The Sea

More Victims For

TWO more trading ships sank in the South Pacific in February, and two yachts, which have been missing for several months, have now been pre sumed lost.

The two ships which sank are the New Guinea trading vessel Kavieng Trader (pictured) and the 24 ft New Caledonian cutter Saint Gabriel. Five lives were lost in the Saint Gabriel (see p. 103).

The two vessels which are presumed lost are a trimaran which left Sydney last June with a crew of two (see p. 107) and the 30 ft cutter Siga Wale, which left Suva for Auckland in November with a crew of three (see p. 109).

The Kavieng Trader keeled over and sank within six minutes on the night of February 16 about 44 miles south-east of New Ireland.

The crew of 10, who escaped in two lifeboats seconds before the ship went down, were rescued by another trading vessel after they had been adrift for 19 hours.

The rescue ship, the Nordkil, found the ship wrecked men in darkness after having spotted their last two emergency flares. The men earlier used all but ton ship their flarCS m trying t 0 attFaCt a P assin § 10,000tW< o Australian B and eight natives, had lashed their two lifeboats together after leaving the

Kavieng Trader, which was swamped by big seas. The Australians are Captain W. Carruthers and the chief engineer, Neil Owens, both of Rabaul.

The Kavieng Trader sank so quickly that the radio officer had no time to send a distress signal. She had been on her way from Rabaul to Bougainville with a cargo of bulk fuel.

The Nordkil, following almost 24 hours behind on the same course, found the survivors about five miles from where the Kavieng Trader sank.

The Kavieng Trader, originally a North Seas drifter under the Dutch flag, was acquired by the Gona Shipping Company, of Rabaul, in 1962.

She made her maiden voyage to New Guinea in March, 1962, but was burnt out six months later, with the loss of two lives, at Kalubi on the west coast of New Ireland.

The Kavieng Trader was refitted in Rabaul and resumed service late last year.