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THE www.nautical.asn.au LOG QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF THE NAUTICAL ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA INC. VOL. 51, NO. 4, ISSUE 214 - NEW SERIES 2018

Wainui (8,701/1955) (H.Stott/NAA collection)

Harry Stott captured Union Steam’s Wainui on the St. Lawrence following dry docking and repainting in Union livery at Montreal in 1965 after being handed over by New Zealand Shipping Co as their Whangaroa. Her sister, Whakatane, had already been acquired by Union in 1964 and renamed Waitaki. The two ships were obtained to service Union’s Eastern service and this they did for just over four years until a prolonged industrial dispute on Wainui was resolved by transferring both vessels within the P&O Group to British India, thus ending Union Steam’s 83 year connection with the Sub Continent. Wainui went to the scrapyard as Dromeus in 1974 and the 1954-built Waitaki followed her under the name Truthful in 1979.

PRINT POST PUBLICATION NUMBER 100003238 ISSN 0815-0052. All rights reserved. In late October the offshore patrol vessel HMNZS Otago conducted a passage exercise with the patrol boat HMAS Wollongong off the east coast of Australia. Earlier, on 22 October, Civil Defence Minister Kris Faafoi joined Otago to the atolls of Tokelau to assess village emergency preparedness plans, in the event of natural disaster in the Pacific Islands.

In late August the RNZN announced the purchase of a dive and hydrographic ship, the 85-metre Edda Fonn, a 15-year-old survey and light construction vessel. The ship will replace the decommissioned dive tender HMNZS Manawanui and hydrographic survey ship HMNZS Resolution. Edda Fonn will be renamed HMNZS Manawanui, the fourth RNZN ship to bear the name.

On 12 August the keel was laid for the future RNZN oiler HMNZS Aotearoa at the Hyundai Heavy Industries shipyard in Ulsan, South Korea. Aotearoa‟s keel laying consisted of more than 500 tonnes of carefully constructed keel blocks being positioned together in the dry dock, where she will continue to expand upwards and outwards until her launch date early in 2019. Aotearoa will be the largest vessel the RNZN has ever operated, more than three times the size of the decommissioned Endeavour, the vessel she will replace.

Lady Nelson at Hobart 6 February 2009 (L.D.Rex)

The Log quarterly journal of the

NAUTICAL ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA INC.

www.nautical.asn.au

ABN: 18 382 946 943 Vol. 51, No. 4, Issue 214 - New Series 2018

Contents

The Australian Merchant Navy in World War II……………………………………………. 216

Interesting Ships of the Australian Coast No.65 – Union Steam Trans-Pacific Cargo Ships… 218

HMNZS Taranaki – The Third Commission……………………………………………….. 227

Correspondence………………………………………………………………………………… 244

Errata……………………………………………………………………………………………. 244

Ships‟ Gangways………………………………………………………………………………. 245

Colour Pictures from Yesteryear (Mobil‟s Australian Flag Tankers)…………………….. 246

San Eduardo…………………………………………………………………………………… 248

Maritime News………………………………………………………………………………… 251

Opposite: (I.Steverson/NAA Collection)

There is little doubt that colour pictures enhance publications but an unfortunate side effect of this can be the very many wonderful black & white pictures available which tend to be ignored. Iain Steverson‟s beautifully nostalgic photograph of Anchor Shipping & Foundry‟s Mamaku and Matipo alongside at Nelson sometime in the 1950s is an example. These were the days when young boys could wander unchallenged around the wharves, perhaps dreaming of a life at sea.

Mamaku (927/1949) was built for the Company by Henry Robb at Leith and was sold in 1973. She was deleted in 1999 and Miramar Ship Index notes she was most likely broken up in Thailand in 1987.

Matipo (398/1953) was built by Worst & Dutmer at Meppelas as Birgitte Basse in 1953 and was acquired by Anchor Shipping & Foundry in 1955. She was sold in January 1968 and was last reported lying derelict at Noumea. THE AUSTRALIAN MERCHANT NAVY IN WORLD WAR II

from Capt.D.Keyes

The Australian Merchant Navy at the start of the Second World War was essentially a coastal fleet of about 100 vessels, most built either during the First World War or immediately after it to replace war losses. This meant that they were of the technology of the times, that is medium sized coal burners with steam reciprocating main engines and speeds of about eight or ten knots. At that time, and throughout the war, the coastal fleet provided an essential service to the industrial functions of the nation in the carriage between the States of such bulk commodities as coal, iron ore, limestone, etc as well as general cargo. The fact that a large proportion of the fleet were used as bulk carriers made them particularly vulnerable when the Japanese began their coastal submarine offensive, as their usually dense cargoes meant that these vessels had large open holds of which the cargo occupied little space and flooded rapidly when the hull was breached by torpedo, leaving little opportunity for their crews to abandon ship quickly. As a result, casualties in such ships were high.

In addition to the coastal fleet, there were a few Australian-manned vessels operating regularly in overseas trades. Nearly all of these were sunk by submarines or surface raiders.

Hostile activities at sea at the beginning of the war were largely confined to mine laying by some German raiders/mine layers and a few specialized mine-laying Japanese submarines, but casualties on this account were not significant in comparison to those arising from the dedicated Japanese submarine offensive on the Australian coast, which commenced in May 1942. However, of equal significance were the losses to aerial bombing at Darwin, where two Australian and four allied vessels were destroyed by the same Japanese carrier group which had carried out the attack on Pearl Harbor. Several other vessels, including the Australian Hospital Ship Manunda, were more or less severely damaged, but later repaired. About the same time, another six Australian vessels were sunk or damaged by Japanese aircraft in the adjacent area. Total recorded casualties were 143 but this is a very conservative estimate and a visit to the War Cemetery at Adelaide River tells the tale more effectively than mere statistics.

The realization that the Japanese were serious about the coastal submarine offensive quickly led to the institution of the convoy system, and it is probable that this was a quite effective strategy. In practice, convoys sailed about once a week between the major Australian seaports. An average convoy consisted of about 30 merchant ships and four escorts, or whatever number was available. Ships were arranged in three columns, with the Commodore (a Merchant Navy Captain) at the head of the middle column. Escorts were preferably corvettes, or if these were not at hand, whatever other usable naval vessels were available. Commonly, these could be survey and hydrographic vessels, Moresby was one that was frequently pressed into service. Australian-built corvettes were not good sea-keeping ships, allegedly they were a modification of the British Flower class which itself was quite a good design, being based on North Sea fishing vessels. However, the Australian authorities had decided to chop 50ft from the British prototype and the result was almost uncontrolled pitching - quite spectacular when seen from another ship but creating difficult conditions for both the crews and the intended functions of these vessels. In retrospect, and given the enormous pressure which the Country was under, such a decision was understandable as it could have been expected to lead to the availability of more corvettes more quickly. But it had its disadvantages. Notably, one convoy of 30 ships and four escorts which left Sydney for Melbourne in the middle of the 1943 winter encountered such adverse weather that three hours after clearing the heads, only six ships remained and no escorts. That convoy eventually reformed off Gabo Island four days later, and Moresby was the only escort still available.

Communication between ships was by International signal flags or by morse lamp, commonly an Aldis, which was a hand held unit which produced a beam of light intense enough to be seen in daylight, and interrupted by tripping its reflecting mirror by a trigger incorporated in the handle. Morse signalling by light was normally done by the apprentice on watch and this could be chancy when trying to communicate with a naval vessel with dedicated signallers. You soon learnt not to send any faster than

216 you could receive because you would get a response at the same speed. Messages were sent in code, and each ship was provided with a copy of the secret merchant ship code book Mersigs, complete with a weighted and vented canvas bag for rapid disposal should the ship be boarded. The Commodore ship would be provided with a naval or army signalman complete with a field (wireless) telephone and this was sufficient to keep in touch with the Senior Officer escort. This meant that it was possible to keep tabs on what was happening when the escort was off chasing a target, though there was never any doubt that this was underway as the effect of even a distant exploding depth charge on the ship's hull was like striking a solid object.

Station keeping in convoy was a new art to be learned by MN deck officers and consisted of the officer of the watch blowing down the E.R. voice pipe with the message "Down 30 or "up 10" or whatever was needed, meaning a desired change in engine revolutions. Needless to say, this was not an exact science, and it was not unusual for daybreak to reveal a section of poop railing hanging from the anchor flukes of the ship astern. The whole operation was further complicated by the need for a blackout of all lights, including navigation lights.

Another anecdote related to convoys concerns the Australian coastal steamer Mildura and the Dutch former inter-island vessel Balikpapen. Both vessels had a full cargo of bombs - incidentally, a difficult stow at the best of times, owing to their shape. Because of the nature of their cargo, both vessels were given the exclusive services of the U.S. Navy destroyer, Selfridge as escort. At the beginning of the watch, Mildura began emitting dense clouds of black smoke as the firemen put on a pitch and this obviously alarmed the officer of the watch on Selfridge, who sent a terse message "Steam Smokeless". Balikpapen was unrebuked, being a motor ship. This message gave rise to much, probably inappropriate, hilarity on the bridge of Mildura as it was certainly not a good idea to advertise one's position so widely, but did indicate that there was a clear breakdown in understanding of the technologies of yesteryear, and in other times would probably have been called an age gap.

As the war went on, merchant ships were fitted with defensive armament. Initially, this was a four-inch naval gun at the stern, usually a pre-first war MkIV, which could not elevate above about 30 degrees and thus had no anti-aircraft capability. Vickers machine guns were provided for this or any other useful defensive purpose. The Second Mate was the gunnery officer and the remainder of the gun crews were made up from the crew. One or two naval gunnery (D.E.M.S.) ratings were carried to provide professional expertise and maintenance. While this might sound like a 'Dad's Army‟ style arrangement it proved itself on a number of occasions when Merchant ships chased off attacking raiders and submarines, Australian coastal passenger ships requisitioned as troopers were more lavishly armed, commonly with an additional 12-pounder gun forward (this was an otherwise unprotected sector with the standard arrangement), a 40mm.Bofors anti-aircraft gun aft and on the boat deck up to eight 20mm Oerlikons. As the war continued, various types of rocket launchers also made their appearance. These more heavily armed vessels were sometimes provided with additional „professionals‟ in the form of Royal Artillery men, or extra Naval gunners, but the bulk of the gun crews still consisted of ship‟s crew. As a matter of interest, when trooping, the „passengers‟ were told to fire their rifles in the direction of any attacking aircraft. This was not as silly as it sounds, as 500 rifles, fired simultaneously, could put up quite an impressive wall of lead.

The coastal submarine campaign continued until late 1943 and during this period 27 large Japanese submarines sunk 17 ships, causing the deaths of 465 Australian merchant and naval seamen. A little known corollary to this story is the cruise of the German U-boat U862, which in December 1944 torpedoed and sank the American Liberty ship Robert J. Walker near Jervis Bay, shelled but was repelled by, the Greek tanker Illisios near Adelaide and on Christmas Day 1944 sank the Liberty ship Peter Sylvester with the loss of 32 lives (and 40 unfortunate Army mules). This submarine also shot down an RAF Catalina in the Mozambique Channel while on its way to this part of the world and was eventually taken over by the Japanese Navy in Singapore when Germany surrendered!

In total, in the greater Australian area, 104 ships (of all nationalities) came under attack from submarines, raiders, aircraft or mines and of these, 63 were sunk with recorded losses of 678 dead.

217 INTERESTING SHIPS OF THE AUSTRALIAN COAST No. 65 HALF A CENTURY OF UNION STEAMSHIP COMPANY OF NEW ZEALAND TRANS- PACIFIC CARGO SHIPS, TRADING BETWEEN WEST COAST NORTH AMERICA , SOUTH PACIFIC AND AUSTRALASIA

from Capt. I. G. Steverson

The story of the general-cargo trade between the West Coast North American (WCNA) ports of British Columbia (BC) and the American States of Washington, Oregon and California, to the „South Sea Islands‟ (as described in the early publicity) and to Australasia, is an interesting one. Described as the „All Red Route‟, in its hey- day Union Steam Ship Co. of NZ Ltd‟s (USSCo.) direct involvement with their own cargo ships on the trade lasted from 1915 till its conclusion with the last arrival in New Zealand of Waitemata (III) in April 1967.

The expression „All Red Route‟ came into use in the days when Britain had an Empire, the nations of which were colored either red or pink on the map. It particularly applied to vessels contracted to carry the Royal Mail. In this sense it was possible to travel to the Antipodes from Britain via South Africa or through Suez via Aden or alternatively across the North Atlantic to Canada, overland to Vancouver then across the Pacific to Australia and New Zealand without setting foot on anything other than a British Dominion, Colony, or at least British controlled soil. The USSCo. was part of this global network and was best remembered for its fleet of passenger ships which sailed in the Trans-Pacific trade, or „up the slope‟, as it was sometimes referred, to Vancouver or San Francisco for more than 50 years. The history of these passenger ships has been well documented and has received the recognition these fine ships deserved. Numerous publications feature the passenger ships, an example being the late Jack Churchouse‟s Glamour Ships of the Union Company. They were the most prominent trans-Pacific traders until challenged by the heavily subsidized, US-flagged Matson Line from the 1930‟s. Matson‟s trade to Australasia was an extension of their principal main route between California and the Hawaiian Islands.

Both New Zealand and Australia were in the early part of last century deficient in soft-wood timber, despite having readily available hardwoods, with the main cargo south bound referred to as lumber comprising oregon and redwood for housing and underground mining. Additionally newsprint, paper pulp, cased oil, petroleum products, tinned salmon and other products were not then locally produced in Australasia. Discharge ports were Auckland, Wellington, Lyttelton, Dunedin, crossing to Australia with calls at Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, coal bunkering at Newcastle and occasionally Brisbane and Tasmanian ports. North bound, WCNA cargoes remained scarce, up until the cessation of the USSCo service in 1967. An important cargo was Fijian sugar, loaded at Lautoka for the Vancouver Sugar Refinery, through to the 1950‟s. Other cargoes were copra, wool, and coal. Quoting from the official History of the Union Steamship Company of New Zealand Ltd. 1875-1940:

“In 1913 a cargo service between WCNA was foreshadowed by the employment of occasional chartered vessels for the south bound run to Australian and New Zealand ports to assist the mail steamers in the carriage of surplus cargo offering for them. In that year a regular cargo service was instituted and now consists of monthly sailings each way.”

By mid-1915, despite it being during Wartime, with the Pacific now cleared of von Spee‟s German Pacific Naval Squadron, the Company decided to operate the supplementary service on a regular basis with its own cargo steamers. By early 1916 four ships were engaged in maintaining a monthly timetable for the WCNA trade, with the Pacific now a considered a comparatively peaceful area. This optimism was short lived, due to the operation of the German ex-mercantile surface raider Wolf.

Ships involved or intended for the WCNA trade, initially were then requisitioned by the British Government as the war progressed, resulting in disruption to the new service.

218

Alan Green‟s line drawing of Wairuna (I) (A.C.Green/State Library of Victoria)

Wairuna (I) (3947/1904) ex Lady Strathcona (1904) r/n Matoppo (1905) Bucknall Line. Purchased 1905 and appears to have had voyaged on occasions to WCNA prior to 1913. Operated also in the trans-Tasman trades. Wairuna was the second largest cargo ship in the fleet in 1905. Length 360 feet, breadth 47‟5”, draft 20‟7”. Builder W.G. Armstrong, Whitworth, Newcastle on Tyne. She suffered a serious fire in 1916 in Sydney when cleaning holds, after the discharge of petrol products, the fumes ignited. Prompt action by the crew and the fire brigade saved the ship. This was during the era when cased petrol and oil were carried in small square drums in wooden cases, in packages of four, which were loaded at Californian ports.

