Cruising Yachts

Pacific Shipping And

Heroic Cook Islander Wins Top Award For Bravery

The 1964 Stanhope Medal for Bravery, the highest yearly award for bravery in the British Commonwealth, was pinned on the chest of a Cook Islander, Teehu Makimare, in London on December 15. The ceremony was performed by the Duke of Gloucester.

THE Stanhope Medal, which is awarded by the Royal Humane Society, was awarded to Makimare for his outstanding courage, endurance, self-sacrifice and qualities of leader ship during an epic voyage in the Pacific in 1963.

In August of that year, Makimare and six companions were blown off course in a storm while making the 26-mile crossing from Rakahanga to their home island of Manihiki in a 17 ft boat. An unsuccessful sea and aerial search was made for them, and they were given up for lost. Two months later, however, Makimare and three companions—three having died en route—struggled ashore at Erromanga, New Hebrides, after having drifted more than 2,000 miles.

One of the survivors later died.

Although the men had had little to eat during their long ordeal, they soon recovered strength in hospital at Vila, and were flown home to an

enthusiastic welcome via Fiji and Samoa.

A British writer, Barry Wynn, later flew to the Cook Islands to interview Makimare and his com panions to obtain material for a book on their epic voyage. The book, The Man Who Refused To Die, is being serialised in an English Sunday newspaper which paid for Makimare’s trip to London to receive the Stan hope Medal.

Makimare arrived in London early in December, and as he speaks little English, was somewhat mystified by the proceedings at a Press con ference at New Zealand House on December 2, although reporters said “he showed a brave face”.

Most of the reporters’ questions were answered by the New Zealand High Commissioner, Sir Thomas Macdonald, and by Mr. Wynn, at whose house in Buckinghamshire Makimare was staying.

Asked what had fascinated him most about London since his arrival, Makimare said: “The freezing breath of the people and the natural ice on the water”.

"Ataluma" Completes

P-Ng Hydrographic Survey

The Australian survey vessel Ataluma left Port Moresby for Townsville, Queensland, early in December after completing surveys of the Collingwood Bay and Daru areas of Papua, These surveys com pleted an extensive hydrographic survey of Papua-New Guinea waters which Ataluma began nearly two years ago.

The survey was undertaken for the Papua-New Guinea Administra tion by Australian Hydrographic Services Pty. Ltd.

Ataluma will be slipped in Towns ville for a thorough overhaul and will then begin a survey in the Gulf of Carpentaria.

"Dampier" Discovers

Undersea Mountains

The Royal Navy survey frigate HMS Dampier left Port Moresby on December 9 for work in the China Straits before sailing for Fiji.

The Dampier has taken over the South Pacific survey work of HMS Cook, which was paid off early in 1964 after going aground and receiv ing severe damage on a reef off Ellington, Fiji.

In the three or four months she has been in the Pacific, the Dampier has discovered two previously un charted undersea mountains some 30 miles north of New Ireland.

The frigate was previously em ployed on the Far East Station. In fact, she was there from the time of being commissioned in 1948—the longest period a British naval ship has spent continually away from the United Kingdom.

In her time in the Far East, Dampier surveyed practically the whole coast of Malaya. Extensive surveys were also carried out around Borneo, and the approaches to Hong Kong.

In the Pacific, surveys centered on various island groups will be made before the ship returns to Singapore in September.

The frigate has been commanded by Commander M. J. Baker, RN, since April 7, 1964.

Teehu Makimare in hospital in Vila after his epic voyage.—Photo: Reece Discombe.

Small Wharf For

Wewak

Two Wewak businessmen, Messrs.

Frank Martin and E. Fitzgerald, plan to build a wharf for small ships on Markham Point, between Boram and Wewak.

The plan is supported by the Wewak Chamber of Commerce. It has been reported that the Admini stration will probably help in the wharf’s construction.

Another Cruiser For

Fiji Tourist Industry

Captain John Foreman, a retired captain of the British India Steam Navigation Co., returned to sea re cently to deliver the 200-ton vessel Havannah from Brisbane to Lautoka, via Noumea.

