Islands Ships In Sydney

THE 550-ton motor-vessel Camano, flying the United Nations and United States flags, and under command of Captain Peter Bolton, of Honolulu, visited Sydney in mid- January. The Captain and Chief Engineer were the only Europeans —the junior engineers and deck officers were Filipinos and the sea men Micronesians.

Camano belongs to the Pacific Micronesian Line of Guam —the Government sponsored company providing communications within the Trust Territory. She is the “special run” ship five other

similar vessels being stationed n pectively at Majuro, Ponape, Tri Palau, and Guam for inter-Gro communications. One other, 3,000-tonner, the Chicot, mainta; communications between t Groups and Guam.

Camano brought 6 medi( students for Suva Medical Schc She spent New Year at Raba loading scrap metal—and bun! oil well laced with salt water, whi gave the Chief Engineer soi worries coming south.

From Sydney Camano was hea ing for Vila, to pick up the si vivors of a Marshall Islands ves which drifted to the New Hebric in November (PIM Nov., page 12 Thence, on to Suva to land I Hughes (an English anthropolog bound for the Gilberts) and t medical students. Seven Micror sian students returning home v join the ship there.

The voyage was made mainly load Australian foodstuffs i Micronesia.

Kurimarau Visits Sydne

Kurimarau, flag-ship of t

BSIP Administration fleet, v in Sydney in January. Bu in Hongkong in 1930 for Leve she was used in the Solomons. 1941, she carried out 75 civilian threatened by the war. In 1942 t Americans took her over and r her between Townsville. Cairns a NG in their small-ships supi fleet. She still carries shrapr marks.

In 1945, the BSIP Administrati purchased the vessel for use b tween Suva and Honiara. Sin 1949 she has been used within t Group.

Captain N, W. Macdonald e pects to make two voyages to Su to transfer WPHC staff a] archives to their new headquarte at Honiara.

Kurimarau brought 80 logs frc Tenaru (Guadalcanal) and quantity of Trade Scheme trochi She took back a cargo of timfc from Goffs Harbour and genei from Sydney.

Hospital Ship For Bsi

A Brisbane-Built Form

Army supply vessel, a standa 66-foot trawler, has for sor months been under conversion Sydney to a hospital vessel for t

Photos on Opposite Page

Reading: from top downwards: — Captain Peter Bolton and Chief Engineer O. K. McCart, of the Camano.

The Camano lying at Circular Qua[?] Sydney.

Six medical students from Micrones[?] travelled by Camano to Suva.

Captain N. W. Macdonald was in com mand of the Kurimarau, from BSI.

The BSI Administration’s flagship Ku[?] marau at a Sydney wharf.

The new BSI Administration hospital ship Betua, on trial in Sydney Harbou[?]

□lemons. Named Betua, the ooden ship, equipped with twin ) hp Glennifer diesel motors, toked very attractive when under- Ding her trials on Sydney harbour i late January.

Painted white, with red cross on

funnel, Betua has an 8-berth male ward, a 2-berth female ward, accommodation for a Medical Officer, a dispensary, a large re frigerator and excellent crew accommodation considering the size of the vessel. She is equipped with radio. (The conversion job was

undertaken by S. G. White & Co., Balmain).

She goes to supplement—or re place—the present BSI hospital craft which is said to be so top heavy that no one will risk putting to sea aboard her except in the deadest of dead calms.

Deutgan For N. Hebrid:

THE 211-tons trading ve Deutgan (Capt. J. Gap) gone from Sydney to sup] ment the hurricane-depleted ra of New Hebrides shipping.

In May, 1947, Mr. M. Marins purchased the ex-Navy barge Australia from Disposals, and sp 2 years on refitting. Deutgan t] went to the Islands for a st period, Mr. Marinacce operal from a small islet south of Mi kula. He then decided to tram his headquarters to the ship.

Deutgan proceeded south months ago for additions to accc modation and other structi alterations, and now has an cellent cabin for the owner and wife. Deutgan is one of the : Islands ships to carry a won cook —a NH native.

Mr Marinacce has a number other lighters under preparat for shipment to the Islands fi Sydney.

Ships For Micronesia

CAPTAIN P. J. M. Sellars, Melbourne, returned to A tralia as a passenger in Pacific Micronesian Line ve Camano in mid-January, after livering the well-known 140- Tasmanian-built steel two-mas schooner Mileeta to Maji Mileeta sailed from Sydney ] August 14 by way of Rabaul j Truk.

Capt. Sellars reported t another Tasmanian-built s ketch/ —the 96-ft. yacht Frel which was also delivered to Maj last year, will probably be go to Honolulu for conversion tc hospital ship for use within Mic nesia.

Capt. Sellars foresees the poi bility of his delivering another T manian craft to a private tra in Micronesia in the near futur<