Waitemata (I) (5432/1908) Built to Company‟s order was notable for no other reason than her size alone. A cargo ship she surpassed in tonnage nearly all ships both passenger and cargo alike, with the exceptions namely Aparima (5704/1902) and the passenger ship Marama (6437/1907). Chartered following her maiden arrival in NZ, by Shaw Savill for a single voyage to UK with a full cargo of wool and tallow for London. She made a nonstop voyage via Cape Horn this being before the completion of the Panama Canal. She back loaded a cargo at Glasgow for Vancouver once again proceeding non-stop via Cape Horn. This passage was of record duration, 15,000 miles nonstop in 62 days, at an average speed of just over 10 knots. Loading at British Columbia (BC) ports for Australasia, completed loading at Los Angeles shipping 1200 mules to Fiji, on charter to the Colonial Sugar Refinery (CSR) for their sugar plantations. For this voyage she was painted all white. Length 415 feet, breadth 54‟, draft 25‟. Builder Wm. Hamilton & Co., Port Glasgow.

Waihemo (I) 4283/1904) ex Gloriana sold on stocks by Furness Withy to Elder Dempster, r/n Canada Cape (1914) which had been on charter from 1913. Purchased 1914. Length 360 feet, breadth 48‟. Builder Northumberland S.B. Co. Howdon-on-Tyne.

The requisition of these ships resulted in the necessity to purchase in 1915-16 three additional ships to maintain the service.

Waimarino (I) (4204/1900) ex Lord Roberts (1909), Wyandotte (1915) of various Furness Withy subsidiaries, which had been on charter in the trade from 1914. Purchased 1915. Length 375 feet, breadth 48‟5”, Builder A. McMillan & Son, Dumbarton.

Waikawa (I) (5642/1907) ex German war prize Norddeutscher Lloyd‟s Schlesien which was built for the South American trade. Sold in January 1915 to W. Thomas, Sons & Co. of Liverpool for £65,200 r/n Maritime (1915), and sold seven months later to USS for £100,000 Length 421 feet breadth 55‟ draft 20‟4”. Single screw 2,800 ihp quadruple expansion engine, a three island ship with a long bridge deck. Builder Flensburger Schiffsbau, Flensburg.

219 Waitotara (4717/1907) ex Dalmore (1916) of John M. Campbell Managers, Glasgow. Purchased late 1916 as a war loss replacement. Length 390 feet, breadth 52‟. Builder was Scott‟s Ship Building and Engineering Co. Greenock.

These six ships were designated as single-screw, triple-expansion engine, 11 knot steamers except for Waikawa which was fitted with a quadruple-expansion engine with a speed of 12 knots. All ships had five holds except Wairuna with four.

Wartime Losses

Two of the ships were lost in unusual circumstances in 1917. On 2 June 1917, Wairuna north bound from Auckland to San Francisco was captured off Sunday Island in the Kermadec Group, north of New Zealand, by the German surface raider Wolf which was hiding in the lee of Raoul Island. Wairuna‟s 5,000 tons of cargo consisting of tallow, flax, gum, seeds, sausage skins and copra which was of no value to the raider, however, the 900 tons of bunker coal, together with a large inventory of dry and perishable stores, enough for 18 months, was a real windfall. Wairuna was then sunk off Raoul Island, when the transfer of coal and provisions had been completed.

The first concern for the ship was when she failed to arrive at San Francisco on 25 June 1917. Is in those days these ships did not have radio communication so it was presumed to have been sunk by enemy action. The first positive news on the ships loss and eventual survival of the crew came in February 1918, when a cable was received from the Second Officer, who had been held as a prisoner on a small collier accompanying Wolf. The collier had inadvertently run aground on the coast of neutral Denmark while trying to avoid the British blockade and this resulted in the officer‟s release to freedom.

The newly acquired Waitotara caught fire 17 June 1917, 240 miles south of Noumea on passage Suva to Sydney sinking the following day.

The remaining ships were requisitioned by the British Government Shipping Controller for operation in European waters because of the U-boat intensified onslaught in 1917, which had decimated the allied merchant fleet. All „Empire owned‟ ships were considered British ships despite their colonial ownership and were consequently subject to requisition by the British Government at their behest.

The following three ships were lost by U-boat action in European waters:

Waikawa having been requisitioned by the British Ministry of Transport was torpedoed on passage Rouen to Barry in ballast 19 October 1917, four miles east of Start Point, English Channel, close to where she had been originally captured.

Waihemo was torpedoed on passage Durban to Piraeus, with a cargo of maize on 17 March 1918 in the Gulf of Athens.

Waitemata was torpedoed on passage from Barry to Alexandria 100 miles East by North of Marsa Susa, (Apollonia) Tunisia, now Libya 14 July 1918.

At the end of WW1 in 1918, the original WCNA fleet had been effectively reduced to one of the original ships, which had meanwhile been operating in Trans-Tasman trades.

Change of Ownership to Peninsular & Oriental

The decision was taken in 1916 to sell the ordinary shares of the Union Company of New Zealand Co.Ltd, to the Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Company (P&O), with the Chairman of the P&O Board, Lord Inchcape, playing an influential role. This significant change in ownership finally took place with the New Zealand Government‟s approval on 7 July 1917, when P&O completed the acquisition of the majority of shares in the USSCo., this despite the War still raging and at a critical stage. By the end

220 of 1917, P&O had acquired 97% of the shares, the remaining shareholders finally capitulating in 1922. P&O had previously acquired the New Zealand Shipping Company in 1916. Quoting from Gordon McLauchlan The Line That Dared:

“So when P&O bought control of the Union Company, public resentment reached such a high level that successive New Zealand Governments were reluctant to consider any form of assistance to the Union Company that would ultimately be of benefit to the P&O interests. This meant the company from then on was expected to maintain the socially necessary but unprofitable domestic and overseas services that were expected of it, but was denied the benefit of the kinds of assistance available to its British and foreign competitors - in particular, cheap shipbuilding loans and special tax-free depreciation allowances to bridge the widening gap between the excessively inflated costs of new ships and the replacement reserves accumulated in the historical costs of the old tonnage. The company‟s fortunes under P&O ownership never again reached the level of success that had characterized its first 40 years.”

P&O‟s parsimonious attitude was reflected later in the replacement WCNA ships post WWII, which ships were almost a repeat of the British built standard WWI replacements. This was exemplified also with the non-replacement of USSCo‟s old passenger ships in the 1950‟s, where the „scuttle butt‟ at the time on the retirement of Monowai (10,852/1925) in 1960, was that she would be replaced by P&O‟s surplus Canton (15,784/1938) which soon followed her to the scrap yard in 1962. A similar approach was shown by P&O‟s London Board post war as to the acquisition of „new buildings‟ rather than secondhand tonnage for their Australian based subsidiary companies, the Eastern and Australian Steamship Company Ltd (E&A) and Australasian United Steam Navigation Company (AUSN).

In the writers view, the only USSCo‟s „stand out‟ new buildings during the subsequent 55 years under P&O ownership, until its sale to Tasman Union Limited on 1 January 1972, were the passenger ships Aorangi (17,491/1924), Awatea (13,482/1936), the Pacific Islands passenger cargo ship Matua (4193/1936) the inter-island Ferries Rangatira (1)(6152/1931), Hinemoa (6911/1946), Maori (III) (7480/1953), and Wahine(II) (8944/1966). A possible exception was the innovative 1922 built motor ship Hauraki. This from a company that had been forward thinking and innovative, as Gordon McLauchlan so aptly titled the book he edited for the Union Company Centenary 1875-1975, it was The Line That Dared. Enterprise and innovation had reflected the Company‟s thinking and decisions between 1875 until 1917, after which it was effectively stifled.

Post War WCNA Replacement Tonnage.

The Company now under P&O direction obviously saw value in re-establishing the WCNA service post War and set about acquiring both new and ex German reparation tonnage.

Three standard F1 type, five-hold, shelter-deck steamers, fitted with tween decks, were under construction for the UK Shipping Controller by the Northumberland Ship Building Company, Howdon -on- Tyne, they suited USSCo. requirements and negotiations commenced to purchase this trio prior to their completion.

These F1 class of ship were described as “..being in a class of its own” by the Managing Director of the builders. His plans were put to the Admiralty at the time of standardization of cargo ships and he so impressed them with their advantages and suitability, that they awarded his design a special class (F1) and instructed him to proceed with the construction of a number of these high- class cargo steamers, which had fine lines and were fitted with the latest facilities for rapid cargo handling. None of the series were completed before the end of the War in 1918, but the prefix „War‟ was retained for the 14 completed between 1918 and 1920. The original F class, comprising 11 ships differed from the F1‟s in they were 11 feet longer, of 10,795 dwt and were fitted with a „cruiser‟ stern.

The F1 class were: 400 feet bp, breadth 53‟, depth 35‟ 5”, loaded draft 26‟4”. Gross tonnage 5,680, dwt

221 9,000, displacement 11,935 tons. Triple expansion coal burning steamers with a H.P. of 3650 giving a trial speed of 11.5 knots. Straight stem, top gallant forecastle, the class was flush decked with No. 3 hold dividing the bridge from the engine room and funnel and a counter wave stern. They also had a shelter deck and „tween decks.

Waitemata (II) was the fourth of the F1 class having been launched as War Rampart 4 March 1919, transferring to USSCo. 23 May 1919 and operating in the Company‟s service until 1932. An interesting occurrence in 1922 saw her involved in Vancouver, in a local dockers‟ dispute. Having been stevedored by non-union labour initially, the condition for resolving the dispute was for the cargo to be discharged and then reloaded! She was recorded as delivering the first 1,000 tons of oil to the USSCo. Balls Head Oil Depot, at Sydney on 21 June 1920.

Waikawa (II) was eighth in the series, having been launched as War Donjon (description of a fortified keep of a castle) 27 August 1919 and transferred to USSCo. 1 November 1919, serving the Company until 1934. She, like her sisters, was functional but not well adapted to a „liner trade‟ (too slow?) and when Hauraki and Limerick came on the run, the sisters were put out to the tramping trade. As an example, Waikawa made a voyage with a coal cargo from Newcastle NSW to Argentina in October 1926.

Waihemo (5,627/1919) at Melbourne (A.C.Green/State Library of Victoria)

Waihemo (II) was ninth in the series having been launched 9 October 1919 as War Bastion and was transferred to USSCo. on 6 December 1919. She served the Company until 1934, in fact she operated for 38 years which was a tribute to the quality of the builders for what was initially intended only as an emergency building. This disproved the waterfront „scuttle butt‟ in the 1920‟s, probably spoken about by passenger ship men, that the design could not be pushed through the water at more than 11 knots or the seams started to open up! The question could be asked, with this type of engine could they exceed 11 knots anyway?

Lord Inchcape, P&O‟s Managing Director, was delegated by the British Government at the end of the War the task of disposing and allocating of all captured German merchant ships. Two German reparation ships were acquired for the trade, although transferring to the Indian run as required.

Wairuna (II) was delivered in January 1914 at Flensburg, Germany to Hansa Line of Bremen as

222 Schneefels. Being unaware of the start of WWI, and being at sea with no radio communication, she was captured off Europa Point, Gibralter, by the Royal Navy 5 August 1914, en route Calcutta to New York via Suez Canal. R/n initially Gibralter, then Polescar (1915) she passed through the management of a couple of British companies. She became a stores ship at Mudros during the Gallipoli campaign, then later as a water carrier in the eastern Mediterranean. She was torpedoed off the Isle of Wight 5 August 1918, while under the management of the Northern Irish company of G. Heyn, being run ashore to save her! Luck of the Irish? Following repairs, the management was transferred to the P&O subsidiary, BISN, 6 January 1919, who purchased her later on the 29th. The P&O Group obviously had second thoughts with their war prizes, so before BISN could rename her she was „sold‟ to the USSCo. in February 1919 for £146,000, specifically for their WCNA trade. It was somewhat ironic that she was renamed Wairuna (II), as it was her actual sister ship, the raider Wolf, ex Hansa‟s Wachtenfels, that had captured and sunk Wairuna (1) off the Kermadec Island group in June 1917. She served in the USSCo. fleet until 1945. She was a five hold, shelter deck, single screw, triple expansion 12 knot steamer with a straight stem and counter wave stern. Length 420 feet, breadth 56‟ draft 26‟. Tonnages 5,832 gross, 3,462 nett, draft 26‟.

Waiotapu (6,035/1913 at Melbourne (A.C.Green/State Library of Victoria)

Waiotapu was built in 1913 at Flensburg, Germany for Deutsche Austalische D. G., Hamburg as Stolberg. Berthed at Fremantle 1 August 1914, she escaped the night war broke out 4 August, escaping to the Dutch East Indies port in Java of Tjilatjap, where she was interned for the duration of the War. On surrendering she was ceded to Great Britain 24 August 1919, being placed under the management of BISN. In 1920 she was transferred to USSCo. and registered in London as Waiotapu. Length was 451 feet, breadth 58‟2” loaded draft 27‟. She was a single-screw steamer with a triple- expansion engine constructed by the builders, which gave her a service speed of 12 knots. She had a large carrying capacity and seven hatches. She operated in the trans-Pacific trade until 1943, when she was noted transporting ammunition from Melbourne to Fremantle, returning with iron ore in the „Black and Tan‟ trade from Whyalla and Newcastle.

The WCNA trade recommenced in 1919 with the three British built standard ships Waitemata, Waihemo, Waikawa, the former German Wairuna and in 1920 her fellow prize, Waiotapu. This was a fleet of five coal-burning steamers and in 1922, with the arrival of the single motor-ship Hauraki, no doubt the two former German ships were utilised in other trades as trafficking required but it appears that

223 the three standard ships, remained in the trans-Pacific trade for most of their USSCo. service.

In 1921 Wairuna was converted to carry oil fuel in her double bottoms from California to the USSCo.‟s new oil tanks at Balls Head, Sydney, and initially its oil hulk in Wellington, until the new tanks were built at Miramar in Evans Bay. This would have ensured good stability with her lumber cargo making up the bulk of the south-bound cargo. She, however, remained a coal burner until 1945. She had the misfortune on 5 September 1925 to run out of coal 550 miles north of Auckland inward bound from San Francisco. Waihemo was dispatched from Auckland, in response to her distress calls, with the tow being connected two days later. They arrived back in Auckland 9 September. Wairuna lost a propeller blade one day out of Newcastle, bound for Auckland on 4 February 1933, but was able to complete her voyage safely. An outbreak of fire in her copra cargo at San Francisco in February 1937, caused extensive damage to the cargo and some buckling of the ships‟ plates. She remained in the trans-Pacific trade until 1943, when her performance was described as becoming more of a liability than an asset.

With the anticipated increase in the use of oil fuel, USSCo. purchased on the stocks a cargo tank ship being built for J & J Denholm to be named Oakpark. Renamed Orowaiti (6,684/1921), she was placed under the management of Wm. Cory & Sons Ltd, London in order to supply oil fuel following the conversion from coal to oil, of their trans-Pacific passenger liners. She succumbed to the perils of the ever present foggy weather experienced on the Californian coast, running aground at Point Sal, 18 miles south of San Luis Obispo, California, 12 August 1924, in bound from Wellington to San Luis Obispo. She was replaced by another new building in 1925, Otokia (7277/1925) also purchased on the stocks. She operated for 10 years under similar management as her predecessor.

Meanwhile, the economic depression of the 1930‟s had its effect on all trade worldwide and certainly it was felt on the trans-Pacific route.

This resulted in Waitemata being laid up at Shoal Bay, Auckland, due to the down turn in trade in August 1930. She was sold to Wm. Crosby & Co. Pty. Ltd of Melbourne in December 1932 for £11,185, who were going to rename her Willandra. The new owners intended using her for the Asian/Middle East flour trade. Crosby‟s never actually operated the ship and following repairs, carried out by Mason Bros in Auckland, she was sold in March 1933. She departed for Osaka, recorded conveniently as Waitemata Maru for the delivery voyage. Her buyers were Dairen Kisen K. K., Kobe, who purchased her for £13,042, renaming her Yuki Maru. As such she was sunk by submarine USS Bream, 16 June 1944 off Halmahera, Moluccas (now Maluku), East Indonesia.

