Pacific Shipping And Cruising Yachts

The wooden motor ship Volontaire, 270-tons loaded displace t, sank off the island of Mare, in the Loyalty Islands, in June e on a voyage from Noumea to the Loyalties—and almost be e another unsolved Pacific maritime mystery.

E vessel, owned by Captain H.

Helbig and registered at Nouhas since this year been making rnment-subsidised voyages id the New Caledonian coast to the Loyalty Islands. She left nea on June 20 on her third rnment voyage which was due ike her to the Loyalty Islands then across to the New Calen coast and down via various to Noumea. She had a crew of e six C paL a en e e" elb an 8 d “ 250 of careo 8 d ° ® ‘ rly on the morning of the 21st Volontaire contacted Noumea -eported a leak in the stern. It bought on board that the leak be contained as she was fairly to Mare Island. But several later the ship reported the leak gaining and sent out distress s - French Fleet Arm Lancaster Tontouta quickly located her. :oaster Manava, lying at Mare, ordered to go to the stricken s assistance. The Lancaster J the rescue ship by radio, and igers and crew were taken off. ort time after, the Volontaire

It was a lucky save. If the leak had developed during the night the consequences could have been grave, with a good chance of the ship sinking without trace. The Volontaire was 20 miles off Mare when she sank.

Volontaire was originally a US Navy minesweeper which was given to France at the end of the war and re-named the Tiare. She was well known in the Islands as a patrol boat.

Helbi S> who is a Noumea resident > bought her in 1959 and re named her, but did not immediately pu t her to work. She lay idle at the Noumea wharf until late last year when she was sent to Suva to slip and to be converted to cargo carry ing. • VITI SOLD: The 700-ton Tasman Steamship Company vessel Viti, in receivership to the NZ State Advances Corporation for a £15,000 debt, has been sold to Canadian businessman C. A. Odell, Viti was the subject of a legal battle in Sydney in June when she was placed under arrest following the financial troubles of Tasman’s main shareholders, H and S Credits Ltd., of Sydney who in turn were caught

up in the crash of the Standard In surance Company of New Zealand.

Mr. Odell’s tender of between £20,000-£30,000 was the highest re ceived. He will keep the ship on the frozen food trade between NZ and Australia.

He plans to add another 100 tons to the 300 ton refrigerated cargo space but meanwhile Viti is under charter to the NZ Department of Scientific and Industrial Research.

The charter is to be continued for another two years, then to be re viewed by the NZ Government and the owner.

Mr. Odell, who has been in NZ less than six months, plans to add another ship, probably smaller, at a later date for the export trade.

® Canberra Arrives:

Britain’s newest passenger liner, the P & O-Orient vessel Canberra, of 45,270 tons, was given a big welcome when she berthed at Sydney Cove on June 29. On board were Sir Donald Anderson, P & O chairman, and 2,238 passengers, including 750 migrants sailing to a new life in Australia.

Built at a cost of £l6 million, Canberra is the last word in passen ger comfort, with a service speed of 27J knots.

She was under the command of Captain Geoffrey Wild, the new com modore of the P & O Fleet in suc cession to Commodore H. P. Mallet.

He first joined the P & O company in 1923 as a fourth officer.

• Maritime Museum For

SYDNEY?; Some 100,000 Sydney people were estimated to have

s photograph of the "Volontaire", which sank in New Caledonian waters in June, was taken when she was the French navy patrol boat "Tiare".

led headlands and boarded craft in the harbour to farewell Chilian sailing ship Esmeralda ne. We use the words “sailing guardedly, as retired naval per af all vintages, and every back jailor, indulged in writing letters : Sydney Press denouncing each for incorrectly describing the is a barquentine. : nostalgia of Sydney for the ul days of sail has brought suggestions for a maritime im from as far away as San isco. 1 Kortum, director of the San isco Maritime Museum has i urging Australians to restore f the old sailing vessels now as coal hulks. He quotes his Historical Society’s restoration square rigger Balclutha as an ition. The only survivor on Mr. m’s list of Melbourne hulks is ona. Built in Belfast in 1885, 'as described as “the prettiest ever launched”. a was 648 tons, 192 ft long ) ft in beam and used to carry :o South America, copper to id and traded to Australia. She shore off Wellington, NZ, in and was converted by the de Steamship Company in into a hulk. As an iron hulled Mr. Kortum thinks she could be restored to her former rigged glory. Models of many vessels used on the Australian an be seen in the Australian m, College Street, Sydney.

