What Happened

Yet Another Sea Mystery!

What Happened To The lan Crouch?

The mystery disappearance

of the three-masted schooner

lan Crouch, on a delivery voy

age from Hongkong to South

Australia, has been confused

rather than clarified by the

“positive identification” of the

vessel a few miles south of

Rabaul on November 7, and the

finding of pieces of wreckage on

New Ireland and elsewhere.

r[E 500 gross tons steel vessel was built in Hongkong for M. B. Crouch and Co., of Adelaide, which operates small vessels in the Australian coastal trade. Captain Norman Berry and 12 Australian seamen were flown to Hongkong to man her for her de livery voyage, and the vessel left there, bound Port Adelaide via Manila and Rabaul, on September 26.

Nothing has been heard of her since.

In early November some anxiety for the safety was already being felt —she had been expected in Port Adelaide by the end of Oc tober,

Sighting Reported

About November 7, a Qantas airline pilot reported that he had sighted a vessel that “could be lan Crouch” off the south coast of New Britain. At the same time, the skipper of the local NG vessel Nereus, also sighted a vessel in that same area that, he said, could answer the description of the schooner.

Photographs of lan Crouch were sent to Port Moresby and on to Rabaul, where the local skipper “positively identified” the vessel he sighted on November 7, as the same shown in the photographs.

At this stage, November 27, full air operations were put into action; RAAF Lincoln bombers from Townsville combed thousands of square miles around New Britain, between New' Britain and Milne Bay, and between there and the Australian coast, along routes that the vessel might have been ex pected to take.

At the same time, regular air services operating in all these areas were alerted to keep a look out, and so also was local shipping.

Oil drums, an old dinghy and a Carley float, found on New Ireland and other islands, were later proved not to be from lan Crouch.

The air search was called off the end of November.

What Vessel Was It?

If it was the lan Crouch sight on November 7, why did the ves< not answer radio calls? Or if h radio were broken down, why o she not signal the Nereus, if s were in distress? If the Nere sighted lan Crouch, it is likely tli the big schooner also sight Nereus.

If it were not the lan Crow which was sighted, then what ves was it? Three-masted, 500 toe steel schooners are not so comm around New Britain waters tl there should be a great deal of co fusion on this score, and a skip’( of a local vessel should be in: good position to know any stram to regular coastal shipping roui

Pirates or Typhoons?

In spite of the alleged sightix of lan Crouch off New Brits; many Australian and Islaj shipping men are now convinr that the schooner never read: New Guinea waters and that was overtaken by disaster shoe after leaving Hongkong .

The disaster might have been natural one —such as a typhOD or a man-made one such pirates, many of whom still m operational headquarters in Hod kong and the lesser Philipp islands. The vessel might even Iff become involved in Chinese C<C munist activities of some k?J What the Owners Think The owners made a statement early December to the effect t they still believed the vessel wov turn up.

They could be right. No one see; to know the route she was to tf or how long she would be on i way; or whether she would use 1 auxiliary engine, or both. ‘ ‘'Commentary”, page 25).

Bringing The Islands To The World.

—Sooner or later you'll see where this trio have been. They're a NZ National Film Unit team, who have been filming the Islands, and recently arrived back in Wellington. From left: Mr. G.

Pomfret-Brown, sound engineer; Mr. R.

Bowie, director; Mr. Don Oakley, cameraman. Photo: J. P. Shortall.