An article referring to Waihemo in a 1954 issue of Sea Breezes stated: “For many years she ran between Australasia and Vancouver with various calls on the North West Pacific Coast with great regularity and exemplary freedom from accident.” In 1934 she was sold to N.G. Livanos r/n Evinos. She survived the war as the Panamanian Rio (1950) and was sold to Matsuoka K.K.K., Ashiya/Kobe as the Shokyu Maru (1951). She retained the same name in 1954 when sold to Nippon Suisan Kaisha Ltd. (Nissui) - (Japan Marine Products) who were involved in whaling, and operating tankers, trawlers and various fish-factory vessels. The same Sea Breezes article noted “In spite of only being able to manage eight knots she has recently been fixed for a long-term charter at a very good rate for such a ship.” The new owners, Nissui, obviously weren‟t too bothered with speed as from January 1956 to May 1958, the Company operated Shokyu Maru as a floating cannery, packing king-crab meat in Tartarski Strait (Tartarski Strait was situated between the Russian mainland and the what was then the Japanese Island of Sakhalin) during spring and summer. During the off season the canning lines were removed and she was chartered out as a dry cargo ship. Sold to Taiyo Kaijo K. K. Osaka, shipbreakers, and arrived at Osaka 6 June 1958 for demolition. This ended a varied and interesting career lasting nearly four decades, for what was basically an „emergency‟ built ship.

Waikawa enjoyed a singularly accident free USSCo. career, but with the depression she spent periods laid up. Eventually sold in 1934 to Tower S.S. Co. of London, a member of the London Greek owned Counties Ship Management Group (Rethymnis and Kulukundis) who renamed her Tower Ensign. She

224 had a succession of owners, with name and flag changes, Huntress (1936), Ronin (1939) and finally Wallem & Co‟s Iran (1941). She was in Bombay 14 April 1944, when the Port Line managed, Canadian built (Prince Rupert SB), Fort Stikine (7142/1942), a near sister to the future Waikawa (III) blew up. Iran was engulfed in fire and was left a charred wreck which was sold locally for breaking up.

A new building in 1922 was USSCo.‟s first motor ship, the impressive cargo liner Hauraki, the 41st and last ship built by Wm Denny & Bros Ltd of Dumbarton for the Company. She was intended primarily for the trans-Pacific trade. The new BISN/P&O connection came into play, with the new building being allocated one of the two building slipways that Denny‟s had allotted for their regular customers, in this case BISN. Hauraki was the first large diesel-engined ship built by Denny. Launched on 28 November 1921, the hull was towed to Whiteinch up stream of River Clyde, for the installation of the diesel engines, which had been ordered previously in 1921. The ship was an improved and a repeat version of USSCo.‟s Denny-built Aparima, built at a cost of £96,192 (price per ton £7.04). A five hatch, tween deck, straight stem, counter wave stern, twin screw with accommodation for nine passengers and a crew of 56. The diesel engines were manufactured by North British Diesel Engine Works, Whiteinch, Scotstoun and consisted of two, four stroke single acting eight cylinder engines, which on trials gave her a speed of 12.44 knots, 3,010 bhp at 96.5rpm on 14 tons per day. Her oil bunker capacity was 2,901 tons.

Hauraki (7,113/1922) at Williamstown (A.C.Green/State Library of Victoria)

All her winches, which supported 18 derricks, and auxiliary equipment were electric driven. Hauraki cost £317,600 (price per ton £25.75) to build and was designed to operate for all types of cargoes. Able to carry oil and water in bulk and was fitted to carry horses. Her length was 450 feet, breadth 58‟2”, loaded draft 28‟5”. She was a large cargo carrier of about 11,000dwt. Operating with coal-burning steamers would have made an interesting fuel consumption comparison. She was delivered to her owners on 21 March 1922 and operated successfully in the trans-Pacific trade until requisitioned for war service in 1942. Captured in the Indian Ocean by Japanese naval units 12 July 1942, she was converted to the Japanese transport Hoki Maru under Japanese Navy control. She was bombed and sunk at Truk, Caroline Islands, 17 February 1944. The story of the operation, or rather non operation of her ancient complicated diesel engines which her captors found difficult to understand and operate, and the efforts of her Engineer Officers who were retained and who effectively and discretely sabotaged their captor‟s efforts to operate the engines, is legendary.

She was joined in 1925, by another new large motor vessel, Limerick, built by Wm Hamilton & Co. Ltd, Port Glasgow. When completed, her diesel machinery was the largest installed in a British cargo ship and only exceeded by the USS Co.‟s revolutionary passenger ship, Aorangi, built the year before. She was a sister ship to the New Zealand Shipping Company‟s (another P&O subsidiary) turbine-driven Tongariro. Intended for the „Irish Counties‟ United Kingdom to New Zealand service, she was moved

225 immediately to the WCNA trade. Length 460 feet 8”, (bp),480.7‟ (loa) breadth 62‟7”, draft 31‟. Tonnages were 8,684 gross, 12,500dwt. Twin screw with two six cylinder oil engines built by John Brown, Clydebank, which gave her a speed of 14 knots. A five-hatch ship fitted with shelter and tween decks, her large cargo capacity was well utilized. In May 1937, she delivered for the USSCo. subsidiary Union Airways (later NZ National Airways Corporation), the first three all metal passenger planes. These were Lockheed 10A Electras and the writer remembers seeing them operating from Paraparaumu Airport in the 1940‟s. She managed to run aground entering Vancouver Harbour on New Years‟ Day 1938, Prospect Point, under the then under construction Lions Gate Bridge, linking the city with North Vancouver. She was caught by the tide while in fog and was under port pilotage. Prospect Point also happened to be where the port signal station was situated, so in the days before mobile radios, communication with the station was by shouting through a megaphone! Eventually she was towed off, unscathed, and following the discharge of her sugar cargo and a following a quick dry docking, she loaded in BC ports. In those days ships were worked round the clock. Additional loading continued down the American coast, concluding by stemming a full load of oil bunkers at Los Angeles, followed by a thirteen day passage to Papeete, Tahiti. An overnight stop there and just prior to departure the crew were using the after derricks to adjust some deck cargo lashings. To quote Third Officer Buckle:

“On looking from the bridge wing while testing the gear prior to sailing I heard this enormous crash, it took a moment or two to realise that the after mast was no longer there! Dashing aft I saw the mainmast, topmast and four derricks were all laying down on No. 5 hatch, fortunately with no one injured. The steel lower mast had collapsed a few feet from the after-deck house and the wooden telescopic top mast, rigging, derricks and cargo wires were lying in a mess. Fortunately, no one was injured. With no suitable repair facilities available at Papeete she carried on to Auckland where repairs were undertaken.”

She was transferred to USSCo.‟s owned Indo-Pacific Shipping Company Ltd, London, with the intention of operating with Narbada (9540/1915) in 1935 on the Indian - South East Asia trade run from New Zealand and Australia. The ship by now was sporting a black hull, white superstructure and a black funnel. Ships required for the alternative trades were interchangeable, subject to cargo availability, perhaps the reason she was still on the trans-Pacific run in 1937. Limerick‟s crew was Caucasian while the coal-burning Narbada‟s were mainly Asian. She was torpedoed by Japanese I-177, 26 April 1943, on passage from Sydney to Brisbane 20 miles east of Cape Byron NSW.

An example from the depression years, was the experience of the highly respected former USSCo. Marine Superintendent (1968-77), Captain Jim Collins, who joined Aorangi as a Deck Boy in 1931. On obtaining his Second Mate’s Certificate in July 1936, he applied to the Company as a Junior Officer. He was accepted “…on the clear understanding that his engagement was purely temporary because of the depressed shipping business at the time”. His appointment proved to be far from temporary as he was appointed to Narbada as Fourth Officer and a year later Third Officer of the collier Kartigi (2347/1925). Many ex USSCo. Apprenticed Cadets and Ships‟ Officers were appreciative of the late Captain Collins‟ quiet support and sound practical advice.

Only the two former German ships, Waiotapu and Wairuna, survived the war, but both were worn out and were quickly disposed of.

Waiotapu was purchased by David Williamson London in 1945, retaining the same name. She was then sold to the Wallem Group in 1946, initially r/n Victoria Peak then Shahrokh (1947) and finally sold to Shanghai company Dah Loh Navigation Co. Ltd, r/n Dah Hung and scrapped Shanghai 1948.

Wairuna was sold to British Ministry of War Transport 20/3/1945 post VE day, with J. & J. Denholm as Managers for use as a store ship in the Clyde. Badly damaged by fire at Greenock 12 August 1945, she was loaded with 8,432 tons of condemned ammunition and scuttled in the Atlantic 120 miles north west of Ireland on 30 October 1945. So ended thirty years of USSCo. trans-Pacific trading with their owned ships.

226 Maori names used by ships in the trans-Pacific trades: Wairuna - a stream where the Dock plant grows. Waitemata – smooth water. Waihemo - disappearing water. Waimarino - still waters. Waikawa- bitter water. Waitotara - river where the Totara trees are plentiful. Waiotapu - sacred waters. Waitomo - water entering a cave by means of long shafts. Wairata - waters of the rata tree. Hauraki-north wind. The colour scheme for the cargo ships was „black hull, buff upper-works‟ as originally adopted in 1885. It remained as such until early 1950 when the cargo ships, carrying passengers adopted the ‟bronze green hull, with white upper works and yellow band‟ of the passenger ships. The fleet finally converted fully, to the latter and much more attractive colour in 1959.

To be continued

References:

Union Fleet: I. J. Farquhar. The Line that Dared: Gordon McLauchlan. The Union Steam Ship Company - Steam Ships: D. F. Gardner and painting by J. E. Hobbs, The name through the Years: Waitemata, Waihemo, Wairuna, Waikawa: W. A. Laxon in various issues, New Zealand Ship and Marine Society Marine News 1960-70. Merchant Fleets Union Steamship Company of New Zealand: Duncan Hawes. Various articles and information from the Union Shipping Group Ltd., House Journals: Under Way including Just Another Voyage: A voyage in 1937/38 on Limerick: D. I. Buckle Australasian Steamers in the North Pacific 1920-1967: Ships Monthly Jan/Feb. 1983 Brian Walker. A Dictionary of Maori Place Names: A. W. Reed. William Crosby & Company: The Log. Vol. 9, No.1, Issue 43 February 1976: W. G. Volum. Wartime Standard Ships Vol. 3. British Standard Ships of World War 1: W. H. Mitchell and L. A. Sawyer. The Denny List Part II & III: National Maritime Museum History of B.I.: The British India Steam Navigation Company Ltd: W. A. Laxon & W. A. Parry. British Shipbuilding Yards Vol 2 & 3: Norman Middlemiss.

HMNZS TARANAKI, THE THIRD COMMISSION

from R.A.Priest

I never really wanted to join the Royal New Zealand Navy, but since a very early age I had wanted to go to sea; go to sea in the Merchant Navy. My parents advised me, as did the Shipping Companies I directed my enquiries too, that I should stay at school to achieve my School Certificate and one of my subjects should be mathematics, at which time I could then be employed as a Deck Officer Cadet. Unfortunately staying at school and mathematics were not high on my list of priorities. I had been in Sea Cadets for three years and enjoyed it, especially the two annual camps I had attended at HMNZS Tamaki the Navy new-entry training establishment on Motuihe Island in the Hauraki Gulf. I had two cousins in the Navy and a handful of my Sea Cadet mates had also joined, it was therefore an almost natural progression for me to follow them. It was with this background that I found myself on 8 January 1965, walking up the brow of HMNZS Taranaki.

Taranaki was in refit when I joined her as an Ordinary Seaman that day. I had survived my first nine months of training, three months basic, three months sea training on the Loch class frigate Rotoiti and three months Radar Plot (RP) Basic training at the Navigation Direction School at North Head. I don‟t know why I became an RP, I am not at all sure I had a choice; I really only wanted to be a seaman and in my eyes having to be an RP was slightly annoying. I had performed very well in Basic Training, I had been Class Leader and had won the prize for the Best All-Round Seaman Entrant as well as the Class Prize. From then on it was all downhill as I came to realise that the Navy and me were not really suited; not that I had any pressing desire to leave, no I was determined to do my time and learn to live with it. My attitude of course did not go unnoticed and my Divisional Officer on Taranaki was later to write: “Priest is somewhat Bolshie.” 227

Rotoiti anchored Auckland (NAA collection)

Being a lover of ships I knew all about Taranaki before I clapped eyes on her. She had been built by J. Samuel Wright & Co.'s yard at Cowes on the Isle of Wight in 1962, a Rothesay class (improved Whitby), Type 12 frigate, all Formica and stainless steel, air-conditioning, cafeteria messing and an enclosed bridge. She was a far cry from the half-warm meals, hammocks and the cold open bridges of her forebears such as HMNZS Rotoiti (ex Loch Katrine) in which I had completed my sea training.

I gradually adjusted to my new circumstances which were eased by the presence of more than a few of my training classmates who had been drafted to Taranaki along with me. The Killick (Leading Seaman) of the Mess was also a likeable chap who made our life reasonable and I was lucky to also have him as my Killick Part of Ship and of my Operations Room Watch. It was a bit of a mixed mess with a sprinkling of radar rates, sonar men and gunners as well as supply and secretariat types. Much of these early months flew past in a haze as the first five months were in refit; the Third Commission didn‟t commence until May of that year. We were victualed ashore in Philomel barracks until then and I recall looking around the ship a month before she was due to commission and thinking this chaos would never be sorted out in time, but it was and soon we were off to do sea trials. I gradually came to terms with my new life which nothing in training had really prepared me for, yes we had been taught the traditions, basic seamanship, how to keep ourselves and our kit clean and tidy and how to be a very basic RP, but during all of this we had been kept apart from the real navy and now we were suddenly part of it, boys living with men.

In June we did an Auckex with our sister ship Otago and HMSubmarine Taciturn from the RN Submarine Squadron based at HMAS Penguin in Sydney. I was anxious to see a submarine as I had never before seen one and my first site of Taciturn was watching her surface via a scuttle (porthole) in the cafeteria, I was impressed. Our watch Killick was a Pom and a frustrated submariner who had spent a couple of weeks on an „A‟ boat as part of an exchange program; on night watches when all was quiet, he would regale us with submarine stories most of which were highly amusing. One concerned two ratings who arrived back inebriated and proceeded to „fix up‟ the Quartermaster with the result that all three fell off the casing. When asked at Captain‟s table what he thought his punishment might be, the instigator is reported to have said “Thirty days hath September, April, June and us two bastards.” No doubt an old yarn but a good one none the less. Another concerned a Quartermaster who always responded to wheel orders from the conning tower with words similar to, but not exactly the same as the order given. For example “Port 20” would be met with “Port plenty Sir” followed by “Plenty of port wheel on Sir.” The response to “Mid ships” would be “Wheels a mud grips Sir”. I came to know how one recognised submariners as they had long hair, looked dishevelled, smelt of diesel and were always heading to the closest barracks for a shower. Good humour always flourishes in adversity.

228 Auckex, Smashex, Longex, my head was swimming, it felt as if I lived in the Ops Room, but then August arrived and on the 14th we departed Auckland which we would not see again for ten months. I was eager to leave 1960s New Zealand behind and experience the delights of foreign ports. It might not be on a Shaw Savill ship through the Panama Canal en route to Liverpool or London but Hawaii would do. My excitement was tempered by the fact that I was „in love‟ with the red head I had met at her place of work, the record shop at the top of the escalator at 246 Queen Street. She swore she would wait for me and would write twice a week. He mother promised she would make me my favourite apple crumble when we arrived home in June the following year. When one is 17, love is very real and ten months is a bloody long time.