The Havannah will be used for island tours. She has a spacious saloon and well-appointed cabins.

She averaged 7.1 knots on the delivery voyage.

Tanker Aground

Near Sepik

The P-NG coastal tanker, For so, ran aground near the mouth of the Sepik River early in December while on the way from Madang to Wewak. The crew escaped in boats.

The tanker, which was carrying 36,000 gallons of aviation fuel and other petroleum products, was later refloated and beached for inspection.

Californian Raft

Sinks

Three members of the crew of the 35 ft Californian raft Triton were rescued by the freighter Marie Louise on the night of December 8 after the raft sank, with all her gear, on rocks off the coast of Baja California.

Triton was launched at Capitola, California, on October 16. Her crew of six had planned to drift 7,400 miles to Australia, via the Society Islands. Three of the crew had left the raft before the disaster off Baja California.

Big Salvage Fee For

Athol Rusden

Captain Athol Rusden, of Vila, New Hebrides, earned a five-figure fee in November for salvaging the fishing vessel Kuk Nam No. 5 on the coast of Santo.

“The Kuk Nam No. 5 went ashore on the west coast of Santo near Wonisale early in July,” Captain Rusden tells us in a note. “My tender on a ‘no cure, no pay’ salvage agreement was accepted by Lloyd’s, London, and the wreck was safely delivered to the South Pacific Fishing Co. at Palekula (Santo) on Novem ber 20.

“Our biggest problem was the removal of sand and pebble which

had built up around the hull to a depth of five feet from the keel.

“A bulldozer was landed from Altair, and with heavy triple blocks and tackle made fast to an offlying reef, it was able to pull with terrific power. At various stages of the operation, we had Darega, Altair and Darnley working at the scene of the wreck.

“The salvage fee was over five figures.”

Last Pile Goes In At

New Honiara Berth

The last pile of the BSIP Ports Authority’s new deep water berth at Honiara was driven into the sea-bed on November 20. The diesel pile hammer was operated by the Chief Secretary, Mr. L. M. Davies, who was chairman of the Ports Authority for nine years.

The £220,000 project was then expected to be completed by Christmas, with land reclamation work between the jetty and the shore, the erection of a new transit shed and the reorganisation of cargo storage and handling facilities.

The new berth has a depth of 29 feet alongside and an overall length of 210 feet. It will enable cargo vessels to berth and discharge or load at two hatches simultaneously.

The consulting engineers are Coode and Partners, of London. The contractors are Hornibrook Construc tion Pty. Ltd., of Australia.

Competence Of Fiji

Crews Under Fire

Fiji’s marine laws relating to the competence of crews was under fire late in November when the Fiji Marine Board held an inquiry into the sinking of the inter-island cutter Kailas off Ovalau on October 7. The

It was from this virtually high and dry position that Captain Athol Rusden managed to refloat the "Kuk Nam No. 5".

NEW HEBRIDES PURCHASE: The Morris Hedstrom shipping fleet in Fiji is now down to two ships following the recent sale of the MV "Tuvalu" (pictured) to Captain Athol Rusden, of Vila (PIM, Dec., p. 109). Captain Rusden, who is in partnership with Captain Albert Visser, formerly Morris Hedstrom's shipping manager, now has two ex-MH ships in his fleet. The other is the "Altair".

Kailas was later refloated and towed to Suva for repairs.

The president of the board, Captain E. L. James, who is also Fiji Harbour Master, said after the inquiry that there should be legisla tion to improve the standard of crews of local vessels.

The board did not consider that a formal inquiry was “requisite or expedient”, but it considered that “more care and greater experience among the crew” could prevent similar accidents.

The board expressed “grave con cern that local vessels, in the main, appear to be inadequately manned by experienced crew”.

The board believed that state of affairs would continue until legisla tion was passed to improve the standard of manning and thus pro vide a greater degree of safety for the travelling public.

The master of the Kailas, Captain Andrew Maybir, told the inquiry he thought the compass had a lot to do with the stranding.

The Kailas also had engine trouble, he said.

