The Wreck of “Tahitienne”

Taipi is Also Rumoured Lost

Prom Our Own Correspondent

Rarotonga. Dec. 10.

HEAVY seas which struck Raro tonga on November 23 brought to a close the last adventurous chapter in the history of the schooner “Tahitienne”. She was driven on the reef and became a total wreck.

The “Tahitienne” was moored in Avarua harbour by a web hf heavy lines, but at 2 p.m. when the seas were becoming increasingly violent, the ropes snapped like so many threads and the schooner was swinging free in the tide rip of the passage. The three men aboard her tried to hoist the mainsail, but with a beam wind blowing across the passage, the show of canvas only com pleted the job of setting the vessel onto the reef.

The Union SS Co. launches went out and put towlines on her but they were not able to budge her. Heavy lines were then brought from the ship to the wharf and teams of men hauled mightily for hours every time a large wave righted her.

The ship was rolling heavily on her beam ends in the surf, but, although she rolled freely, her keel was firmly fixed on the coral shelf and all efforts to move her were in vain.

The midnight high-tide dealt the death blow to the stricken ship. Daylight re vealed that she was already in bad shape, lying heavily on her starboard side she was holed and water-logged, the keel was off and the rudder gone.

The after-deck had an ugly twist and the masts were sagging at an ever increasing angle. At low water men started work to strip the wreck. The

following night the stern collapsed and broke away completely and from then on the disintegration was rapid.

Examination of some of the timbers on the beach revealed that the schooner was in a very poor condition and it was the general opinion that it was just as well that she had finished on the reef rather than at sea.

The “Tahitienne” ended last season in bad shape and ; has not been used this year. On her last voyage she caused a sensation by becoming lost at sea, leaking badly and with engine and pumps out of commission. Two Catalinas took part in the search for her and she was eventually rescued by the schooner “Tiare Taporo”.

After that adventure she was brought into Ngatangiia harbour where an attempt was made to haul her out. A rough

cradle was constructed and there were scenes reminiscent of the early schooner days as teams of men five hundred strong attempted to haul the vessel ashore. But she was a bit too heavy for them and the slipway was inadequate. Eventually the cradle collapsed and the ship fell on her side, so it was decided to abandon the attempt and just do whatever re pairs possible by careening her as she was. She was later refloated and recently towed round to Avarua.

It was intended that after final re fitting and the reinstallation of the engine, which was being overhauled, the “Tahitienne” would be sailed to Penrhyn to shelter for the hurricane season. rE “Tahitienne” was owned by Mr.

D. C. Brown, trader, of Rarotonga.

The schooner had graceful lines and

must have been a lovely ship in her hey day. She was built in America of soft woods as a pleasure craft thirty-odd years ago and had passed the end of her useful life, Nevertheless, the schooner has done a lot of hard work during her last days in the Cook Islands.

It was fortunate that George Dibbern’s little Te Rapunga, which had been moored astern of the Tahitienne for several weeks, had left only the day before the heavy seas struck. The Te Rapunga had

some cargo and passengers for Aitutaki, but had to hang on the offshore buoy for a number of days before communication could be made with the shore.

The heavy seas were general in these parts and radio news was received that the little ketch “Taipi”,. owned by Captain Cambridge, had been driven on the reef and wrecked at Palmerston Island. The “Taipi” has been at Palmerston for some time and the news was Recently received that Captain Cambridge had married a Palmerston lady. (The story of Captain Cambridge’s “Taipi” was published in “P-IM” during 1947.)