Hawaii and the USN Fleet Training Group

North we sailed and my first site of foreign soil was Pago Pago for bunkers. Not a bad first port for a first time seaborne traveller as it is truly blessed by nature. It was hot and I spent some time carrying stores on board naked from the waist up. Much to my regret, as I suffered for it that night and a few days later one of mess mates peeled the skin from my back in one piece. Of course I never bothered the Sick Bay as sunburn was, and perhaps still is, a self-inflicted injury. Only a few daylight hours were spent in that tropical, picture-postcard harbour before we once more headed north towards Hawaii and the Fleet Training Group at Pearl Harbor.

On 23 August, Kingman Reef almost brought the commission to a premature end. As we steamed along on a beautiful North Pacific morning, there was not a cloud in the sky and the sea was like a mirror. Many of us were on the foc‟s‟le viewing an immense school of dolphins approaching us from the northwest. There appeared to be thousands of them stretching as far as the eye could see. A young sailor looking over the side remarked to a nearby Petty Officer (PO) on the beauty of the coral formations below. The PO was on the bridge before the naive young man had realised he was gone. It took half an hour to gingerly back out of the reef and after a long, slow, careful, run astern, out of and then around the danger, we continued on our voyage. A navigational error perhaps? Certainly at the time I had no real understanding of what had occurred except that we were not supposed to be bang over a coral reef, a reef that I myself had seen. Later, when I acquired a rudimentary understanding of navigation, I came to learn that our predicament had been caused by a combination of circumstances. From leaving Pago Pago until that morning we had not been able to obtain a sight and had been dead reckoning (no GPS in those days). A perfectly clear nautical twilight that morning had provided sights which had us some miles to the east of where we should have been, due to a set not mentioned in the North Pacific Pilot. Corrections were made and we proceeded more to the west to make our landfall off Oahu. This part of the Pacific is seldom frequented and Kingman Reef, which breaks in places at low water but cannot be seen at high water, had not been surveyed since the 1870s. We waited for Meridian Altitude at midday, took several sights to determine its position and found it to be several miles west of its charted position. A combination of the set to the east and the reef being more to the west than indicated, had brought the two of us together and only the good fortune of our meeting occurring at high water had perhaps prevented the wreck of Taranaki being there to this day. Needless to say, a Notice to Mariners was duly generated and today Kingman Reef is where it should be, on the chart that is! The ship‟s Log records it was the Captain's birthday, it may well have been his last in command. He in fact rose to the dizzy heights of Rear Admiral.

Our arrival at Pearl Harbor was on the morning of 31 August and we proceeded to de-ammunition at the USN armaments depot in Middle Loch. Moving ammunition off and on a warship in those days was a „clear lower deck‟ (all hands below the rank of PO) job as each and every shell and casing needed to be moved by hand. I was interested to see the large 16” projectiles painted green which lined the road leading to the administration entrance and wished I could have seen a battleship before they had all been decommissioned. I wasn‟t to know that their days were not quite over as two of them would be brought back into commission. The Vietnam War was heating up at this time and, as we sat at our berth in Middle Loch, I saw an aircraft carrier and numerous escorting destroyers departing on the other side of Ford Island. We then proceeded to the base itself in East Loch and tied up opposite the Submarine Base. On the way up we passed Hickam Airbase which appeared to have endless rows of military

229 aircraft drawn up as if on display. It was a site to behold as was the number and variety of USN vessels berthed at Pearl itself. The Sub Base was quite a way from the main gates and from the Enlisted Men‟s Club and Post Exchange but much closer to the Sub Base Post Exchange. Opposite us was USS Plunger, another first for me as she was nuclear powered. The closeness of the main gates meant little to me for the first seven days in any event as I was under punishment, the first of three or four for me during that commission, cumulating later in a stretch at the Armed Forces Corrective Establishment at Ardmore. There was a price to pay for being Bolshie but I never did manage to adjust to mindless bullshit.

Taranaki arriving Pearl Harbor 31 August 1965 (USN photograph)

Eventually I went ashore and explored Honolulu and Waikiki. Week days were generally spent at sea exercising with the USN Fleet Training Group but all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy and time was found to sample Budweiser, Schlitz, the grunge of Hotel Street in Honolulu, the delights of Waikiki and the shopping at the Base Post Exchange. Naval ratings, especially junior ones, had little money to spend in those days and I suspect that nothing has changed. Invariably, a week after payday, one would be short of the ready. I recall the saying “Tailor mades and taxis one week, butts and buses the next”.

One Sunday evening myself and a mate, decided to walk along Nimitz Highway towards Honolulu just to get off the ship, our intention being to walk back to Pearl Harbor when we felt we had walked far enough. In those days it was compulsory to wear uniform ashore except in one‟s homeport. Thus it was easy to identify us and we hadn‟t foreseen the stream of taxis stopping to pick us up. We had become tired of explaining that we preferred walking and had no money in any event. One cab driver wouldn‟t take “no” for an answer and insisted we get in. He stopped at a diner along the highway and wanted to buy us dinner. We had eaten and declined. We were trying to sum this guy up, was he „one of them‟ with a penchant for young sailors? He ate while we watched and he asked us questions. He then took us to Honolulu and dropped us at the WMCA, a pretty good venue with much to do and plenty of young girls there for the Sunday evening dance. He insisted we take $10.00 each to spend and get us back to Pearl Harbor but only on condition we promised not to leave the WMCA. We finally asked why he was doing this and he explained he had been a US Marine stationed for a time in Wellington during the War and this was the first opportunity he had had to return some of the hospitality he had been shown. As a young boy in the navy I experienced this type of human kindness many times when overseas, balanced occasionally of course by the opposite. It developed in most of us an ability to judge character (not always accurately), an acceptance of our fellows and a healthy tinge of cynicism when dealing with cant and hypocrisy. Interestingly enough, my companion that day like myself, also ended up years later in the Merchant Navy and now lives in Tasmania.

230 Our departure from Hawaii and the long hall across the Pacific to Singapore commenced 23 October 1965. We bunkered at Midway Island, a USN air base and the western-most island of the Hawaiian chain, famous for the „Goony‟ bird, the bird that defeated the US Navy. One can walk around Midway in an hour! The Laysan albatross had been there long before the USN decided it had some strategic importance. In they came every year to breed, oblivious to flame throwers, poison, shotguns and every attempt to discourage them from centuries of habit. In the end the USN surrendered and closed the base to aircraft each breeding season. They acquired the title „Goony‟ from their comical antics when landing in a very ungainly manner after a year of being at sea and passed on the name to the equally ungainly, but just as efficient, DC3. The breeding season was not occurring when we were there but some years later I returned on HMNZS Waikato and walked up to the Post Exchange stepping over nesting birds everywhere.

Guam was reached on 1 November and we stayed a day and overnight to bunker. It was hot, humid and overcast. After Oahu I was unimpressed with Guam, the one enduring memory being the flights of B57s returning from their bombing raids over North Vietnam. Also of interest were the Polaris submarines alongside the submarine depot ship USS Proteus at the Submarine Base in Apra Harbour; she had previously been in the news in the late 1950s when she had been the subject of „Ban the Bomb‟ demonstrators while stationed in Holy Loch in Scotland. This was prior to the Royal Navy obtaining their own Polaris deterrent.

Singapore and the Far East Fleet

HMS Triumph at Sydney 17 February 1968 (J.Y.Freeman/NAA collection)

After Guam the next land sighted was the southern Philippines as we sailed into and through the Sulu Sea and then a short stop in Labuan again for bunkers. Onto Singapore and into Johore Strait for a morning arrival at the famous Royal Navy base at Sembawang on 25 November. The Malyasian Federation had only recently been declared, with Singapore as a founding member and Indonesia was not at all happy with this development. The RN presence East of Suez was immense and far greater than anything they had been able to spare during the Second World War, prior to VE Day. Anchored in Johore Stait, just off the naval base, was HMS Triumph, a light fleet carrier converted into a floating repair shop and alongside her was the closest we got to the base for some weeks but her liberty boats ran us back and forth for shore leave plus her shops, and particularly her barber shop, were most welcome. Having been under the influence of the USN for weeks it was good to be in the company of the Navy we had evolved from and whose traditions we understood and felt part of. While alongside Triumph our pennant numbers were painted out in readiness for what we were about to undertake.

Not only was the Far East Fleet busy with Indonesian Confrontation, but they were also maintaining the Beira patrols, the blockade of Rhodesia's Ian Smith regime, and consequently the base was a hive of

231 activity. Major RN units seen to come and go over the period included: Ark Royal, Eagle, Bulwark, and Albion. Mull of Kintyre was there in support of the „Ton‟ class minesweepers, being used for patrol work, plus a host of destroyers, frigates and fleet auxiliaries. The old and the new; WWII vintage destroyers Aisne, Cavalier and Barossa were dwarfed by the new Devonshire and Kent and the Tribal class Persian Gulf patrol frigates also made an appearance from time to time. Also seen was Manxman, a real WWII veteran, the lone survivor of a class of three, fast, three-funnelled minelayers now converted to a minesweeper support ship and, with all but two of her boilers removed, no longer capable of the 40 plus knots she once could produce.

The Royal Australian Navy was also prominent and many rugby matches were played against them in the cool of evening under lights by the Armada Club at HMS Terror, the RN barracks in Sembawang. Large crowds of spectators would gather with beer in hand to watch these contests. The fleet competed for two rugby trophies: the Big Ship Shield, for vessels such as cruisers, aircraft carriers etc, and the Small Ship Shield, for destroyers, frigates and below. On arrival Taranaki, with a crew of only 240, but with three rugby teams, challenged an Australian frigate for the Small Ship Shield and won by a significant margin. Subsequent challenges from RN and RAN frigates and destroyers also resulted in „cricket‟ scores in favour of the new holders. An edict came down from above that for the remainder of Taranaki‟s commission „Up Top‟ they were to play for the Big Ship Shield and so we challenged the holder, HMS Ark Royal. We won but by a much closer margin. The Australian aircraft carrier, HMAS Melbourne, arrived on station and over the next months, whenever we were in port together, they would challenge but we never lost that shield. Eagle, Bulwark, Albion and Fearless were also disposed of in similar fashion and the Taranaki Firsts never conceded a game to another ship but if my memory serves me well we struggled against the NZ Army.

The Far East Fleet Boxing Competition was a keenly awaited event and our confidant pugilists trained hard, fully expecting to take out the title in every weight division; after all they had no trouble knocking over Poms and the occasional Aussie in the Sembawang bars. Unfortunately, nobody had told them of the subtle difference between brawling in bars and going several rounds with a super-fit Royal Marine. I believe that one of our lads did win his fight, but I don‟t think he progressed beyond the first heat.

Tawau and the First Borneo Patrol

But the purpose of our commission was not brawling, drinking and sports, some of it was spent doing patrols in the Malacca Strait and on the east coast of Borneo, primarily to intercept arms and armed insurgents being smuggled into North Borneo by sea from Indonesia but also to look for cigarette smugglers from the southern Philippines. To this end, we did two three-week patrols, working out of Tawau. We arrived for the first patrol on 1 December and relieved HMS Lincoln as the Tawau Guard Ship.

We would anchor by day at Tawau and then patrol all night up and down the coast. Long and boring work closed up in West Country (three) watches in extremely hot conditions, Tawau being only just north of the equator. Each night we would stop every boat we intercepted, normally kumpits, the wooden prows typical of the area. We would summon them alongside under the watchful eye of the gunnery ratings manning the Bofors 40/60s which had been installed in the both the port and starboard waists where the torpedo tubes had once been. Once alongside we would require the occupants of the boat to clear it via the scrambling nets we had rigged over the side. Once on deck they, normally including women and children, would be lined up facing the bulkhead with their legs apart and their hands on their heads, covered by armed ratings. Of course, nutty and goffers (sweets and soft drinks) were normally brought up for the children who were allowed to relax. Here they stayed while the boarding party went down to the boat and searched it from stem to stern after which our reluctant guests were normally allowed to return to their craft and continue on their way. The boarding party never comprised more than two ratings in case the boat was booby trapped. We could supposedly afford to lose two! I recall once an occupant of a boat was found asleep by the engine, ignorant of the fact that the boat was tied up alongside a warship and everyone else on it had departed. One of the boarding party nudged him awake with his boot and his surprise at being awakened to see the business end of an L1A1 six inches from his face was something to behold. 232 This was our nightly routine for three weeks but some of our days were spent at anchor at Tawau where our time was occupied by maintenance which for a young sprog like myself usually meant over the side on a stage with a paint brush or a roller in my hand. Temporary relief was obtained by „accidentally‟ falling off the stage and enjoying a cool dip in the ocean before climbing back up the stage lanyard and resuming one‟s labour. No shirts, hats, or sun block in those days when the phrase „occupational health and safety‟ had yet to be coined.

Positioning to RAS with Gold Ranger – too close for comfort (R.A.Priest/NAA collection)

Other days were spent at sea and at least once a week we would RAS (replenishment at sea) with our dedicated RFA tanker Gold Ranger. One morning we sailed up a river at Oost Nunukan, on the Indonesian side of the border, just south of Tawau, and fired a couple of dozen 4.5 inch projectiles from our main armament. I was later to learn that it was the first time since the Korean War that an RNZN warship had fired the main armament with serious intent and that it had been gunfire called in and spotted by the army ashore.

Tawau was home to various army regiments who did patrols along the border with Indonesia. Over the time of our Borneo patrols we encountered, amongst others, the Grenadier Guards, The Green Howards and the Gurkhas. A highlight of the patrols was an exchange program between ourselves and the „Pongoes‟ (where the soldier goes, the pong goes). Twenty or so army types would live with us for a week while we sent the same number to do border patrols with the army. They loved it as they got hot meals, hot showers and a warm bunk every night, although some of them did have trouble finding their sea legs. Our boys loved it as they got leeches, little sleep, and the chance of being shot, but the major incentive was the army jungle boots which became a badge of honour. No doubt some Kiwi matelots are still boasting in the RSLs and RSAs, of their time in the Grenadier Guards, albeit not on guard duty outside Buckingham Palace in a bearskin.

The indigenous people in North Borneo are tribesmen known as Ibans. They were fearsome to behold, being super fit, no fat, only muscle, with shaven heads, long earlobes and blue tattoos up their chest and throat, only stopping at the chin. They were employed by the army as guides and translators. They had not long given up their cultural practice of collecting the heads of their enemy and one story that arrived

233 onboard concerned an army patrol which had left two Indonesian insurgents tied to a tree guarded by an Iban. When they returned, the Indonesians were no longer tied to the tree but several yards away in different directions sans heads. It is said the Iban claimed they had tried to escape.

Taranaki firing main armament (R.A.Priest/NAA collection)

Other diversions from the constant nightly routine and the stress of being permanently in three watches, included „hands to bathe‟. On a good day with a glass-like sea, the ship would stop, scrambling nets would be rigged over the side, a boat lowered with a gunnery rating holding a semi-automatic rifle in case of sharks and all off-duty men who chose to, would jump into the ocean. I have done this in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and can say that it is an eyrie feeling knowing the nearest solid ground is some considerable distance beneath one‟s feet.

Another occasional treat was the „Banyon‟. A deserted island with a deserted beach and a safe anchorage would be found, a boat lowered and several off-duty men would proceed ashore armed with steak, onions, sausages and a plentiful supply of bear. In my later years in the Merchant Service, whilst the pay and conditions were so much better than in „The Andrew‟, commercial considerations never allowed for such experiences.

We were relieved as Tawau Guard Ship on 20 December by HMS Loch Fada. How I felt for those poor sods. Having been on a Loch class frigate I knew the conditions, broadside messing plus no air conditioning. I thought the poor sods on her would have been melting in the 21 days they spent in that heat, not even able to sling their hammocks on deck in the cool of the night as the decks would have been cleared for action. Only years later did I read that Loch Fada, at the time the last of her class in the RN, had been fitted with air conditioning for Persian Gulf patrols so my concern for the welfare of our RN mates hadn‟t been completely necessary.

