Cruising Yachts

Pacific Shipping And

In January it seemed that there was no hope that anything more ould be heard of two Japanese tuna vessels lost in Samoan waters, ore than 45 men had apparently lost their lives.

4DICATIONS were that the two vessels had gone to the bottom a violent storm about December , approximately 200 miles south st of the Samoa Group.

The two vessels, lyo Maru and lie Maru, had sent messages to go about that time indicating they re in trouble. The ships were mbers of the Japanese fleet fish ; for tuna which is sold to the Van mp Company in Pago.

When the messages were received i Zenko Maru, stationed in Pago irbour went out to make a search the area the vessels were last be fed to be in.

Ground 15 degrees south and 170 >rees west the mother ship sighted ss net floats, a pillow, and a 3r, but no survivors.

• Captain Sadler’S New

B: Captain Frank Sadler, master the BP vessel Tulagi for the last ir years, resigned from Burns ilp in December to take up a new

post with the Maritime Services Board in Sydney. He began his new duties in January in a position that will lead to Sydney Harbour pilot age.

Captain Sadler has been in com mand since 1953 but he has been best-known on the Sydney-New Hebrides-Solomons run in the Tulagi.

He has been a popular master, with a big circle of Islands friends.

He brought the Tulagi out from London in 1955 on her maiden voyage.

Captain Sadler’s brother Geoff was another well-known BP skipper until he retired to join the Torres Strait Pilot Service.

New master of the Tulagi, who took over on the January run, is Captain Duncan Barr, who for some time was first mate of the Tulagi under Captain Sadler.

• Captain Hilder To

EXHIBIT: Captain Brett Hilder, of the Malaita, a former master of the Tulagi , expects to pay a visit to the New Hebrides in May, when the Tulagi goes off for the annual recruit ing trip for the GEIC. This suits Captain Hilder, for his ship will be in Vila shortly after his exhibition of water colours—which is to go on in the Vila Cultural Centre in April.

He will exhibit about 45 paintings, about half landscapes and the rest personalities. All are of New Hebrides interest. Captain Hilder’s last exhibition was in Port Moresby some years ago.

There is no decision yet on what will replace the Malaita, although Burns Philp has announced she will be replaced. Plans apparently depend on what ship-building subsidy and operating subsidy the Common wealth Government is prepared to grant Burns Philp.

• Honiara Visit: The Us

research vessel Horizon was expected in Honiara in January to discuss local geology with the Geological Survey Department and to obtain samples of tertiary marine sediments, estimated to be 30 million years old, which were collected from Malaita in 1951. Horizon is one of the ships of Scripps Institute of Oceanography. She is studying deep sea sediments between Darwin and Honolulu.

O JAPS FOR BSIP: A Japanese company meanwhile is reported to be negotiating for fishing rights in

te New Karlander vessel “Slitan” which will go on to the New Guinea run in February. (See p. 105).

ie Solomons. There has been men on of their using Tulagi for their eadquarters, but apparently nothing as been decided.

• New Karlander Ship:

karlander NG Line is replacing the lagen with a brand new ship in ebruary—the 1,850 ton deadweight litan (pronounced Slee-tan). Slagen liould be on the way back home 5 Oslo, via Melbourne, Suva and ingapore by the time this is in print.

Slitan was built last year in lilbao, Spain. She is 240 ft long nth a beam of 34 ft 9 ins., and a peed of 12 knots. She has room or 150 tons of refrigerated cargo i addition to regular cargo capacity, ilus collapsible cattle pens which nil enable her to carry 300 head of attle under Australian permit. There

are no immediate plans for her to carry cattle on the Islands service.

Slevik has been doing that recently, but Slitan will be available if re quired.

Slitan was expected in Sydney sometime in early February and her first Islands voyage was expected to start in Melbourne on February 21.

Her regular route will be Mel bourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Port Moresby, Samarai, Honiara, Gizo, Rabaul, Wewak, Madang and Lae.

As well as the Slevik, Karlander also operates Elizabeth Boye on Islands routes. Sydney agents are F. H. Stephens Pty., Ltd.

• Ship Breaking Up: The

9,000-ton Norwegian freighter Ragna Ringdal, which ran aground on Vatoa Reef in the Lau Group of Fiji on November 29, is breaking up.