I Klebingat, research associate ie San Francisco Maritime m sent PIM a picture of the Crane (April, PIM ) early this /hich he described as the most ; ul island schooner ever built.

4Issing Ships Not Lost:

ert which went out in June

for three small new BP vessels for NG service, feared missing on a voyage from Honekong to Rabaul, was premature. Nothing was seen or heard of the ships tor 13 days, last radio contact being three days after they left Hongkonl. r, nu-i * i j i- c ji Burns Philp took delivery of the S j S *u n May tons j e^ er V WO ’u 100 t i?- nS ‘ r . e y totalled 25 on the three ships which were supposed to report every 24 ilours ‘ Following the shipping alert, radio silence was broken by the “missing” vessels which gave their position as north of the Admiralty Islands. All

was well on board and the ships reached Rabaul, middle of June, a aaa\tttc ** xt * , 66 ft New P ulnea schooner formerly Amchme becomes ehg.ble for our small world award. She is docked at Alameda, across San Francisco Bay. John Wotherspoon who bought her from Jack Thurston, sailed her across the Pacific with wife, son and small crew.

When Wotherspoon docked Carla Manus at Alameda, he pulled in alongside the only other yacht he had ever owned, one he had sold years ago in England! If you can bear further illustration of the

arm of coincidence, Wother n is a client of a US advertising cy man Paul Durham, who is of PlM’s Californian fans.

Crime To Live On A

T? Harbour authorities in flulu in June made a determined to prevent people living aboard ts and houseboats, which is done bout half the vessels moored in larbour. A mass protest meeting scheduled to be held at the office tie authorities to fight for the to live aboard a yacht.

Tarzan’S Sister: Sydney

Michael (“Tarzan”) Fomenko, hit the headlines a year or two when he sailed a primitive dug :anoe up the Queensland coast tG is at present living “some -2 near Timor” according to his , Renee. Miss Fomenko, back England as an interpreter for lia Airlines, plans eventually to a book with her brother about avels. No doubt, taking inspira from “Tarzan” Fomenko, Syd- University students in June ssfully crossed Sydney Harbour up-turned, multi-coloured beach ella. A voyage in an old bath ame to nought when the wash passing ferries threatened to f the enamelled craft, and the r put her back to port.

New Liner For Pacific:

Savill liner Northern Star was hed on June 27, at Newcastle rne by Queen Elizabeth the i Mother. Built at a cost of nillion, Northern Star will carry :lass passengers only and will sister ship to Southern Cross. this ship, engine and funnel are d aft which leaves large deck for passengers. No cargo will Tried on the 22,000 gross tons which will have a speed of 21 Among passenger facilities are wimming pools, with one shal

low one set aside for children, two restaurants, cinema lounge, seating 600, and two observation decks for the convenience of amateur photo graphers. The vessel will be air con ditioned and fitted with stabilisers.

Large library, lounges and writing rooms have been specially designed by interior decorators.

Maiden voyage from the UK of Northern Star will take place in August, 1962, and there will be four complete round voyages each year calling New Zealand, Fiji, Tahiti, Panama, Curacao, Trinidad, South ampton, Las Palmas, Cape Town, Durban, Fremantle, Melbourne, Syd

ney. Because there won’t be any cargo delays, the company intends to encourage passengers to book their tours up to two years in ad vance.

• New Motor Vessel; Dur

ing June, MS Trianon arrived in Australian ports on her maiden voy age from Scandinavia for Wilh.

Wilhelmsen Agency. The new vessel raises the fleet strength to 60 liner vessels and 10 tankers aggregating 784,000 d.w. tons. Average age of the fleet is nine and half years.

