Matoma

Muliama Rescues Matoma From BSI Reef

THE A.V. Matoma, recruiting vessel for Lever’s Pacific Plant ations Pty., Ltd., was successfully pulled off a reef in the Russell Is lands near the Company’s head quarters at Lingatu by Burns Philp’s M.V. Muliama (Capt. Brett Hilder) on July 16.

The Matoma, whose engines had been giving trouble, went up on the reef three weeks earlier, when she was returning from a voyage to the Santa Cruz Group, having taken supplies to Tikopia where the Poly nesian inhabitants suffered severely from the storm which battered the island in February.

Two attempts to get the vessel off had been made earlier by the A.K.

Evaleeta without success.

The reef on which Matoma went up falls away sheer into 150 fathoms of water, and strong currents made it difficult for a rescue ship to avoid joining Matoma on the reef. In some quarters it was regarded as doubtful whether she could be refloated at all.

An additional hazard existed in the fact that Muliama’s engines had been giving trouble —she had to put

into Brisbane for attention on t way to Honiara. But during the s; vage operations no engine troub! were experienced.

Capt. Hilder and the Matom master, Mr. E. A. Palmer, usi underwater goggles, swam round t ship’s hull and noted the position the niggerheads among which s was resting. The first attempt get her off was unsuccessful as t towing cables broke; a second tempt on the following day usi all the gear available including £ chor chains succeeded in refloati her. The Matoma was badly da aged by the reef but is repairable

Bsi.

The Matoma was bought Lever’s in 1948 from Mr. I. Thu ton of New Guinea who built I as a touring ship to carry suppl and recruit labour for his plantatio Muliama’s owners and crew n become entitled to compensati money for their job of salvage.

How much and when is j known, however, and proceedii may be protracted as we understa that the case will have to go bef< some UK Court that deals with t miralty and Divorce. The reason this unholy (and apparently un lated) judicial mixture is obscure 1 Captain Hilder gives it as his opini that it “probably has something do with the late Lord Nelson.”

Compensation for salvage of v sels at sea is usually severe. But this case the amount will proba be based on what Matoma was a sidered to be worth at the time :

was dragged, damaged, from

reef.

A photograph taken of Matoma from the Muliama during Salvage operations.

The reef fell away sheer to 150 fathoms under Matoma’s stern. —Photo by W/O E. Miles.