Back to Singapore for Christmas. We arrived on 23 December and went into a period of alongside maintenance. Christmas day was unmemorable apart from the excessive amounts of alcohol consumed, commencing with a large silver foil ball of Pusser‟s rum brought down to our mess, 3F, by the Navigation Direction Officer, us being his boys (how the culture has changed). Having said that, one event did occur which in years to come was to prove of interest. Our Chief Petty Officer Radar Plot Instructor was flown home due to his wife being taken suddenly very ill and he was replaced by a Petty Officer Radar Plot 1, flown out at short notice to complete the commission. Many years later in 2002, I was sitting at my home in Melbourne when the phone rang and on answering it I heard an English accent I knew so well, my old PO RP1 who, on establishing he was indeed talking to me, said “You were a cheeky young bugger when

234 I joined that ship in Christmas 1965, and I bet you still are.” Prior to his recent demise we still communicated from time to time whenever he was in Melbourne, along with another old mate from Taranaki‟s Ops Room who made naval history when he was the Ops Room Sweeper (cleaner) and was found by the „Jimmy‟ (First Mate in Merchant parlance) unconscious on the Ops Room deck. The Jimmy, immediately suspected electrocution and commenced trying to resuscitate him. In fact it was his 20th birthday and he was dead drunk. He got away with it probably because the Jimmy was embarrassed but also because he had the Jaunty (Master at Arms) in his pocket. Another amusing story concerning that certain PO RP1, is that shortly after he joined, myself and another Topman were over the side on a stage after lunch. The new boss came out from the PO‟s Mess quite the worse for wear. He told us our painting technique was not good enough and climbed onto the stage to show us how to do it. Of course he fell off and we pissed ourselves laughing. I reminded him of it more than once after we were reacquainted but ne never did he see the funny side of it.

Living in Terror

„Living in terror‟ not many can say they spent weeks living in terror but many in the RN can. HMS Terror was the RN barracks in Sembawang and on my birthday, 3 January 1966, the ships company of HMNZS Taranaki moved into HMS Terror while our ship moved into Floating Dock No.10. Terror was a wonderful experience. A left over from the Empire, it was colonial in every sense. The barrack blocks were two storied and spacious. All of them overlooked a large parade ground. The 30 or so rooms of each block slept about 12 with six beds down each side and all opened up onto a wide, open balcony. There was no glass in the windows which opened onto the balcony, only shutters to keep out any rain which might make it across the width of the balcony. On the ceilings were fans and, without air conditioning, the temperature was always comfortable, those Empire builders knew something about tropical architecture.

Humour is to be found everywhere and one sight implanted in my mind occurred one day just after midday in Terror. I had just returned to my barrack having had my midday meal and was leaning over the balcony balustrade, smoking and watching the passing parade of matelots coming and going from the dining hall. Loud laughter filled the air and two dogs were seen indulging in sexual congress in the middle of the parade ground. A Chinese cook suddenly appeared from the galley armed with a large pot of water which he duly emptied over the courting couple. The bitch took off and was last seen with the dog being dragged along by its member.

The Royal Navy barrack menu was also a delight for a young man, chips with every meal, even breakfast. Being overweight was years away and cholesterol had not been heard of. It was there I discovered haute de cruisine in the shape of a „chip butty‟ and first experienced Pusser‟s rum. Being such a large establishment, the daily midday rum issue was difficult to police and slipping a tot to a young bloke in exchange for doing a duty watch, could go undetected. Much time was spent in the base pool and for a change we could spend a night at Aggie Westons where for little money we could swim in the pool, have a room to oneself (a luxury) and eat „banjoes‟ the local omelette. Nights down at the strip in Sembawang Village, drinking in the myriad of bars there just for our custom, saying no to the continuous chorus of “You buy me drink” from the bar girls and learning to laugh at the retorts of “You cheap cheap” in response to our rejection of the offer. Singapore today is not at all like that and Sembawang Village now has about three bars and no sailors, although the monsoon ditch is still there, the same monsoon ditch into which I saw not a few inebriated matelots fall accompanied by guffaws of uproarious laughter. Oh happy days!

On pay weeks we would get one of the ubiquitous Mercedes diesel taxis along Thompson Road, across the island to Singapore itself. Although on Sunday nights we would only go halfway, to Nee Soon to the Travelling Market where one could soak up the atmosphere, eat hawker food and drink Tiger beer even if not tempted by the „bargains‟ on sale.

On one excursion to Singapore along Thompson Road in one of the said diesel Mercedes, the driver lost control and veered off the road coming to a stop when he collided with some immovable object. I was

235 quite shaken and had still not gathered my wits when I was confronted by the driver demanding to be paid his fare. It was obvious the journey was not going to be completed in his cab. I gathered my wits very quickly and told him to go and have sex with himself (or words to that effect). A crowd gathered and it was not looking good for me. Another taxi screamed to a halt and a voice yelled “Hey Kiwi, get your arse in here, pronto”. Saved by the RAN; I have been a great supporter of the ANZAC spirit ever since.

Singapore stops included the Britannia Club which was for British servicemen only. British colonialism was still the norm and the only locals seen in the Britannia Club were the employees. Even if one wanted to invite a local Singaporean in, they would not get past the Sikh guards on the doors, the irony escaped me at the time. I did, however, meet the exception, Ghurkas were most definitely admitted and I can‟t recall anybody ever picking a quarrel with them. My memory of the Ghurkas is their quite voices and gentle natures. On leaving the Britannia Club one was overwhelmed by the cacophony of noise and the calls of elderly trishaw drivers clambering for our business. It was not uncommon for a group of us to take three or four and pay them to race for long distances until they were exhausted, urging them along all the time with cries of “Come on John” (all Chinese were referred to as John). The arrogance and ignorance of youth; these men had not an ounce of fat on them and no doubt struggled to make a living. They were all survivors of the Japanese occupation and yet here we were, 17-18 year old idiots, treating them like they didn‟t matter. When I go to Singapore now and see the economic miracle, I think of these men‟s children who are more likely than not well educated and living much better lives than their parent‟s generation and I know their parent‟s hard work was not wasted. On reflection their stoicism had no doubt been honed by their experience of the Japanese occupation.

One night I met a Kiwi girl at the Britannia Club, she told me her father was in the New Zealand Army stationed in Singapore. I asked her if I could see her the next time our ship was in Singapore, she agreed and gave me her number. A week later I rang and we met at the club. She said I was invited to her parent‟s home for dinner and shortly after an Army staff car arrived driven by a Corporal. We arrived at the house, one of those very nice British built bungalows set in lush tropical gardens. There was a plaque on the door which declared the occupant to be a Brigadier, not just any Brigadier but the Commanding Officer of the New Zealand Army in Malaysia. He shook my hand and asked me what I would like to drink. How does a 17 year old matelot answer this question when it is put to him by a Brigadier? Perhaps I should have asked for a pink gin but no, I stuttered “A beer please”. They were very nice people but I felt completely out of my depth and so ended my friendship with the Brigadier‟s daughter.

Another time I was summoned to the Jossman‟s office (another name for the Jaunty, coined by British matelots during the French wars from gendarme) a not unusual occurrence in my case. I was asked what my plans were for the coming evening and I replied I was not sure. I was told that I was now; I was to attend a function at the home of the Australian Ambassador along with two other junior ratings. We were collected in the ambassadorial limo and taken to this very impressive home which quite obviously outranked that of the Brigadier. A barbeque was prepared on a sloping manicured lawn which lay outside of French doors beyond the drawing room. The Ambassador had three young daughters and a very pleasant evening was spent on that lawn. We could drink what we liked and eat whatever was presented to us. I am pleased to report that none of us let the side down. To this day I wonder at the Australian Ambassador contacting the ship and asking for three junior ratings to attend such a social function which was put on only for our benefit.

All good things come to an end and on 1 February 1966, it was back to sea and patrols in the Malacca Straits. The same routine but this time not in Borneo. On 4 February Taranaki arrested the occupants of an armed Indonesian boat which was then sunk by gunfire. The occupants, as was the accepted procedure, were handed over to the Malaysian Police.

Back to Borneo

On 25 February, after a few days back in Singapore, we again sailed for Tawau and the Borneo patrols. We arrived on 1 March and settled back into the routine. One incident did relieve the monotony when

236 one Sunday morning, as we eased into Tawua, amongst the ships loading logs was Jardine‟s Ho Sang with a full cargo of logs hard up on a reef. While her deck cargo was being jettisoned with her own gear, we on Taranaki were busy manhandling our towing hawser from its stowage in the forepeak down aft to the quarterdeck. I should add that we were not happy as we had been looking forward to a „make and mend‟ and now we were sweating our guts out. Merchant seamen often ask why the need for so many deck seamen on warships as there always appears to be a cast of hundreds fore and aft when tying up or letting go. The answer is of course that seamen on warships are also qualified gunners, sonar men and radar men with their numbers determined by the ship‟s fighting requirements. When not closed up for action there are therefore a lot of gash hands with little to do, but they were all most welcome getting that towing hawser to where it was needed on that Sunday. Another point often missed by merchant seamen is the lack of labour-saving devices on the decks of warships. With only twin capstans on the fo‟c‟sle for anchor handling, the rest is done by what is referred to in the Merchant Navy as „Norwegian steam‟ (by hand). I suspect that by rigging snatch blocks and leading a line to the capstan, a great deal of „hauley hauley‟ could have been avoided, but why bother when there are plenty of hands to do it.

The motor boat was lowered and a messenger line taken to the stern of Ho Sang. With her after windlass she heaved inboard the end of the towing wire and made it fast to her after bits. We then waited for high water at which time we took up the slack and with our super-heated steam turbines straining, we slowly pulled her after bits out of her deck. We had however nudged her enough to allow her to extract herself from her predicament by the use of her own engines a couple of days later when she had further lightened herself by jettisoning all of her deck cargo. Our visions of Lloyd‟s salvage money disappeared out the scuttle and our Sunday „make and mend‟ had been wasted to no good effect.

Some years later I was the 8-12 lookout on James Cook, a new combined ro/ro and cellular container ship on the Eastern Searoad Service between Melbourne and Japan. She was a joint venture between H.C. Sleigh and Jardines. The officers were Jardine men and the captain, a Scot, was in the habit of spending half an hour on the bridge wing every evening at sea chatting with me. I related the story of Ho Sang and he knew it well, he had been Mate on her at the time. He confirmed she would never have got off without Taranaki‟s pull and that Jardines was quite pleased with the outcome, mainly the fact it hadn‟t cost them anything, after all they were a Scottish company.

HMS Lanton alongside Taranaki at Tawau. The rating is loading ammunition clips with the ship‟s dog keeping him company. (R.A.Priest/NAA collection)

237 Another diversion was our standing by the grounded RN Ton class minesweeper HMS Lanton on 15 March. I can no longer recall the event with any clarity but it couldn‟t have been serious as Lanton was tied up alongside us at Tawau shortly after. I do recall she had a dog onboard as did the RNZN Ton class, HMNZS Hickleton then stationed at Singapore. I recall this, as they had named their dog Hicklebury Hound which I thought was quite a clever play on words.

A Well-Earned Break in Hong Kong

Traditionally ships of the Far East Fleet had done „show-the-flag‟ cruises to various exotic ports in the East, Penang, Bangkok and nearly always, one or two ports in Japan. Not for us however, apart from a week in Hong Kong where we arrived on 25 March.

Taranaki crew at Hong Kong 26 March 1966. (RNZN photograph)

Entering Hong Kong is akin to Sydney; it never fails to impress. It was autumn and we changed into Number 1s, blue serge uniforms which we had not worn since leaving New Zealand. Our arrival was greeted by the band of the Queen‟s Own Buffs, the British Army Regiment then stationed at Hong Kong. They were called this due to buff being the colour of their shoulder flashes, but at the time our Killick, Scouse McClelland, explained to me that it actually stood for “Buck up for f..k sake”.

Hong Kong in those days was a sailor‟s paradise. We tied up alongside the basin at HMS Tamar which is no longer there, in fact the sea is no longer there. Tamar was on Victoria Island, next to Wan Chai,

238 generally recognised as the sleazy district, but apart from bars and brothels there was a myriad of tailor shops and this is what interested us young fellows. Gabardine uniforms with zips in the front of both jacket and bells and embroidered dragons on the inside cuffs, were the mark of an old China hand, and we of course saw ourselves now as old China hands. A week‟s pay was spent on „tiddley‟ uniforms. Slim in leg and bell bottoming out from the knee; tight on the trunk with U shaped fronts, very „Jack me tickler tin‟. Also in demand were civilian suits and tailor-made shirts with one‟s name embroidered in Chinese characters on the pocket. At least that is what we were told; it could have meant „Silly Bugger‟ for all we knew.

Operations Room crew Taranaki. The author is second from left in the front row. (RNZN photograph)

Ships on the Far East Station always had Chinese tailors, boot makers and laundry men living onboard from time of arrival until departure. These men moved from ship to ship, joining a new arrival as one departed and on one occasion I recall them staying with HMNZS Blackpool when she returned to New Zealand for a very short period before going back to the Far East. Tailor-made suits and shirts could be ordered from the onboard tailors and paid for on terms. The Hong Kong tailors therefore had some stiff competition and they enticed customers with free beer. On off-pay weeks us young blokes with no money soon learnt that when broke, one could walk to Wan Chai from Tamar and get measured up for 12 suits in 12 different tailor shops. That equated to a dozen beers after which one could amble back onboard feeling quite nicely thank you. This was called, not unexpectedly, going on a tailor shop run.

A further Hong Kong tradition and legend was Ah Moy (Jenny) and the gang of girls in her side party. Ah Moy was contracted by the RNZN to chip and paint the sides of all RNZN ships in Hong Kong. The girls were not allowed in the messes but Jenny was the exception and she was known to enjoy a tot from time to time in the Chiefs‟ Mess. It was said she had been born on a sampan in Causeway Bay in 1917. She died in 2009 at 92 years of age. Her two daughters were educated by the ship‟s fund of the cruiser HMNZS Royalist and she was the recipient of the British Empire Medal in 1980. She had a mountain of memorabilia from her association with the RN, RAN and RNZN including letters of praise from all and sundry including the Duke of Edinburgh. She was photographed with all, including men who later became Admirals. She was illiterate but her knowledge of ship husbandry was exceptional; while half a dozen A.B.s painted the wharf side of the ship, Jenny‟s girls would do the seaward side from their sampans in half the time.

Many USN ships were calling at that time on rest and recreation from Vietnam. Their ships were dry and their junior ratings had midnight leave, referred to by us as „Cinderella‟ leave. By now, unlike in Pearl

239 Harbor, we were no longer naive and, unlike our American counterparts, were attuned to alcohol, plus we had overnight leave. The trick was to go ashore late, wait until midnight when the Yanks suddenly disappeared and the price of everything dropped dramatically.

The China Fleet Club was another Hong Kong icon. On the waterfront in Wan Chai, it was the Royal Navy ratings‟ club. It was large and very busy. The China Fleet Club was famous for its Tombola games which were fast and furious, only an expert would consider playing more than one card. If one missed a number, too bad and in the China Fleet Club there could be hundreds playing Tombola. Large amounts were invested and the Snowball could reach a desirable sum. It was not unknown for the winner of the Snowball to be escorted back to his ship by the Naval Patrol with his winnings then handed to the Officer of the Day to be put in the ship‟s safe.

The next time I was in Hong Kong on a warship, the British had withdrawn from the Far East and the China Fleet Club was a shadow of its former self. The only RN men frequenting the club were based there with their families at Tamar and manning the Bird class patrol boats, or the crews of occasional visiting RN warships. The Tombola games were no more. I met some of the patrol boat boys, together with their wives, and was invited back to their homes where we spent the evening playing charades; a sign of maturity perhaps. My last time in Hong Kong was on a BHP ship with a cargo of steel and I couldn‟t even find the China Fleet Club. The corner where it had been was by then quite a way from the waterfront.