Trianon' s vital dimensions are: Length BP 471 ft 4 in.; breadth, 68

total cargo capacity, 661,000 ).; service speed (about), 17i ts. Five refrigeration compart its total about 33,700 cubic feet cargo handling facilities include ten-ton derricks, 2 five-ton der s, one 100-ton and one 25-ton icks. In addition four electric ;o cranes are fitted, lifting five , operating to either side of the . Wilh. Wilhelmsen have been iged on the Europe-Australia run e 1911.

Real Economy Class

WEL: Two stowaways, a Fijian a German, tried to get to roman places by ship in June without ng. Both found 30 days’ hospi y in the cheapest hotels in town e gaol. olorado del Mar on her way to lis Islands picked up an extra pas er, Samueli Palekaubile, in Suva, was found after the ship had red Fijian waters and turned over Noumean authorities. Malaita ed up her stowaway in Cairns her way to New Guinea. The ig German, Jurgan Seibert, 19, in the rope locker because he he could not find work in ns,

Offshore Oil Search:

e interest than ever before is be shown in survey activity to late the oil exploration possibili of Australia’s offshore seabeds. le first official geological party :o under water in Australia re y tested sedimentary deposits at hs of 20 ft to 40 ft in St. Vincent , South Australia. The area is under permit by Geosurveys of ralia Ltd. After examination of deposits it was suggested that oil ing strata could lie below the le entire Northern Territory ;, almost all the Queensland ;, and Port Phillip Bay, Vic , have been included in marine

gravity surveys by the Bureau of Mineral Resources in the last four years.

Camelot Nominees Pty. Ltd. has agreed to pay £250,000 for an under water survey of 9,600 square miles in the Gulf of Papua.

It seems inevitable that some oil exploration companies in Australia will seek oil under the sea but although 1,000 offshore wells were drilled overseas last year it may be several years yet before Australians will see under-water drilling in pro gress.

• New Guinea Call; Flag

ship of the Australian Fleet, HMAS Melbourne visited Rab a u 1 in June after calling at Manus on her way home from four months tour of duty with the British Commonwealth Strategic Reserve. HMAS Voyager also accompanied the aircraft carrier.

Both ships arrived off Sydney heads in time to take part in ceremonial fleet entry on June 15, of 11 war ships and flagship, celebrating 50 years of the RAN.

• French Visit Solomons:

The French navy ship Francis Cor nier, bearing the flag of Rear Admiral Martinet, was destined to pay a call at Vanikoro on June 1 and 2.

• Freight Tariff Up: Burns

Philp (New Guinea) Ltd., Colyer Watson (New Guinea) Ltd., and A.

H. Bunting Ltd., in June increased freight tariffs for cargo carried be tween Australian ports of Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Townsville, Cairns and Papua-New Guinea. The rates increased generally by 5/- a ton from July 1. No increase has been made on carriage of refrigerator or cooler cargo.

The Shaw Savill line's new "Northern Star" which was launched on June 27 by Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. The liner wilt be seen in the Pacific about August next year when she makes her maiden voyage. See page 105.

Message From Jim Shortall: Islands Man

Jim Shortall, photographed above in the radio room of the old "Maui Pomare" when she towed the "Herekino" to Hongkong earlier this year (the "Herekino" in seen in tow, somewhere in the Pacific) is now radio officer of the "Shaukiwan", care of Wallem and Company, Hongkong. A message from Jim says they have been loading copra around the Philippines, and by this will probably have discharged it in San Francisco. Jim is not in a hurry to get back.

I Sugar To The States;

: first shipment of Australian ar to the United States was iped from Townsville in June on Australian National Line vessel \barra. This CSR sugar is the first he 90,000 short tons allowed now snter the US under agreement.

• Payment By Canoe: The

tralian Outward Bound Founda has offered 12 bursaries to New nea natives in exchange for two >es worth locally about £lOO. The aries will enable 12 New leans to attend 28 day courses at Hawkesbury River School near ley. Outward Bound, the offshoot he English organisation, has a iculum which emphasises healthy ed activities from sailing to ntain climbing. The canoes, 35 long and fully rigged, will be for seamanship and sailing in tion at the school.