According to the crews of inter-island traders which have visited Vatoa since the grounding, the ship’s hull is twisted and she moves with every swell.

The movement is pulling the bottom of the ship to pieces. Cargo has been scattered all over the ship, and timber which was lashed to the deck with chains has been washed overboard.

The Ragna Ringdal was on a voyage from Canada to Sydney when she grounded. Salvage experts have inspected the ship on behalf of the underwriters, Lloyd’s of London.

• Hectic Times In Suva:

The port of Suva had one of its busiest periods for many years over

Christmas and the New Year. Old timers on the waterfront said they could not remember so many pas senger liners in Suva in such a short space of time.

The rush started with the arrival of the Matson liner Mariposa on a scheduled Pacific cruise on Christmas Day. There was a break on Boxing Day before four liners on Christmas- New Year cruises from Australia and New Zealand followed in quick succession.

There were the Ruahine, Fairsea, Oranje and Wanganella. All had left

lain by December 29, but on New jar’s Day the Oriana arrived from ustralia via Tasmania and New saland with more than 1,600 iliday-makers.

While all these liners were arriv l and departing, two regulars at iva, the Matua and Tofua, slipped and out virtually unnoticed.

The first few days in January saw • arrival of the Southern Cross rom London for Australia), the ■sova (from Sydney to the nerican west coast) and the radia (from the American west ast bound for Sydney). All made e-day calls at Suva. • 100th VOYAGE: The Gilbert d Ellice Islands Colony Wholesale ciety vessel Moana Raoi recently mpleted her 100th voyage since tving Hongkong in 1958. She has w visited 632 loading ports and amed 86,603 nautical miles at a ;an speed of 8.1 knots. In this le she has carried 15,787 tons of rgo, carried 9,592 tons of copra d an equivalent of 7,575 adult es.

• Two Days On Reef: The

Drris Hedstrom Ltd. island trader ii Cakau (130 tons) spent two ys on a reef near Yadua Island off mua Levu just before Christmas, e ran aground in ballast early on icember 22, and on December 24, the afternoon high tide, she was lied off by the Tuvalu, another md trader.

The Tui Cakau, after being towed the Tuvalu for some distance, atinued to Suva under her own wer. She was on a voyage from va to Labasa when she grounded.

• From The Tokelaus:

r. Alan Pritchard, who spent five mths at Atafu Atoll in the kelaus last year blasting a reef annel, passed through Apia in scember on his way home to New aland. Also in Apia after a spell the Tokelaus were Messrs. Lloyd ebber and Rai Snow who had spent ■ee months at Fakaofo Atoll pre ring for the resettlement of about 0 Tokelau people who live on a -acre islet of the atoll. These ople are to be transferred to a -acre islet called Fanuafala.

• Navaka’S Progress: Con

uction of the new 47-foot New ibrides Condominium touring ssel Navaka, which will replace the Quixote, is reported to be pre ssing well. Internal fittings are w being installed. She is being lilt by Lars Halvorsen, at Ryde, Sydney, and it is expected that

she will be launched by Madame Delauney, wife of the French Resi dent Commissioner, when Monsieur and Madame Delauney return via Australia to the New Hebrides in the next few months, after leave in France.

Captain Kirkwood, Superintendent of British Marine, and Monsieur Monteil, Superintendent of Con dominium Public Works, visited the Halvorsen shipyard recently to in spect progress. The name Navaka in some New Hebridean languages means “the ship”, and it is also the name of a river in Santo.

• RECOVERED: Reece Dis combe and Geoffrey Seagoe, who have been salvaging brass which was jettisoned by the MV Milos at Vanikoro when she went on a reef four years ago, returned to Vila on Christmas morning. They travelled to Santo from Vanikoro in the Milos, and chartered the Trudy for the last stage of the journey to Vila. The brass shell cases which they have so far re covered were cleaned at Vanikoro, and remained on the Milos for the journey to Sydney. Mr. Discombe

THE RABAUL SCENE: Rabaul is one of P-NG's busiest ports. The top photograph shows a panorama of Simpson Harbour with the volcanoes South Daughter and Matupi in the background. The ship is the "Laganbank". Lower photograph shows a close up of the wharf area, with the "Laganbank" by the wreck wharf and "Malacca" at the main wharf.

tiay make a second trip about March i recover the remainder of the rass.