Although a digression from Taranaki and her third commission, that second visit to Hong Kong on HMNZS Waikato in 1972 saw us tied up in the basin at Tamar beneath the second floor windows of the Chiefs and Petty Officers Mess. The rum issue had just been discontinued in the Royal Navy but not, thank God, in the RNZN. It was amusing to see all those RN men wistfully looking out the windows of their mess down onto our flight deck at tot time and it wasn‟t long before many were visiting our ship at about midday each day. The Jaunty must have felt some sympathy for them as many a tot changed hands without his beady eye ever catching sight of it and we all made good friends amongst those lads, as related in the previous paragraph. That visit was also memorable for another reason. From the window of the Tamar Chiefs and PO‟s Mess the ex Queen Elizabeth was pointed out to me as she lay at anchor off Stonecutters Island. I decided I would hire a boat and take a closer look at her on our return to Hong Kong following two weeks in Japan but when we got back she was a burnt-out hulk.

Back to Singapore and then Home

Taranaki‟s sojourn at Hong Kong lasted until 12 April 1966 when we sailed for Singapore and rendezvoused with HMAS Melbourne, HMAS Yarra and HMAS Supply for the voyage south. We entered the naval base line ahead on 15 April and tied up outboard of Yarra. Yarra had a large brass kookaburra (referred to by us as „the budgie‟) fixed to the top of her gun turret. The next morning an Aussie voice was heard to call “Oy you Kiwi bastards, have you seen our fecking parrot?” Vehement denials were followed by official negotiations at Wardroom level after which the said kookaburra was returned to its proper home. Of course the kookaburra is not a parrot it is a member of the kingfisher family.

Only two days in Singapore, during which our Chinese men paid off, all debts to them hopefully settled, and we eagerly awaited our much-anticipated voyage home. No email or mobile phones in those days, the only communication with loved ones was by letter, more often than not of the „Dear John‟ variety.

A last run ashore up „The Village‟ and then on 17 April we sailed for Auckland but not by the most direct route, no that would be through Indonesia. We had to sail over the top and down through New Guinea to Manus Island where we arrived for bunkers on 23 April 1966. Manus had been a significant naval base during WWII but now it was reduced to a bunker station with a small crew of RAN personal. Today it is again in the headlines due to the establishment of an internment camp for illegal boat people attempting to reach Australia from Indonesia. On passage we learnt that the Indonesian president, Sukano, had been subjected to some kind of military coup and „Confrontation‟ was over. The truth was somewhat

240 more complicated, but Sukano‟s desires in Borneo and his objections to a „greater‟ Malaysia were now the least of his worries and in 1967 he was forced from power.

After topping up at Manus we headed to Townsville for our final bunker stop before crossing „the Ditch‟ to home. We arrived Townsville 27 April and departed on the 29th. We were warned the vessel could be subjected to anti-Vietnam War demonstrators and the duty watch consequently rigged fire hoses on the seaward side to repel boarders. Sure enough at 2230 two dinghies and a raft were spotted approaching the vessel. Their occupants were very quickly engulfed in high-pressure water and their intention of painting slogans on the ship‟s side was thwarted. The next day a large crowd of demonstrators arrived on the wharf to protest the „harsh‟ treatment their colleagues had been dealt the night before. The attending police were openly pleased with what had transpired. The Captain came to the top of the brow and when they fell silent, he addressed them by saying that if they had pulled such a stunt where we had just come from they would have been met with much more that high-pressure water. In fact during the whole of our Confrontation time we had been obliged to maintain anti-frogmen watches including the dropping of the occasional scare charge.

Prior to leaving New Zealand the previous year we had taken onboard currency of each nation we were visiting and now we were paid in brand-new, crisp, mint-condition Australian one pound notes. In the interim Australia had converted to decimal currency and our one pound notes were consequently in great demand by the locals. We parted with them at a price somewhat more than their face value. It was my first visit to Australia and little did I know then that I was destined to live the majority of my life there, albeit at the other end of the continent.

Townsville was also my first exposure to blatant, in your face, racism. A group of us were in a Townsville bar when approached by two aboriginals who asked us to buy them a drink. We were about to oblige when the barman informed us that aboriginals were not served and if we insisted, neither would we. It was quite a shock to me.

Kaitawa and 60º South

We returned from our adventures in Borneo with Indonesian Konfrontasi to Auckland‟s Devonport Naval Base on a bright sunny morning on 5 May 1966. I was met on the wharf by my girlfriend‟s mother who advised me that her daughter was now my ex girlfriend. I was not surprised as her once twice-weekly letters had faded to nothing. I didn‟t dip out altogether though, as she took me home where I enjoyed the apple crumble she had promised to make for me when we had departed all those months before. Disappointed in love, I elected to not proceed on leave with the majority of the crew, but to „work by‟, otherwise referred to as the Retard Party. I thought at the time retard was a good description as one probably needed to be retarded to volunteer for it but as it turned out it was a sound decision as on 28 May, men on leave were recalled. Those in the South Island could not get back so ratings from HMNZS Philomel barracks were rushed onboard (the old „pier-head jump) and we sailed for North Cape the following morning to search for the Union Steam Ship Co.‟s collier Kaitawa which had disappeared somewhere off North Cape in atrocious weather. We rounded North Cape at midnight and were on site at 0600 where we joined HMNZS Inverell. We searched all day along a line from Cape Maria Van Dieman to Cape Reinga and mid afternoon our side scan sonar detected Kaitawa on the ocean floor. She was lost with all hands including a first-trip Deck Boy and an ex RNZN rating, Frank Underwood, who had served in Taranaki. It was a sad time for all of us and there was little conversation that day, the mood was sombre.

That evening we received a signal to proceed with haste to Dunedin, almost at the bottom of the South Island. It transpired that an American serviceman, wintering over at Scott Base, had been badly injured and needed to be airlifted to Christchurch. In those days the American Antarctic program, Operation Deep Freeze, used Globemaster aircraft which only had the range to get to Scott Base from Christchurch. Once there they had to land despite what the weather might be doing. In summer, USN or RNZN ships had been stationed at 60º south to weather report. This was the half-way point for the Globemasters and if the report was not good, they turned back to Christchurch, but this was winter and

241 in winter there were no flights to Scott base and no ships stationed at 60º south. The RNZN vessels used for this duty were the Loch Class Pukaki and Rotoiti. I recalled having been concerned for the comfort of the men in HMS Loch Fada all those months ago in Borneo when they had relieved us as Tawau Guard Ship, but their discomfort was nothing compared to what Pukaki and Rotoiti went through down there, and we were about to experience it in winter.

We raced for Dunedin, almost the whole length of New Zealand. Before we left we transferred our divers to Kiama and as soon as our boat was back inboard, at about 1800, we worked up to 26 knots and headed south. We slowed to 16 knots at midday the next day due to cross traffic in Cook Strait as we crossed from the North Island‟s west coast to the east coast of the South. We took on the Pilot at 0200 the next morning and berthed at the Dunedin oil jetty at 0340 and it was „brass monkeys‟. We had sailed 790 nautical miles from Cape Reinga to Dunedin in 34 hours at an average speed of 23 knots.

Now we had to store ship. In Auckland our freezers had been emptied to comply with quarantine regulations and the only food onboard was that which had been brought on to provide for the expected few days looking for Kaitawa. The Dunedin early morning cold violently reminded us of our complete lack of cold-weather clothing, only a few weeks before we had been in the tropics. The people who make decisions, being aware of this had, the day before, dispatched a RNZAF C130 from Auckland with Antarctic clothing for us. Very quickly the oil wharf was crowded with butchers, bakers, milkman and a Chinese vegie man. In the freezing cold we kept warm by carrying all this lot onboard while we bunkered.

At 0917 we let go and passed Taiaroa Heads at 1040. We altered to 200º and headed for 60º south. The weather slowly worsened with a south-west gale, sleet and snow. Access to the upper deck was banned. I recall walking forward in the main drag just as, for some reason, the hatch behind the gun turret next to 3F Mess was opened for a minute and a draught of frozen air rushed past me. It was the coldest I had felt in my life. In all my years at sea, including four on a rig tender in Bass Strait, I never witnessed seas like it. My overall impression was grey, the sky, the sea, the ship, just grey. It felt like we were going to the end of the earth. All hands not on duty were advised to stay in their bunks and all work was suspended. Long serving men, even those who had served in WWII, remarked that in all of their years in „The Andrew‟, they had never experienced such a thing. The tables and benches in the cafeteria were lashed away and anybody desirous of eating was obliged to wedge himself into some place on the cafeteria deck. The means of getting oneself with one‟s meal from the galley slide across the main drag and into the cafeteria, developed into an art form. The trick was to wait until the ship rolled to port and the cafeteria swing doors flew inwards and to then run downhill into the cafeteria, side stepping previously dropped meals, and hoping you made it before she rolled back to starboard and the doors swung shut in your face. Once in and wedged, much amusement was to be had by watching others attempting the same, not all successfully. My abiding memory of this was the milk churn which broke free from its lashings and hurtled downhill through the doors, across the cafeteria and into the bulkhead whereupon its contents were ejected into an electrical space. Even in adversity there is humour and this extraordinary event had us laughing until we cried. I suspect it was most likely a cook who had lashed it.

By noon on 6 June we were almost at 60º south, steering 190º and doing 4.5 knots. I was on the bridge watching the bow dig into the sea as the water rushed up to turret and then slowly lifted. On some occasions the props would come out of the sea aft and the whole ship would vibrate. On one such occasion we were overtaken by a sea just as the bow dipped and the props gripped and started driving us down. The sea came up past the turret and onto the bridge face. Slowly we recovered and the bow came back up. I was shaken by the experience and I turned to look at the Captain, his face was ashen.

The aircraft had overflown us during the night and now the USAF pilot on the return flight thanked us for our efforts and said he was glad he was up there and not down where we were. Nothing is without an upside, however, and for us down 3F it was the number of young fellows who had been crash drafted from Philomel. They were not handling the weather at all well but they were encouraged to draw their beer issue (two cans per man, per day, perhaps) in the evening regardless, and to hand it over to us.

Ice was forming on deck; the barometer reading was 979.1. At 1430 we turned for home and now our

242 seemingly permanent list to port became a list to starboard. We proceeded at a careful seven knots and arrived in Dunedin at 1530 on 8 June. As we proceeded up the Dunedin Channel in bright sunshine, school children at a school came out and cheered as we passed. We had gone from Singapore to 60º south in six weeks. I felt a spot of leave would be justly deserved, but we were scheduled for the annual Auckex beginning 18 June. We arrived back in Auckland on 10 June and eight days later embarked training classes and went out for gunnery training and yet another Auckex for the next two weeks, after which I finally went on leave.

Sword Hilt

The ensuing weeks were spent in the Auckland area until 1 October when we sailed for Sydney and the Operations Room crew spent the next week training at the Australian Navy Navigation/Direction School at HMAS Watson on South Head. On 10 October we sailed for New Ireland in company with HMAS Melbourne, Sydney, Supply, Vampire, Duchess, Hobart and Derwent. It was Exercise Sword Hilt and our force was to intercept and „destroy‟ Orange Force consisting of HMS Victorious, Kent, Arethusa, Leander, Cleopatra, Tidespring, Tidepool, Resurgent and Reliant which had sailed from Singapore. Our plan was to hide in secluded bays in New Ireland and pounce on them when they came past. In any event a day or two of very pleasant time was had anchored in a bay trading with the locals who came out to us in their outrigger canoes.

Taranaki passing Circular Quay on 28 October 1966. (R.A.Priest collection)

After the exercise we all proceeded to Sydney where we entered harbour on 28 October in line astern headed by HMS Victorious and watched by huge crowds on every vantage point. It was the largest fleet entry into Sydney since the end of WWII, at least that was what I was told and from my Special Sea Duty Men station on the starboard bridge wing, I took in every second of it. As the big ships berthed at Garden Island, the destroyers and frigates went up the harbour, under the „Coat hanger‟ around Cockatoo Island and back.

After Sydney we went to Jervis Bay for noise ranging and then back to Auckland where we arrived 4 November and de-ammunitioned ready for dry docking. The third commission was over. I was nearly 19 by now. My boy‟s time was behind me and I had nearly completed the first year of „my eight‟ (in those days one signed up for eight years from the age of 18, boys time did not count). I was a Radar Plot 3, an Able Seaman, had the General Service Medal (Borneo) and only a year away from being old enough to draw my tot legally. I was drafted ashore to Philomel Boats‟ Party.

I eventually did make it into the Merchant Navy where I stayed for 14 years. In my 30s I enrolled in University to complete the education which I had cut short so early to fulfil my driving ambition to go to sea. I did not take maths! After 22 years my seagoing desires were sated and I came ashore. I have only ever stepped aboard one merchant ship since then and that was to visit an old ex RNZN shipmate who

243 was the Master. I have only stepped on two warships since I left the Navy. In early 1975 I wandered over to Taranaki at Geelong when she tied up not far from Iron Wyndham, the ship I was on. I spotted an old Waikato shipmate on the quarterdeck and was invited to the for‟ard PO‟s Mess where I was reacquainted with the rum bottle. I do not recall returning to my ship but apparently I did. The second occasion was HMNZS Canterbury at Port Melbourne in the late 1990s when my wife and I attended a cocktail party on the quarterdeck. I was obliged to visit the after heads and while doing so I cast my eye up the main drag; the memories came flooding back.

CORRESPONDENCE

Cartela from D.Palmer

Dear Sir,

Firstly thank you very much for your outstanding efforts re publication of The log which is always a very good and completely informative read, and a credit to you all.

I was delighted to read of Cantela and her pending restoration in Vol.51, No.3, Issue 213, p 206. And attach for your information some articles from the local Huon News which supports your story. No ore news but some nice photos to confirm the current situation. Cantela is berthed at Franklin, on the Huon River, about 20 miles as the crow flies, south of Hobart and a delightful small town. With a marina and also the wooden-boat building school, we all trust Cantela remains in good hands. Given she is the same age as Titanic (1912) she is unique and in incredible condition given her age and working life. Everyone in Hobart must have travelled on her at some stage. She has been a commuter, party boat, freighter and everything in between.

My wife and I were in Franklin earlier this week and I have to say it is a bit sad to see her laid up and idle, so we all trust it is a temporary phase only. As for steamship restoration is concerned, my understanding was the castings came from the former Derwent ferry Excella and I believe a triple expansion.

Thanks again for running the story re the Cantela and again for the terrific publication The Log. We await Cantela progress with great anticipation and I hope the cuttings are of some interest to you.

52 Suncoast Drive, Blackmans Bay, Tasmania, 7052.

ERRATA

Vol.51, No.3, Issue 213.

P.176: The picture of South Steyne shows her at Newcastle and not Port Adelaide and although part of the late Malcolm Dippy‟s collection, the fact it was taken at Newcastle suggests it was taken by the late Percy Hunt.

P.177: Para. 3, last line, for Long Reach read Long Reef.

P.154 (last line), P.155 (second line and para 7, line one, and P.161 (para 3, line one): references to Harbour should read Harbor.

P.174: Para , line 14, neither ship ever visited Kwinana

P. 174: For clarification, Cooktown is on the Endeavour River and the Fitzroy River passes through Rockhampton.

244 SHIPS GANGWAYS

from Capt. P.Hay

150 years ago, steam ships were small and crews were big. Space was at a premium. Gangways were lashed outside the ships rails vertically to save space. When it was swung ashore stanchions were placed in sockets at the side and manropes were rigged through them.