LAUTOKA WHARF; A report issed at a recent meeting of a oka tourist advisory committee, 5 that large ships such as those by tourist catering companies, as the Southern Cross, Manoora, ia, Mariposa, cannot get to the wharf if a ship happens to be ap at the CSR wharf, this is true, Lautoka as a pos port of call for tourists is OUT.

II also revive a storm of recrim >ns about the site chosen for it. le time of planning there was a laper war for some months ; this site, chosen over the heads autoka advisers by Suva and rnment interests. Just after the in 1948, the site for a wharf autoka was chosen by Wilton Bell about a mile north of the it position and test piles were i. This site was abandoned later party of advisers from Suva chose the other site. The de was bitterly criticised by Lau-

Chamber of Commerce, among

i, which raised this point of ability. told you so”, might be much rniment very shortly, according locals. Already there has been ill spat about the non-dredging ' northern end by the contrac whose price for this work, ' their equipment on the spot, have been much below what it ost the PW. This dredging, it med, would enable ships of the [ the Matua to berth there even i the front face of the wharf jpied.

Lautoka Scheme: A New

T of promise, as yet only in ancy, has been started at Lau

toka Fiji, by Tom Pickering, old Lautoka identity in the shipping and fishing world.

Pickering operates a fishing launch, with about three tons of ice refrigeration. He plans to ship, by airfreight, both live crayfish and frozen tails to Honolulu.

No result has been received from his first effort, but Pickering will undoubtedly reap the benefit if he can keep up the supply. He is using both nets and traps plus spearing at the rig “^. tin ? e - J Ihis is the second small venture, of recent days. In early June, Harold

Storck, of Suva Storck Cruises, sent a consignment of 500 small tropical fish to Los Angeles.

The first were of 25 different species and were shipped airfreight in specially designed plastic oxygen ated tanks. Storck hopes for good re suits from this venture. He formerly shipped another batch of 150 to USA and only three died All the fish are caught off the Suva reef, and flown to Nadi, where they catch the same night’s north wards plane. From the reef to the tank at the other end, in 48 hours is good business. (Over)*

• One Ship Navy: The

Papuan-New Guinea naval vessel motor refrigeration lighter No. 252 was expected to arrive at the begin ning of June in Brisbane on a 3,000 mile voyage to Australia. Seven RAN men and 16 New Guinean sailors make up the crew.

• Tuamotu Islands Fish

ING: The pearl diving season is ended again in the Tuamotu Islands.

The village of Hikueru, normal pop ulation 100, has been sheltering 700 persons, including 150 divers and their wives and children, all living, eating and sleeping in a vast tempor ary camp.

An average diver can plunge a

hundred times each day in depths of 60-80 feet, staying under water be tween two and three minutes. Their ages vary from the early twenties to mid-fifties, with veteran divers claim ing 30-35 ‘seasons’ in the Tuamotus.

A diver’s harvest on a lucky day varies between 40-50 kilos of mother of-pearl shell, which is sorted into three grades. The pearl diving season in French Polynesia lasts for only three months, from March until June.

It is a hard and hazardous life which may or may not bring its re wards. Veteran divers will stay until the end, regardless of the quantity or the quality of the shell, but others, ‘fiu’ with the privations and the life on a remote island of the Tuamotu

group, will return to Papeete or to their country villages long befora the end of the season. ® TUNA SURVEY: The commerl cial potential of tuna fishing off the south west coast of Australia is to be investigated almost immediately.

A period of 12 months will be covered in the survey financed by the Fisheries Development Trust Ac count, established by the Australian Government. Tenders will be called for the charter of a suitable vessel!

Australian production of tuna was estimated at 10 million lbs, half of which was produced on the south coast of NSW and half in South Australian waters. Present Australia!*’ consumption, one-fifth lb per head|| is well below that in the UK and; the USA.

