Ships

News of the Small Ships

Tidal Wave In Suva

Most small craft lying in Suva at the time of the earthquake were damaged to some extent, either by rolling against the wharves or against one another or by snubbing themselves against the vessel im mediately ahead or astern.

Kia Kia, ready for sea after an extensive refit, lost her bowsprit and suffered some damage to upper works. She was first away from her berth in the creek.

Yanawai was apparently struck in the stern by another vessel, her after plating being damaged above the water line. She had just come off the slip, having been drydocked for examination of a leak which developed on her previous inter island voyage.

A tanker at the main wharf, un able to uncouple in time, tore the

pipe-lines from the wharf. Thepijq line to the fuel tanks ashore w/ elsewhere fractured also by 11 earthquake.

No major damage, however, w done to shipping, though had tJ shake occurred at the top of tJ tide great damage would certain have resulted. The tidal wave w, largely expended on the reef W fore entering the harbour.

ANOTHER KON TlKl—Frieu at Lauthala Bay and Nadi w learn with great interest tM Claude Dickson, formerly in tt meteorological offices of thoj places, is one of three who w shortly drift across the Atlanr from Dakar, W. Africa, to the W 1!

Indies. Dickson and two EngliJ marine biologists, Frank Evans ae R. H. Sharma, left Plymouth ! cently in the 18-ton yacht Pett for Dakar. There a balsa raft w be built as a platform for fishii and under-sea photography. Yaoj and raft will drift with the oce currents an estimated distance : 2,500 miles, taking probably foun six months.

Mr. T. H. Diffre (white suit, centre), Secretary-General and Acting-Governor[?] French Oceania, presenting trophies to the winners of the Honolulu-Tahiti y[?] race, in August.

The expedition is financed by a slgian museum and has had the [vice and assistance of Thor syerdahl, of the Kon Tiki expedi m.

Compared with this tropical drift, e voyage of a French engineer, /es Bertranet, at present bound >m New York to La Havre on (not ) a 15-ft double canoe, seems mewhat more rugged, as he will idently take the northern route westerly gales and cold condi ms. We wish him well,

Maui Pom Are— The Nz Gov

iment vessel Maui Pomare, erating to the Cooks, showed a is of £41,256 last financial year, compared with a loss of £34,245 the previous year.

Kurimarau Reported Sold

rhe BSIP vessel Kurimarau was d to Chinese interests during ptember, according to uncon med waterside reports. Captain icdonald, her master (at present leave in Suva) voyaged as Mate the Vasu to Auckland early Sep aber, returning later by air. A el vessel of 288 GT, Kurimarau s built in Hongkong in 1930.

CURRENT CARDS—Same time ) we reported that the NZ DSIR s supplying drift cards in plastic itainers which float, to shipping ving New Zealand. One card re

cently dropped from the Carron park, between Auckland and Bris bane, travelled 420 miles, to be picked up 17 days later near the Bowen wharf, N. Queensland. In all, 20,000 cards will be issued. The project (to check ocean currents in the Tasman Sea and east of New Zealand) began last July.

Island Radio Watches—The

Radio Engineer, Nukualofa, Tonga,

reported in September that watch for vessels with radio telephone is maintained on 4190 kc/s, VSB re plying on 2095 kc/s. Hours of watch are 1140-1240 GMT and 1740-0940 GMT. By the end of the year, however, there will be a change, VSB listening and replying on 2080 kc/s when new equipment at the new radio station is brought into use. Eventually, continuous watch

also be maintained on the In lational telephone distress fre ncy of 2182 kc/s, with replies on same channel when required, he Officer in Charge of Pago 0 Radio reports that watch is ntained there from 1900 GMT nigh to 0300 GMT on 2845 kc/s radio phone calls, KUQ-20 re ng on the same frequency. By t year, in line with Inter ional requirements, this station also guard 2182 kc/s. pia reports that there no watch naintained for small craft on e frequencies, except by prior mgement. Replies are at pre ; usually made on 5800 kc/s by when a vessel requests a ;dule. arotonga will listen on any uency and currently replies on kc/s, or on 2012 kc/s if de -1 A watch is maintained for I small craft, when they are ea, at 0230 and 2130 GMT, these els using 8300 kc/s. is believed that by next year t Island stations will maintain inuous watch on 2182 kc/s, thus itly adding to the safety of II craft trading between the ups and facilitating communi ms generally.