As ships got bigger the gangway got longer. Eventually it got too long for a single wooden span. It was then usually made of aluminium, for weight, but it was still lashed to the ships rail in the housed position before being swung out and lowered with its own set of blocks and tackles and winch. While the upper handrail are part of this and swing up and out when the gangway is lowered, the two lower hand ropes have to be reeved manually, as does the totally useless safety net underneath. This all takes time and people waiting to board the ship after it docks frequently have to wait for quarter of an hour after the small crew finish tying the ship up and then get the gangway out.

Years ago the gangway on my ship got badly buckled. The reasons were twofold. First because we now do not have enough crew to have someone on gangway duty the gangway gets lowered on to the wharf and a set of wheels on the bottom platform are meant to let it move up and down the wharf to allow for tide and cargo movement. The wheels were too small and one got jammed in a recessed railway track and the ladder buckled. If it had been steel the engineers might have been able to weld it, but not aluminium. The shore-side contractors then found the gangway was too long to get on the back of a truck, so they had to cut it in half on the wharf, take the buckled end away to be fixed, and then both ends had to be welded together again on the wharf.

An answer to this might be to have the gangway as a one piece solid steel structure with all handrails and safety netting permanently rigged (similar to the ones in dry dock). This would live on deck inboard. A small dedicated crane, strategically placed, would lift it up to put the upper end into a mounting on the ships side and then the lowering the other end on to the wharf. Because of its location and sight lines this crane would then be suitable for loading amounts of small stores etc. on board. Shore side visitors could spare a thought for joining/leaving crew members trying to join/leave the ship carrying two suitcases under the present circumstances.

In conclusion, still having the gangway lashed to the ships side to save space, when there is acres of space available makes no sense.

NAA PUBLICATIONS AVAILABLE

A LUCKY SHIP –The Nine Lives of the Australian Coaster ‘Tambar’ 1912-1960……………… . $30.00 THE CURRIE LINE OF MELBOURNE……………………………………………...…………………… $7.00 IN CORAL SEAS - The History of the New Guinea Australia Line………………………………..….. $15.00 HUDDART PARKER - A Famous Australasian Shipping Company 1876-1961……..……………... $30.00 Prices include pack/post for Aust. & NZ. Aust. orders to The Treasurer, NAA, A.Knott, PO Box 237, Leopold, Vic. 3224. Visa/Master cards accepted. Email [email protected]. NZ customers can pay by cheque only, payable to NAA in NZ$ equivalent to above, to Lindsay Butterfield, 10 Guys Hill Rd, Napier, 4110. Prices of the three older publications (other than A Lucky Ship) have been reduced. Special sale prices are also available for these three books if ordered together with a copy of A Lucky Ship.Details are also available on the NAA website www.nautical.asn.au Ask for pricing for multiple orders not involving Tambar.

245

Australian Progress (10,186/1960) at Hobart 21 January 1969 (D.E.Kirby)

Mawson (15,579/1972) departing Melbourne (R.A.Priest/NAA collection)

246

Tasman (20,622/1990) departing Melbourne 2 February 1996 (R.A.Priest/NAA collection)

Mobil Australis (16,890/1972) at Hobart 12 March 1983 (K.Barr)

247 M.V. SAN EDUARDO

from Capt.D.Wilson

I was on West Breeze in Semarang when I was told by the Agent that there was an urgent phone call from Djakarta Office. I proceeded ashore by boat and found that the tide was out and that I had to wade ashore through about 75 metres of black mud. Luckily I was wearing shorts and after removing my shoes and socks, waded ashore and to the great delight of the locals and had to be hosed down before going to the Agent‟s office.

On phoning Djakarta Office I was told that I would be signing off and promoting the 1st Mate (Pat Murphy- brother of well-known marine lawyer Peter) to his first command after which I was to travel by train overnight to Djakarta and then fly to Hong Kong to join San Eduardo (ex-Borgstad/Sisangu/Cosmo Trader).

Again I had to wade through the mud to the boat to return on board arriving with dried black mud up to my thighs and after calling the mate to my cabin and duly presenting him with a pair of epaulettes and handing over command, I packed up and waited for high tide before proceeding ashore to catch the train. As the train would be travelling overnight, and only having rudimentary knowledge of the language, I „borrowed‟ our Indonesian 3rd Mate to travel with me, much to his delight as he would have a few nights at home with his family before the ship returned to Djakarta on its loading rotation. After clearing Customs with the obligatory cartons of cigarettes we went to the railway station and joined the overnight Express.

As the train got underway the staff started unrolling sleeping bags in the main aisle between the seats and the 3rd mate grabbed one for me but I told him he could use it as I would be using the seat and he curled up at my feet after showing the other passengers the large knife he was carrying and saying a few words to let them know he was guarding me during the night.

We arrived safely at Djakarta the next morning and after a few hours sleep went to the airport and flew to Hong Kong where I was put up in a hotel for the night and told I would be going out to the vessel the next morning. I ventured out to a well- known watering hole named Joe‟s Bar and discovered the Master and Mate of Iron Yampi there having a drink. They‟re vessel was doing a docking at Kowloon Docks.

The next morning on our way by „Walla Walla‟ to San Eduardo I observed Iron Yampi tied up alongside the dockyard and could not see any safety arrangements for typhoon season in place. I brought this to the attention of the Captain that night and gave him a copy of the regulations which all our ships, being Hong Kong regulars, carry heaps of. The next morning I was pleased to see that he had stirred the dockyard up and that the vessel was being manoeuvred under the cranes to get their spare anchor over the side on the Insurance wire.

Meanwhile San Eduardo was discharging bulk cement clinker into open barges and having had frequent rain showers some of the clinker had already solidified. After about another week we eventually completed discharge and had our holds hosed down, when No.3 Typhoon signal was hoisted and hasty preparations were made to sail for the east coast of the Philippines to load logs for Europe.

On sailing we headed for the north of Luzon. The Chief Engineer opened her up and we got up to a speed of sixteen knots as we headed as fast as we could away from Hong Kong where the typhoon was due to hit in the early hours of the next day. We proceeded to Casiguran for custom‟s clearance and then spent the next five weeks travelling to little bays on the east coast of Luzon and loading logs out of log ponds often disrupted by large swells which caused the logs to escape and have to be rounded up. We eventually ended up in Apari to complete our deck cargo and get our Clearance to sail.

248 As the Suez Canal was still closed, we had to sail via the Cape of Good Hope and up the west coast of Africa where we started to have trouble with the main engine timing chain which required stopping and changing several links. This happened several times before arriving at our first port, St. Nazaire, to commence discharging our cargo.

St. Nazaire had a large dockyard and, with the help of the Agent, I was introduced to their Repair Manager and after explaining our difficulties she said they had a Gotaverken engineer at their Brest facility and arranged for him to attend on board the following day. This then involved a rather bizarre conversation with our Chinese Chief Engineer speaking to me in his fractured English, me speaking to the Agent and Repair Manager in English, and they then talking to the Engineer in French as he spoke no English. This all turned out to be of no avail as the engine had been built before the Engineer‟s time and he could not be of any use. We then, through our Hong Kong office, arranged for a Gotaverken engineer from Gothenburg to attend at our next port of Calais.

We anchored off Calais and found that the agents had been given the wrong length, BP instead of overall, and as a result the vessel was too long for the locks to go into the Inner Harbour and that we would have to wait until the Outer Harbour berth was available. We were also experiencing more trouble with the timing chain and it was decided to change out our remaining two spare links.

The next day a severe storm blew up and we started to drag anchor so a second anchor was let go. During the night the winds increased dramatically and the chain compressors on the fo‟c‟sle shattered and the cable on both anchors started to pull out of the locker against the brake. We battled our way for‟d to find that the windlass brakes had completely burnt out and that both cables were at their full extension. We rigged four turns of four inch relieving wires between the chain and the for‟d bitts to take the strain off the windlass and with the wind still increasing we dragged our anchors 14 miles up past all the sand banks off the coast and as the storm went past and the wind changed direction, we dragged 14 miles back to our original position without going aground. Ten other ships went aground on the banks during that night.

When it came time to go alongside we managed to get both anchors fully home and to get enough purchase on our burnt-out breaks to hold. I explained to the French Pilot that we did not have any brake pads left and would not be able to use the anchors during berthing to which I received a Gallic shrug and a “Pouff!” and we proceeded into the port during a lull in Cross Channel ferry traffic.

As we were swinging to go port side alongside the Pilot shouted “Let go starboard anchor one shackle on deck!” I tried to again explain but, the Pilot now red in the face again shouted “Let go starboard anchor one shackle on deck!” It was now my turn to give the Gallic shrug and give the order which, of course, resulted in the whole ten shackles running out with the Pilot going berserk yelling “Non, non, non, one shackle.” After berthing we again managed to retrieve our anchor and secure it with a wire strop.

After entry formalities were over, our Technical Director from Hong Kong, Mr. Williams, came on board and I took him up for‟d to survey the disaster area with the shattered chain compressors, broken four inch wire and brakeless windlass.

During discharge of our remaining logs all the damage for‟d was repaired and the Gotaverken Engineer surveyed our engine and ordered a complete new timing chain to be delivered and fitted at our next loading port of Dunkirk.

We berthed at Dunkirk in the Outer Harbour with the hovercraft coming up the beach right alongside us, and commenced to load beet sugar for North Yemen. The sugar was loaded in bags and hundreds of bamboo mats were used on the bottom and sides of the holds for insulation and to build air passages between the bags for ventilation.

With the inclement weather and the vessel fitted with portable beams and slab hatches the warehouses around the port were scoured and eventually turned up four hatch tents which would cover one end of

249 each of the hatches so that we could cover up easily without having to replace the beams and slabs. With a set of derricks at each end of the hatches this made it much easier to load keeping one end boxed up until needed.

While loading, our new complete timing chain was fitted to the main engine. Our Gotaverken Engineer gave the engine a complete going over and sailed with the ship from Dunkirk to Falmouth where he declared himself very satisfied and told the Chief he should have no further problems. As soon as he disembarked we proceeded once more down the African Coast, around the Cape of Good Hope and, up the Red Sea to Mocha where we discharged half the cargo and then sailed to Hudaydah to complete the rest.

Mocha was an anchorage with discharge into barges, but we went alongside in Hudaydah and the cargo was stacked on the wharf and left uncovered. As nature would have it, Hudaydah had its only rain in years which resulted in me writing a letter claiming any damage to the cargo resulting from this, which was solely the fault of the stevedores and consignees. While there the 3rd Mate was sacked for attacking the 1st Mate and sent back to the Philippines. We consequently sailed without a 3rd mate to Djibouti where we took bunkers en route to Thevenard to load Gypsum for Indonesia.

When time came to sail from Djibouti, I discovered the 1st Mate had gone ashore and told the Cadet, who was ashore with him, to come back to the ship and tell me he wasn‟t coming back until he had at least one night ashore. I had his gear packed and landed ashore and gave his Passport to the Agent and we sailed very short handed, officer wise, to Thevenard. I radioed the Company the circumstances and requested new officers to board with the Pilot in order to berth at Thevenard.

A new 1st and 3rd Mate duly boarded with the Pilot and we berthed without incident at Thevenard to load Gypsum for Sourabaya in Indonesia. After berthing I took a phone call from Mr. de Lasala from Sydney Office to tell me that a retired Union Company Superintendent, Captain A.C. Crosbie, would be joining and, as he had not been to sea for some time, to make sure he got a good handover and full instructions for the forthcoming voyage before going on a well-earned leave.

Captain Crosbie joined and when I tried to give him instructions about the forthcoming voyage I received a very abrupt “I don‟t need a young whippersnapper like you to tell me how to conduct a voyage” and he bade me farewell. I reported this to Sydney and they asked me to stay on in Thevenard and make sure everything went OK until the vessel safely sailed. That afternoon I received word from the Agent that the Filipino crew had downed tools and were refusing to square up the hatches in order to sail on the morning tide. I returned on board and went to the crew‟s messroom where I found them up in arms because the Captain had called them natives. I managed to calm them down and they agreed to go back to work if I stayed there and kept Captain Crosbie off their backs. I then went to the Captain‟s cabin and gave him a message from Sydney office to pull his head in and let me get the ship ready for sea. He did not take this too well but stayed in his cabin until I left about midnight with the ship squared up and ready to sail.

At breakfast the next morning I saw the Pilot come in and asked him if the ship had got away alright? He said when they were heaving up the anchor to get off the berth, the main steam valve on the windlass had sheared off and one of the piston rods had been bent so she was still alongside and the Chinese engineers were turning up a new valve and piston rod. Hopefully she would sail on the following morning tide. Which she did and I caught the plane home.

After about two weeks at home I received a phone call from Sydney asking me where I thought San Eduardo would be by now as they had heard nothing since the vessel sailed. I told them that she should be very close to Sourabaya. They then contacted one of our other vessels that was leaving Sourabaya to keep an eye out for them. They found them circling a buoy 20 miles off the coast waiting for a Pilot and informed them they had to steam due South for another 18 miles before getting to the pilot boarding ground. I later found out that on sailing the Captain had turned off the radar and gyro saying they weren‟t needed for the voyage. (to be continued) 250 MARITIME NEWS

Closing date for the next issue is 1 February 2019. Please forward all contributions, corrections and additional information to Dale Crisp: [email protected] or post to 104 Head Street, Brighton, Victoria, 3186. Photographs should be sent to Russell Priest: [email protected] or posted to 2 Bebington Close, Ringwood, Victoria, 3134.

Maritime News is compiled by Dale Crisp, who thanks Bill Barber, Peter Grunberg, John Nunn and Lindsay Rex (Vic), Buster Browne, John Bennett, John Burne, Ian Edwards, Ross Gillett, Peter Plowman and Alan Travers (NSW), Chris Mackey (Qld), Rex Cox, Bob Silberberg, Glenn Towler and Cody Williams (Tas), Chris Gee (WA), Reinhard Thieme (ACT) and Alan Calvert, Brent Hanson and Mike Pryce (NZ) for their assistance.

Information has also been sourced from a range of vessel owners, operators and agents, company websites, industry publications, mainstream media, the Aussie Ship Spotters Facebook page and the newsletters of the Hobart, NSW, Victoria and WA branches of the World Ship Society.

AUSTRALASIA and SOUTH PACIFIC

Cruise Shipping

P&O Cruises Australia has released details of its 2020 cruise program, revealing Pacific Aria (2017, p. 234) will reposition from Adelaide to Auckland in April 2020, Pacific Explorer (p. 34) will be based in Brisbane year-round from October 2020, while Pacific Dawn (p. 123), which has been operating from Brisbane since December 2009, will be permanently based in Melbourne. The company has announced Golden Princess (p. 179) will be renamed Pacific Adventure when it joins their fleet in October 2020. The new 2020 winter and spring program will offer 132 cruises in total including 57 short sailings of two, three and four nights in duration departing Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and Auckland.

Majestic Princess (144,216/17) arriving Port Melbourne 12 October 2018 (D.E.Crisp)

Princess Cruises will deploy the 3,560-pax Regal Princess (9584724, 142,714/14, Carnival Corp, Princess Cruise Lines Ltd, USA, mgrs.; Bermuda flag) out of Sydney from December 2020 to April 2021, operating with sistership Majestic Princess (p. 101). The addition represents a 40% increase in Princess Cruises‟ capacity from Sydney compared with the line‟s current 2018/19 summer season. Regal Princess Regal Princess will sail from Rome to Sydney and a more detailed deployment from Sydney will be announced in late March 2019. With five of its 18-strong fleet cruising down under in

251 2019, Princess Cruises ranks Australia as its biggest market outside the United States.

Celebrity Cruises will double its capacity in Australia in 2020/21, with the 2,886-pax Celebrity Eclipse (9404314, 121,878/10, Celebrity Eclipse Ltd, RCL Cruises Ltd, UK, mgrs.; Malta flag)to be based in Melbourne from 23 December 2020, after a major „Celebrity Revolution‟ drydocking and upgrade in Singapore. Celebrity Solstice (2016, p. 96) will continue to cruise out of Sydney.