Isireli Cama, the engineer, said he was steering when the Kailas struck the reef. There was no one in the engine room at the time although the engines were running. He agreed it was wrong for the engines to be running with no one in the engine room.

Mosese Dunadamu, a member of the crew, said he had steered the Kailas, even though he could not read a compass.

He steered through reefs because he had followed the route quite often.

He said he knew the meaning of the different types of beacons in Fiji waters.

New Master For

"Nimvaka!"

Captain C. H. Filmer, master of the Tonga Copra Board’s MV Aoniu, has been appointed substantive master of the board’s MV Niuvakai, which operates between Tonga, Fiji and Australia. He was due to take up his new appointment about Christmas.

Captain Filmer will be the Niuvakai’s fourth commander since early November. Captain Peter Hibberdine retired and returned to

his homeland, New Zealand, after a s P e ll in a Sydney hospital.

Burns Philp, agents for the ship ( n Sydney, then arranged for one of their retired captains, Captain N.

Bickle, to act as master for two voyages.

Captain Bickle handed over in Australia to Captain C. Hill-Willis, w ho sailed the ship back to Tonga, v ia Fiji, to hand over to Captain Filmer.

The first officer, Mr, F. Wales, who has been with the Niuvakai since the Copra Board bought

Captain James.

her about three years ago, made his last voyage to Australia late in November, He left the ship in Melbourne to fly back to Tonga to pick up his wife and family, and then join a ship for England. Mr. Wales will not return to Tonga.

His place as first officer has been taken by Mr. O. Olsen.

The Niuvakai has been earning welcome revenue for Tonga on her Australia-F i j i-Ton ga service since March, 1964.

Except for desiccated coconut, she carries little cargo on her outward voyages from Nukualofa direct to the Australian coast.

But she generally picks up a full cargo for the return voyage, when she calls at Suva and Lautoka.

She calls regularly at Sydney and Melbourne, and often at Port Kembla, south of Sydney, for iron and steel for Islands builders.

There is a strong possibility that this year she will call at Buca Bay, Fiji, for timber cargoes for Aus tralia.

"Magani" Returns

To Service

The Magani, a 60 ft coastal barge, which has been laid up in bay at Badili, Papua-New Guinea, for several years, was surveyed recently and has re-entered the Territory’s shipping service.

She is owned by Mr. Keith Tetley,

Mha.

Her first cargo, which required the installation of special stalls, was to carry a load of cattle, plus some electrical equipment, to Kerema.

Training Ship

For P-Ng

The 217-ton A returns, the new training ship for the P-NG Admini stration, was due at Port Moresby on December 14 on her delivery voyage from Ballina, New South Wales.

The Arcturus was previously the

Norfolk Whaler, a whaling and survey ship.

She is intended chiefly for officer training, but will operate in con junction with the Administration Nautical School at Port Moresby in the training of seamen.

She will be manned by five officers and 30 cadets and trainee seamen.

After four years at sea cadet deck officers will become eligible to sit for a certificate of competency as master of a coaster.

Twelve months spent in the train ing ship as engineer cadet will count towards qualifying time for a certificate of competency as third class engineer.

Thirteen Saved When

Freighter Founders

Thirteen people from the 300-ton freighter Milos del Mar were rescued by the Norwegian vessel Beatrice when she foundered off the northern coast of New South Wales in late November in extremely rough weather.

The Milos del Mar was owned by the Societe Maritime Caledonien and was formerly the Australian Army vessel Tarra. She was bought re cently for the New Caledonia- Norfolk Island cargo service.

She was making her first voyage

Army expansion has been so great in Port Moresby in re cent months that there has been a constant flow of ships to the port bringing materials from Australia. Here the Army vessel AS 3051, the "John Monash", unloads a cargo at the main wharf (inner berth).

Photo: W. McGrath.

:o Noumea for her owners when her Vlaster, Captain Emile Savoie, ■ealised she was taking water. After sending a distress signal, he ordered :argo to be dumped overboard in an ittempt to keep the vessel afloat.