• Clocking Up Miles And

'ONS: The New Zealand Depart aent of Island Territories’ motor essel Moana Roa sailed 90,000 ailes carrying 50,000 tons of cargo a the first two years of her xistence.

She made 25 voyages in that eriod—almost always carrying her nil complement of 40 passengers, nd with a long waiting list of dis ppointed passengers at each end.

Because of the demand for assages from Islands residents, doana Roa is not normally in the ruise business. But she did have . special voyage to the Northern 'ooks in April, 1962 (which was tatronised by the NZ Minister for sland Territories, Mr. Gotz); and ilans another, this time to the louthern Cooks in April, 1963.

• For Shipbreakers: It Is

umoured that the cargo ship, Suva, >wned by W. R. Carpenter and Co. -td., may be sold to shipbreakers in apan.

The vessel was built by Bartram ind Sons Ltd., of Sunderland, ingland, 24 years ago for Carpenters. s or most of her life she has carried

a predominantly Fijian crew, with a sprinkling of Indians and Rotumans.

Her main trade has been carry ing general cargo between Australia, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, Hawaii, the

United States, and Canada. On her last voyage she called at Suva where nine deckhands and engineroom men were signed off. She then went on to Honolulu and Los Angeles before going to Japan. (Over)

AT LEFT: The Russian magnetic survey vessel “Zarja”, which was in Suva for engine overhaul in January. (See story page 111). In foreground, bow of P & O-Orient liner “Arcadia”.

Photo: Stan Whippy

ABOVE : Michael Mermod and his yacht “Geneve” (he is Swiss and she was built in Chile), photographed in Nukualofa, Tonga, in December. Since then she has moved on to Suva. (See page 115).

Photo: D. M. Blakely

• Back In The S. Pacific:

ie Russian three-masted auxiliary hooner, Zarja, said to be the only ip of its kind in the world, arrived Suva early in January for an igine overhaul. The job was pected to take 15 to 20 days.

The wooden-built Zarja is on agnetic survey duties.

One of the scientists on board said b object of the Zarja’s present yage, which will take her half-way und the world, is to make modern ignetic maps, on the same lines as ographic maps.

She left Vladivostok in August, 62, and her work since then has :en her to Japan, Vancouver, San ancisco, Honolulu and through the Ibert and Ellice Islands Group.

After her overhaul she will go on Apia, W. Samoa, Papeete, Tahiti, ough the Panama Canal to the ribbean and cross the Atlantic Denmark, and eventually to her 1 home port of Leningrad.

She left Leningrad in 1957 and 5 been based at Vladivostok since.

• Personal: Mr. E. J. (Joe)

ylor, radio officer in the USS mpany’s inter-island trader and isenger ship, Tofua, retired in late luary after a marine career of 45 irs. In that time he estimated t he had called at Suva more n 500 times in Union Company ps including Aorangi, Niagara, mowai and Tofua. He was in the rangi from 1927 till she went off Sydney-Vancouver run in 1953, ept for a period of two years in Niagara. He has been on Tofua about nine years.

Mr. Taylor is a New Zealander was based on Sydney until join- Tofua. He plans to settle down Mission Bay, Auckland, tend his den, and after retirement-leave look for another job.

Dn his last trip round the islands.

Union Company allowed his wife go with him to see, at first hand, ny of the ports her husband :w so well. * * * t was announced in Canberra at end of December that Com nder M. G. Pechey will take nmand of the Australian Naval e at Manus, New Guinea—called Navy parlance, HMAS Tarangau. mmander Pechey is at present pctor of Naval Reserves, Navy ice, Canberra. At Manus he will eve Captain L. M. Hinchliffe who I become chief staff officer to the g Officer, East Australia area.

Ft Maintained In Aus"

ALIA: The Royal Australia vy’s two new guided-missile

destroyers, at present being built in the United States, will be maintained, serviced and refitted in Australian Navy dockyards—and not in Hono lulu, as reported.

The Australian Minister for the Navy, Senator Gorton, made a special statement on the subject in early January after the Combined Maritime Unions had shown their displeasure at the prospect of Hono lulu getting the work.

The Minister added, with some typically picturesque Australian speech, that it is a pity some people don’t check with the right Depart ment or Minister “before they blow a gasket”.