E Tough Old Salts: Whej

the Royal Australian Navy began its search ( PIM , May) for survivor! of the 370 officers and men who werlj in the RAN when it was formed on; July 10, 1911, it expected that it: would get, at the most, 50 replies. I To its surprise, it has found that; nearly a third of the men whd« founded the RAN 50 years are stilll

alive. I

And another 50 or so men whot were serving in RN ships in tralian waters before that time also! answered the call.

The old salts will be the guests oft the Navy at jubilee celebrations inr July.

9 New Ship For Hebrides^

The launching of a 45 ft service boat* in Sydney, June 29, for British Goilf eminent use in the New Hebrides,! represented a blow struck for thos|! who care about travelling with as reasonable expectation of arriving.; Built by Lars Halvorsen and Sons* Mangaru is a good example of whaiti a modern Islands craft should be£ Captain H. Kirkwood, OBE, RN (Retired) offfcer-in-chargfi British Marine Section, New Hetn rides, went to Sydney to supervise tho. trials of the vessel, which will be stationed at Santo. She can do near® 9 knots, is fitted with four L-3 Gardf ners, and has a 15 ft beam, and m 45 ft long. Mangaru was to sail front Sydney for Vila on July 2. Crew waif to comprise “Trig” Halvorsen, i director of the boat building firim Magnus Halvorsen, Stan McCreip and Don Browning. • TWO MEN IN A BOAT: Tw(\ men and a small boat left Laet NG, in May to sail to Perth, Wes- Australia. The men were Chari® Hyland and Lee Hall and the boat; the Waria. In escort with anothei

), the Bev, the men went as far Killerton—Popondetta’s port— from there expected to go by / stages to Samarai, Port resby, across the Papuan Gulf to mble Cay, Daru and then down >ugh Australian ports, including ney.

Ir. Hyland said the Waria was stered in Madang, was equipped i radio, and plenty of food and k was aboard. They expected to i bit of fishing through the Barrier f. n arrival in Perth Mr. Hyland he was going to outfit Waria as ixury cruiser and charter vessel.

Crusader Line Lucky:

luck for Australian pig farmers ed to good fortune for the Cru r Line which recently put into ation a direct service between Zealand and New Guinea. ;cause of an outbreak of swine - in NSW, a ban was placed on nports of pig products from Aus i. All pork, bacons and hams now be imported into P-NG New Zealand for at least 12 ths, according to the Department agriculture. le trade between Australia and Territory for pig products was i £150,000 last year.

ws of Cruising Yachts

VALKYER, 24 foot Danish sr-built yacht with Major in Hayter aboard left Lyming- England, recently bound for Zealand via Panama. Major sr’s first book, which was very ssful, concerned the voyage he on an easteily course, via India Britain to New Zealand. The was called Sheila in The Wind. manuscript of his second book present with the publishers, jor Hayter took on board his a new type of lifejacket made lastic over special net which air between the ribs of foam

• STAGHOUND, a 39-foot ketch owned by Paul Hurst of Santa Bar bara, California, was in Bougainville

in June. She left Santo, NH, in May with Mr. and Mrs. Hurst, Ray Wraight (mate) and Colin Jack-Hin ton who had chartered the vessel for the voyage. Staghound sailed via the Banks Islands, Vanikoro, Santa Cruz and San Christobal to Honiara thence to Nggela, San Jorge, Yan dina, New Georgia, Gizo, Simbo, Vella Lavella and the Shortlands.

When last heard of Staghound was in Keita, Bougainville, where it is understood Mr. Hurst had suffered a fractured rib in an accident and was temporarily out of action. • OUTWARD BOUND, with John and Mary Caldwell and family

Charles Hyland and Lee Hall in the "Waria", photo graphed in Lae before leaving for Perth, WA, in May.

See story below.

rd, looks like staying in British Indies for the next couple of !. The Caldwells have sent the ren to school and intend to er their boat from English Har , Antigua. Maybe John will find to write another book length ac t of their travels (Family At Sea, PATSY JEAN, 28 ft. ketch, was luled to leave Rarotonga in June fonolulu, via Penrhyn and Christ- Island, returning via French lesia. Most of the last two years been spent in Rarotonga, and Four months of the hurricane n the ketch was hauled ashore.