Two RAAF Neptune aircraft from \ustralia were sent to locate the sinking vessel. One circled overhead vhile the other guided the Beatrice, hen 20 miles away, to the scene.

The crew of the Beatrice manned i lifeboat and rescued the officers. ;rew and the one passenger from he Milos del Mar, which, by this ime, had water in the hold up to leek level. There were no casualties.

Captain Savoie said later that the hip had seemed to spring a leak rom stem to stern. :all for action

Against Formosan Fishermen

Mr. Matthias Toliman, Deputy -eader of Elected Members in the 3 apua-New Guinea House of As embly, has called for special con rols to deal with what he called the build-up” of Formosan fishing ships n P-NG waters.

He said the incursions raised political, economic and public health iroblems.

The seamen could even be Com nunists disguised as fishermen, sent o infiltrate the islands.

Mr. Toliman was commenting on he growing number of Formosan ishing ships illegally fishing in P-NG vaters.

Late in November the captains )f two Formosan fishing boats were ined at Sohano, Bougainville, for of the immigration regula ions.

Captain Shui Long, of the Shin Wan, was fined £250, while Captain Lin Fu Cheong, of the Wan Chang, vas fined £lO under a different lection of the regulations.

A day or two after that, Wu Wong ou, master of the Hing Chai, was ined £3OO in the same court for a breach of the immigration laws.

Wu had appeared in the same court )n a similar charge about three weeks earlier and was fined £25. He had

then landed on the Fead Islands to fish for clams.

The Hing Chai was the fifth Formosan boat to be taken under escort for illegally fishing in New Guinea waters in recent months.

Shui did not have enough money to pay the fine and was held under “open arrest” till the money arrived from Formosa.

Early in December the ship’s owners had not sent the money.

Shui admitted spending five days taking clams from the Kilinailau Islands.

New Guineans in the northern islands have indicated that other Formosan fishing ships have been fishing in their areas.

Accidentally Killed

Mr. Emmanuel Kolea, bosun of the BSIP ship Myrtle, was accident ally killed in November at Avu Avu on the Weather Coast of Guadal canal.

He was chopping down a large tree, which suddenly split and struck him fatally on the chest.

Mr. Kolea had served with the BSIP Marine Department since 1957.

Fiji Master Fined

Over Cargo Stowage

Arthur Evans, a Fiji ship’s master, a member of the Fiji Marine Board and managing director of the Princess Shipping Co., pleaded guilty in the Magistrate’s Court in Suva on December 9 to four charges con cerning the stowage of cargo in the Fijian Princess 11.

The charges followed an order by the Assistant Harbour Master, Captain Peter Hough, for the ship to return to a berth on November 17 just after she had left Suva for Vanua Levu via Naselai Point and the Koro Sea.

The prosecution stated that an inspection by Captain Hough and the police revealed that the ship was carrying about 20 tons of sawn timber, three fabricated house parts, furniture and passengers’ effects on the weather deck.

The certificate for the ship did not

Relics Of War

Twenty years after the end of World War II, the remains of bombed ships and other scrap still litter Rabaul Harbour. Recently, 2,000 tons of scrap which had lain on a block in Malaguna Road for about six years were shipped to Japan.

Photo: Max Hayes.

permit cargo to be carried that way.

The deck cargo was not stowed well clear of the running gear of the anchor.

The port anchor was attached to a wire rope and that rope could not have been used without the cargo having first been cleared.

There was timber and galvanised iron on the wheelhouse, which was not allowed, and nine large bags of mail were stowed under the bunks in the crew quarters.

The police alleged that because of the amount of cargo on deck the passengers could not pass from one jnd of the ship to the other unless ;hey climbed over the cargo.

Captain Hough and other qualified people considered that the load made the Fijian Princess II unseaworthy.

The weather at the time was deteriorating.

Mr. R. A. Kearsley, who appeared for Evans, said the boat was loaded juite openly and, in fact, a member 3f the Marine Board had gone on board before she left to check the passengers.

The ship sailed into the stream n front of the Marine Board office, ;rom where she would have been inder observation by the Harbour Vlaster.