DTEL TUMUHAU— Known as Hotel Tumuhau, seemingly due inancial difficulties, the Societe itu’s 65 GT auxiliary schooner mhau has become a feature of Papeete foreshore, where she hauled up for dry-docking three s ago. Our Tahiti correspon reports that the vessel has re s a home for “hoboes, beach bers and banana tourists,” and Monsieur Emile Martin has ed a protest with the marine nrities that the derelict is meting the view from his home. 5 impossible, however, to shift until a large sum of money is t on the hull-something which Rurutu Island owners are irently unable to do.

? .Tu-Ao In Suva— Fetu-Ao.

nth Day Adventist mission

vessel stationed in the Gilberts, came south to Suva late August.

Built by Halvorsens, of Sydney, this is one of three similar vessels—the others being Batuna, based at Rabaul, and Veilomani, at Honiara,

[?]ft to right: Tumuhau, three years on beach at Papeete; Cornelius Crane [?]ntly purchased the Papeete fishing [?]el Maraa for his own use; and

Beyond, T. C. Worth’s beautiful aluminium-alloy motor cruiser which is now in Australian waters.

-which form part of a fleet of vessels built by the Mission since the war.

Fetu-Ao measures 65’ x 16’ x 6’ 6” and is a twin-screw vessel powered by a pair of 55 HP LW-5 Gardner diesels. The Rev. G. R. Miller, master and engineer, reported a very bad passage south with head winds and rough weather most of the way.

MANU’A TELE The Eastern Samoan Government ship arrived in Suva on August 24 for annual re fit. Work on hull and shafting, etc., to be carried out by Millers Ltd., and Bish Ltd., was expected to take about a month.

Captain Robert Payes, who is in command of the ship, journeyed to Honolulu by air with his wife and family while the vessel was refit ting.

Manu’a Tele —formerly YMS-431 of the US Navy—was acquired as a war-surplus vessel by the chiefs and people of the Manua Group in May, 1948, at a cost of $12,500. She is now owned by the Eastern Samoa Government.

She was built later than the French naval YMS Tiare (of the same type) which was in Suva in July.

Of 288 gross tons, she is licensed to carry 6 cabin passengers and 86 on deck for daylight voyages, or 60 for night voyages, and about 90 tons of bagged copra. She is powered by twin 500 hp GM diesels which drive her at a service speed of about 10.5 knots. According to

American Samoa Government figures the vessel costs about $60,000 per year to maintain and operate.

Vuniwai In Trouble—The

Fiji Medical Department’s Vuniwai, shortly after survey in Suva during August, lost her propellor at sea and had to be towed in.

Cagi-Mai-Ra For Scrap

HEAP — Cagi-Mai-Ra (ex Ono-i-

Lau), well-known 39 GT Fiji inte island trader, has completed M useful economic life, lately in W.

Carpenter & Co’s service, and hi been condemned. The 45 < auxiliary cutter was built by W.

Terry Smith in Suva in 1920. Aft: being moored in Suva’s Rotten Ro she was damaged in the rec© tidal wave.

[?]anua Tele went to Suva from Pago [?]o in August - here are her Chief [?]ineer James Sword, Captain Payes,

[?] relieving engineer William Emmsley,

[?] below, Manua Tele herself, [?]enecia converted from schooner to [?]or vessel (mentioned in last month’s [?]es). [?]ottom: Kim Fletcher, who joined yacht [?]hur Rogers at Nukualofa, and right, [?]or Miller, who brought the SDA Mission [?]sel Fetu-Ao south from the Gilberts [?]Suva.