TAMURE, 36 ft. Bermudan 1 yacht owned by Robert Robe s at present fitting out at Rams- England, prior to making a three round the world voyage, “sailing via Rio, West Indies, US, na, Peru, Chile, Easter Island, Australia, Indonesia, India, Suez, erranean ports to France,

alist-photographer Robelus, will

ccompanied by his wife and r > making five aboard. He will nd write about the voyage. )dus is a Belgian from Ter , and searched southern France suitable boat, at last to find one Dlland. He then sailed it to nd in 1960 to fit her out. re has an interesting history. r as buried in occupied Holland ; builders because the Germans looking for steel. For 12 years 1946 Tamure was sailed for fun Dutch family in the Channel.

TEMPEST, 28 ft. fin keeler, arrived in Rarotonga during vas 21 days out of home port

of Auckland. Her crew of four in cluded owners McGregor Nell and Richard Jones, with Brent Alston and Gerry Chaillet.

Later Tempest made a rush trip to Aitutaki with a doctor and medical supplies. The third yacht to enter the lagoon at Aitutaki in recent years.

Tempest drawing 5 ft. 6 in. touched bottom twice while negotiating the long narrow passage. The other two yachts, also 28 footers, which have navigated the same passage were Patsy Jean and Kehua. A RNZ Navy team spent the latter half of May sur veying the passage and anchorage outside. • TAHOE, 36 ft. schooner, home port Vancouver, BC, is moored at CYC Sydney, with Mr. and Mrs. Reg Blake aboard. • MAKOA, 32 ft. Marconi cutter, with Mr. and Mrs. Fon Gillun, left Honolulu late June for Tahiti. • SEA FEVER, 38 ft. double ended ketch, also bound for Tahiti with Mr. and Mrs. Larry Alexander aboard sailed from Honolulu June 17.

They built the boat in Japan and sailed it to US mainland. • YANKEE DOODLE, 40 ft steel centre-boarder, left Honolulu in June bound for New Zealand with first stop at Fanning Island. Apart from owners Jack and Diana Marston, crew is made up of John and Marlene Smith, Auckland, who sold their NZ yacht Revel in Honolulu. • WHENCE, owned by Gordon and Roberta Lopez, was slung aboard a freighter in Sydney for its return voyage to the States in June. Be

cause of Gordon's illness, he and Roberta sailed with daughter Liza Anne, and baby son, as passengers.

While in Sydney, Gordon managed to go “bush” and do some shooting. • BLUE PETER, 63 ton American yacht is now a familiar sight in Hol landia Bay, NNG. Owner, Bill Philips (57) is American businessman and staff commodore of the San Diego Yacht Club. Blue Peter, built in Hongkong is on its way to the US Pacific Coast, originally via the American Pacific Islands. However, US navy manoeuvres in the Yap- Truk-Midway area caused change of plan. Mrs. Philips came aboard again after short inspection of her home in San Diego, California. Mr. Philips is chief director of the Philips Ram sey Inc., Public Relations and Adver tising, San Diego. • SHAMROCK, 28 ft. gaff rigged yawl, arrived Russell, NZ, end of May, nine days out from Norfolk Island. On board were owners, Mr. and Mrs. L. R. Smith, Wellington, NZ, and Mr. Smith’s father, Mr. E.

Smith and Mr. R. McCulloch, Gis borne.

Shamrock made Russell her last port of call before going overseas cruising last year on April 17. Visits were made to Fiji, French Polynesia, Loyalty Island, Brisbane and Sydney.

[?]e owners and creew of the " Tempest", which has late| y been in Rarotonga in the Cooks below. In the photo are Brent Alston, McGregor Nell, Gerry Chaillet and Richard Jones.

Photo: Don Silk

Seen recently in Nukualofa and Suva—the "akaya", from Auckland, with owner Ted Hay and his wife Hala, and a ship mate.

She was here photographed in Nukualofa.

Photo: D. M. Blakely