Mr. Kearsley submitted that Evans lid not do anything dangerous, and is he was a member of the Fiji Vlarine Board he would not have lone what he did with any sense of £uilt.

Evans was fined £5 each on the charges of carrying cargo in a space lot allowed by the certificate, failing o stow gear well clear of the run ling anchor, and allowing goods to emain on the wheelhouse.

On the fourth charge of carrying he mail in the crew quarters he vas fined £2/10/-.

)Elivery Voyage

F 0 Philippines

The former Australian National dne coastal freighter Enfield dis charged a quantity of building naterials at Port Moresby on Decem )er 13. She was on the delivery r oyage to her new owners, Legaspi )il Company, of Luzon, Philippines.

The vessel, of 584 tons, has been enamed Helen J. She is under the command of Captain Teodoro lufano, a Filipino from Legaspi and carries a Filipino crew.

After leaving Moresby, the Helen r was to discharge more building naterial at Lae and then proceed lirect to the Philippines.

The Helen J was built at Mary >orough, Queensland, in 1948.

Big Sea Search In

U.S. Trust Territory

Two men, from Koror, United States Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, who were searching by air for three missing Palauans in an 18 ft canoe, were themselves reported overdue and missing in December.

One of the aerial searchers is Mr.

Sid Seid, resident manager of the Van Camp Fisheries branch in Koror.

His companion is another Palauan.

They were searching for the missing canoe-men in a Piper Cub float plane.

According to reports from the Palau District Administrator, Mr.

Boyd Mackenzie, the aircraft left Koror about 7.30 a.m. on December 6 and had still not returned two days later.

The plane is owned by the Van Camp Fisheries and is used to locate schools of tuna. It was piloted by Seid.

The 18 ft canoe, which disappeared on December 5 off Angaur Island, was located about nine days later, 240 miles from Angaur, by a Ryukyu fishing boat after the most intensive search in the history of the Trust Territory.

By December 8, the search for

the missing canoe and the Van Camp aircraft had been intensified, with Joint Sea-Air Rescue Center in Guam sending out four Navy and Coast Guard planes to rake an area about 150 miles off the south-west shores of Peleliu and Angaur Islands.

A Trust Territory SA-16 aircraft also participated in the search, along with all available Government and private small sea craft, including all the tuna fishing boats from Van Camp and Western Carolines fishing companies.

The three Palauans aboard the missing canoe are: Santiago Akino, Kaiichi Delmel, and Hideosi Mereb.

The Palauan who was with Mr. Seid is Mutsuo John.

Wreck Of Japanese

Ship Found On Reef

A party of 15 Lord Howe Islanders discovered a previously un reported Japanese wreck in November while on a pleasure cruise to Middleton Reef in the locally-built boat, Alena.

The crew of the Alena knew of

the wreck of one Japanese fishing boat on Middleton through an ABC news report last May, but were surprised to find that there were two fishing boats on the reef besides the Shaw Saville liner Runic, which ran aground in February, 1961.

An examination of the unreported wreck, which is on the north-western spur of the reef, revealed it to be the Ryosei Maru No. 2, a Japanese fishing vessel of about 800 tons.

A calendar on board had nota tions up to June, 1964. The ship appeared to be complete except for the steering wheel and one compass.

According to the Lord Howe

Island Signal, the boat party reported that the vessel had apparently been engaged in pole and long line tuna fishing. Included in her gear were about 800 glass floats of a type that sell to tourists on Lord Howe Island for about £3 each.

Lord Howe Survey

The Royal Australian Navy survey ship Kimbla was doing survey work in the waters around Lord Howe Island in late November. Kimbla, with CSIRO scientists on board, was reported to be continuing a survey of marine bacteria and plankton which commenced several years ago.

IN USE AGAIN: This 50 ft mast, salvaged from the wreck of a Japanese minelayer which went aground on the coast of New Britain during the war, has been put to a new use in Rabaul. After having been restored to its original condition, the mast was recently erected on the harbour foreshore near the Rabaul Aquatic Club for use as a starting point for yacht and power boat races. —Photo: Max Hayes.