate (Mr. E. P. Thompsen) were completely exonerated.

The Makoa left Apia on May 14 and called at Swain’s Is. and three islands in the Tokelau Group, then Sydney Is. (Phoenix) and Hull, arriving on May 25. She had nearly completed discharging her cargo and was approaching the settle ment on the north-west side for the third time when she struck.

The crew and passengers—Mr. J. W.

Jones, of Burns Philp (S.S.) Co., three carpenters ("Messrs. Ned and Posa Skel ton, and a Samoan. loane. and 30 Toke lau plantation labourers) —got ashore safely. All the ship’s gear, stores, cargo, and boats were saved.

The R.M.S. Niaaara was diverted to call at Hull Is., on her way south to Fiji from Honolulu, and she picked up Can taln Doughty and his crew on June 21.

The crew returned to Samoa early in July via Pago Pago, while Capt. Doughty remained in Fiji to act as mate on the B.P. inter-island vessel Malake.

Built in Sydney in 1918, the wooden vessel Makoa was 100 ft long with a beam of 27ft and a draught of 12§ft. Her ton nage was 250. She had. at various times, been engaged in trading among the is lands of New Guinea, Papua, the Solo mons, New Hebrides. Fiji. Tonga, and the Gilberts before coming to Samoa about the midd’e of 1932.

EDTT'OP t AT i NOTE: Mes«r«. Rums Philp (S.S.) 30. Ltd.. Sydney, report that the “Makoa is n total wreck, only the ribs remaining on the reef- If the : r efforts to purchase a suitable second-hand vessel for the Samoan inter island trade are un availing B.P. will build a new one, probably in Hong Kong.

Instead of cruising to Rabaul, New Guinea, as previously arranged, the Orient liner Otranto will go to Noumea.

New Caledonia, via Brisbane. She will leave Sydney on August 26, and return on September 8.

The A.S. “Makoa”