Genting Hong Kong in mid-September announced Superstar Virgo (2015, p.185) will move to the group‟s upmarket brand Dream Cruises, becoming Explorer Dream, and after spending (northern hemisphere) 2019 spring and summer home ported in Shanghai and Tianjin, will relocate to offer 21 seven-day cruises from Sydney and Auckland in the southern hemisphere spring and summer. The cruise will be targeted at Asian passengers.

In early November Norwegian Cruise Line completed a two-week drydock and „Norwegian Edge‟ refurbishment in Singapore of Norwegian Jewel (p.180) ahead of deployment from Sydney from 1 December.

Paul Gauguin Cruises‟s namesake vessel Paul Gaugin (2016, p. 278) will visit Australia as part of its 2020 cruise program, albeit to Thursday Island. The relevant 16-night Fiji to Bali voyage departs 11 April 2020, from Lautoka, Fiji, and visits Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu; Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands; Samarai Island, Papua New Guinea; Port Moresby; Thursday Island; Dili, Timor-Leste; Komodo Island, Indonesia; and Benoa, Bali.

In early October US-based SunStone announced it had placed and order with China Merchants Group for a sistership to Aurora Expeditions‟ chartered Greg Mortimer (p. 35). The second ship, also to be built by China Merchants Heavy Industry, is due for delivery to Aurora in August 2020. SunStone holds options for up to nine Ulstein CX103 expedition cruise ships with CMG.

On 13 November Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours announced that the first sailing date for Scenic Eclipse (p. 35, 179) has been further „amended‟ to 13 April 2019. The ship was originally due to enter service in August 2018, but following issues at the shipbuilder, Uljanik, delivery of the luxury 228-guest vessel was delayed until January 2019. However, “Due to on-going financial issues at the Uljanik shipyard in Croatia, and a resultant strike by specialist engine and systems commissioning workers, this segment of the ship‟s completion has been delayed. Although the specialist commissioning teams did return to work last week, it will not be possible to catch up the nearly six weeks of lost time due to their strike,” Scenic said, in a statement. Scenic did not mention its second ship, Scenic Eclipse II (p.35), which is theoretically set to enter service in 2020.

In mid-October the chairman of Blue Star Line, Clive Palmer, announced work had recommenced on the construction of Titanic ll (2016, p. 96). The vessel is now expected to be put into service on the London – New York route across the Atlantic in 2022. Mr Palmer last announced progress on the project in 2015 when work was suspended due to his flagship company, Mineralogy, being in dispute with Chinese Government owned Citic Limited over the non-payment of hundreds of millions of dollars. This caused Titanic II construction to be suspended, but, late in 2017 the Western Australian Supreme Court ordered that Citic pay the money and work has recommenced at the Jinling Shipyard in China.

Australia Post has issued two new stamps featuring cruise ships anchored off Norfolk Island. The $1 stamp features Seven Seas Mariner while Pacific Explorer is on the $2 stamp. They can be purchased as a pair in a larger scene of Norfolk Island.

Deepsea Ferry

TT Line sisters Spirit of Tasmania I and II carried a record 448,764 passengers for 2017-18, which is 3% more than the year prior. The ships also notched up record freight volumes for the second year in a row, with the trailer equivalent of 105,208 TEU shipped compared to 103,430 TEU in 2016-17. Record

252 revenue reached $244.6 million, a 30% increase since 2012-13; and sailings increased by 3% to 859, with the highest number of day sailings since 2004. TT Line CEO Bernard Dwyer was elected to the board of trade association Interferry at the AGM in Mexico in October, at which the body‟s chairman Mike Grainger, MD of Liferaft Systems Australia and TT Line chairman, retired after 12 years on the Interferry board and six years as chairman.

According to a Greater Wellington Regional Council report KiwiRail‟s Interislander plans to have new, larger Cook Strait ro-paxes in service by 2022, requiring larger terminals and additional infrastructure. However, while KiwiRail acting CEO Todd Moyle earlier indicated the company intended to order an undisclosed number of replacement vessels by the end of 2018, at end November KiwiRail said no timeline was set and no decisions had been made. Greater Wellington wants to build a new multi-user terminal to accommodate Interislander and Bluebridge (Strait Shipping).

Dry and Liquid Bulk

Kuniang (14,912/08) inbound Burnie 30 August 2013 (D.E.Crisp)

Hong Kong-based Asia Pacific Maritime and Fenwick Shipping Services announced the merger of their handysize and mini-bulker businesses on 4 October, creating a fleet of over 40 dry bulk carriers operating worldwide including to/from Australia from offices in Shanghai, Beijing, Tokyo, Melbourne, London, Austin, Douala and Santos. Fenwick Shipping Services was first established in 1973 as Wheelock Marine Chartering, and changed its name in 1985. Fenwick‟s handysize vessels Kuanyin (9465722, 14,912/08), Kuniang (2015, p. 194) and Lo Shen (p. 58) joined the AMP fleet, with Fenwick MD Antony Marden remaining involved with AMP. AMP‟s Oriental Spirit (9326316, 11,751/05, Oriental Spirit Shipping Ltd, Asia Maritime Pacific (Shanghai) Ltd, PRC, mgrs.; HK flag) has regularly operated in 2018 in Nyrstar‟s coastal concentrate trade Burnie/ Risdon/ Port Pirie.

Rio Tinto‟s RTM Piramu (2014, p.102) undertook first loading trials at the company‟s new Amrun bauxite prpject/port (north of Weipa) during the week of 22 October; Smit Lamnalco is now reported to be operating Amrun‟s barge and ferry services as well as tugs.

Re Wunma (p. 180): After drydock departed Port Moresby 30 September for Karumba (4 October) and berthed at the (former MMG) export wharf; transhipment operations recommenced 29 October with the first export ship, Golden Daisy (9691591, 17,027/14, Panama flag) departing 1 November from Gulf anchorage for Huangpu New Port, China with 10,000 tonnes of zinc concentrates.

High demand for Golden Bay cement that saw Aotearoa Chief (2017, p.41) unable to keep up with demand resulted in Glory River (2017, p. 169) arrived Wellington 31 October from Quang Ninh and sailed for Auckland 1 November to complete discharge.

INPEX began gas production from Browse Basin wells 30 July for collection by central processing facility Ichthys Explorer (p. 117) and shipped the first load of condensate from FPSO Ichthys Venturer (2017, p. 248) on 1 October, when Coral Sea (9253313, 57,680/03, Singapore flag) departed for Singapore.

253 The first export shipment of LNG from the onshore processing plant at Bladin Point, Darwin took place on 22 October when the K Line-operated Pacific Breeze (p. 117) sailed for the INPEX-operated Naoetsu LNG terminal in Japan's Niigata Prefecture. The first shipment of LPG from the Darwin terminal took place on 20 November, when Hellas Gladiator (9732503, 48,022/16, Eastbourne Marine SA, Consolidated Marine Management Inc [Latsis], Greece, mgrs.; Malta flag) sailed for Yantai, China.

ICS Integrity (p. 181) resumed the Sydney-Geelong-Sydney shuttle in early September.

Bunker tanker Seger (9656876, 2,239/12, NM Tankers Pte Ltd, Singapore; Singapore flag) left Singapore 14 November 2017, arrived Brisbane 6 December 2017, and subsequently transferred to Australian flag for United Maritime Australia Pty Ltd, left Brisbane 15 September 2018 for Sydney (18 September) to replace the May-withdrawn Anatoma (p. 103) bunkering RCCI and Celebrity vessels during cruise ship season. Anatoma remains for sale for $5.75 million and laid up at Port Botany.

Coastal General Cargo

With Toll Shipping‟s capacity constrained by terminal works in preparation for its new Bass Strait ships (p. 181) ANL diverted the TranzTas vessels ANL Elanora (p. 182) and ANL Emora (p. 41) to Burnie 21- 22 October and 24 November respectively to deliver empty containers and load fulls. Tasmanian Achiever II (p. 181) was handed over by Jinling Shipyard on 25 October and departed Yizheng, China 2 November under the Tuvalu flag for lay-up at anchor at Labuan, Malaysia, pending expected entry to Bass Strait service from 1 March. The vessel is expected to make a five-day publicity visit to Hobart to coincide with the Wooden Boat Festival in early February. Victorian Reliance II (p.18) began sea trials 24 November.

The former TasPorts/Bass Island Line charter Investigator II (p. 104) in mid-November was working out of Darwin for Barge Express; the latter is reported to have won a substantial Weipa/Groote Eylandt supply/freight contract previously held by Sea Swift.

As the Moldova-flagged Jasmine 1(2016, p. 176) the former Bass Strait ro-ro Mary Holyman was sold to Turkish breakers at Aliaga in mid-November after a 47-year career.

In November Pacifica Shipping [Swire] chartered Capitaine Wallis (p. 189) for two NZ coastal voyages to clear a cargo backlog after Spirit of Canterbury (2016, p. 38) missed a round voyage due to bad weather and Auckland congestion.

Re Norfolk Guardian (p. 186): Sold for demolition in India and left Auckland 1200 hrs 8 September for Alang; arrived 14 October off Bhavnagar.

Container and Breakbulk Liner

In early October ANL completed the buyout of remaining minor shareholders in Sofrana ANL (interests associated with Didier Leroux and Benoit Marcenac) to take 100% control.

To mark 25 years of liner services to Australia, Maersk Line detoured Leda Maersk (p. 110) to Sydney Harbour on 25 September. After suspending the Northern Star service (p. 188) – now extended until December – Maersk added Port Botany calls to Southern Star and in late September announced this would become permanent, with Northern Star no longer calling Australian ports– see also NZ section below.

China Navigation Co‟s new 2,400 TEU ships (p. 106) will be given C names with work on the first Changsha (y/n GWS459) commenced on 17 August at CSCC Huangpu Wenchong Shipbuilding.

Re sales (p.182): Correction – ANL Warragul was sold to Navios and upon reaching Asia at end of ANL charter was renamed Navios Miami (Crayon Shipping Ltd, Navios Containers Management Inc, Greece,

254 mgrs.; Liberia flag). Patraikos was sold to MPF DE-Shipco and renamed MP The McGinest, managed by MPC associate Contchart.

Empties sweepers (p. 82): Conti Gothenburg, recently displaced from the A3C service (p. 184) where it served as ANL Wahroonga (2017, p. 44) called Melbourne, Port Botany and Brisbane in late October ex Singapore with some full containers southbound but then loaded empties, including some 4,000 TEU for ONE, for China.

Papua New Guinea/northern Australia

In mid-September COSCO Shipping Lines began taking slots on Swire Shipping‟s NAX service, covering the ports of Shanghai, Ningbo, Nansha, Lae, Port Moresby and Townville and designating the service CSP2. Swire replaced Queen Esther (2017, p. 237) with the 2,714 TEU Ariana (9327671, 32,161/06, ex CCNI Atenea-12 etc, Amerigo Vespucci Schiffahrts KG, Peter Döhle Schiffahrts KG, German, mgrs.; Liberia flag); in late November Mia Schulte (p. 183) was replaced by Lomar‟s 2,664 TEU Seoul Trader (2015, p. 50; when on Maersk Northern Star charter).

In early October Swire sold Island Chief (p. 183) for „green recycling‟, the first of the Miho Mk IIs to be sold for demolition out of China Navigation Co ownership. Swire has again „swapped‟ Antungs: as of September Antung (9356907, 5,316/07, ex MCP Troodos-18, ex Antung-17 etc [2017, p. 103]) returned to take over the Singapore-Dili-Darwin service from Antung (9383481, 5,272/08, ex MCP Salzburg-17 etc., [p. 42]) which has reverted to MCP Salzburg.

On 20 November in Port Klang ANL replaced the APR service‟s Smiley Lady (p. 183) with the 2,205 TEU GSL Keta (9225782, 26,061/03, ex Delmas Keta-18 etc., Global Ship Lease 5 Ltd, CMA CGM SA, France, mgrs.; Bahamas flag).

North & East Asia

Chinese Golden Week holiday voyage blankings in October included Cornelia I (p. 184; NB: 5,100 TEU) in YoYo, Marathopolis (p. 187) in AC1/Tripler Star Southbound/South Pacific Express and OOCL Savannah (2015, p. 278) in ANZEX, while the A1X and A3C schedules were slid one week as was the ANZL/JKCS service.

In the upsized A3C service (p. 184) APL Latvia was renamed ANL Gippsland in mid-October. After only one round voyage the COSCO SL-chartered Lloyd Don Pascuale (9318101) was replaced by the 8,530 TEU Xin Fei Zhou (9337937, 90,757/08, Cosco Shipping Development, PRC, owners & mgrs.; PRC flag) in Xiamen on 24 October. On 20 November the 8,208 TEU Cosco Korea () replaced Northern Jade (p. 184).

In the A3N service ANL Geelong (2017, p. 237) collided with the ferry Su Zhou Hao () when departing Shanghai on 2 October but suffered only minor damage and was delayed two days for surveys. The OOCL-supplied Allise P (2017, p. 171) was replaced by previous SAS service vessel Cosco New York (2016, p. 258) in mid-November.

The CAT service‟s Ever Devote (2016, p. 38) was replaced by sister Ever Develop (9142174, 52,090/98, Greencompass Marine SA, Evergreen Marine Corp, Taiwan, mgrs.; Panama flag) in Hong Kong on 8 November. After one return voyage YM Portland (p. 183) was replaced by the 4,250 TEU Navios Delight (9352406, 39,906/08, ex MOL Delight-18, Ocean Dawn Shipping Ltd, Navios Containers Management Inc, Greece; Marshall Is flag).

Re A1X/CAE/CA6 service (p.183): NB details for Navios Lapis (9431680, 40,542/09, ex Milano-17 etc, Theros Ventures Ltd, Navios Containers Management Inc, Greece; Marshall Is flag). In late November Ital Melodia (p. 183) was replaced for one voyage by former Cosco A3N/A3S charter Bernhard Schulte (p. 107).

255 The NEAX service‟s APL-operated CMA CGM Eiffel (p. 185) was replaced in Ningbo in 18 October by the 4,353 TEU Cuckoo Hunter (9238789, 39,941/03, ex E.R. New York-15 etc, Cuckoo Hunter Ltd, Bocimar International NV, Belgium, mgrs.; Liberia flag); this vessel called Australia as E.R. New York on MSC charter in early 2015 and for a period in 2004 was named ANL Pacific while engaged on a trans- Pacific service. After drydocking CMA CGM Eiffel rejoined in Qingdao on 23 November. The one-trip Tianjin Bridge (p. 185) was replaced in Qingdao on 29 October by recent YoYo caller RDO Favour (p. 184 and below). Seoul Express (p. 42) was transferred to the „new‟ OVSA (AND-WCNA) service in Melbourne on 30 October and the matching northbound voyage blanked; the Hapag-Lloyd chartered replacement was the former one-voyage ASAL vessel MP The Brady (p. 43).

There has been further shuffling of the YoYo/AAUS fleet: In Hong Kong on 22 September Maersk Karun (p. 184) was replaced by the returning Kowloon Bay (p. 184); a week later, also in Hong Kong, the one- voyage RDO Favour (p. 184) was replaced by the returning Megalopolis (p. 184); on 4 October in Xiamen Olivia Maersk (p. 185) was replaced southbound by the returning Oluf Maersk (p. 184) which, however, was then returned to the OC1 service; the northbound sailing was „unofficially‟ taken by the OVSA PNW‟s retiring Cap Pasado (see below). The following YoYo voyage was blanked with Cornelia 1 (p. 184, NB 5,100 TEU) phasing out in Hong Kong on 13 October. Olivia Maersk/Oluf Maersk‟s place in YoYo was then to have been taken, southbound only, by former Boomerang vessel Safmarine Makutu (2017, p. 47) but this was re-directed to an extra-loader voyage (see below); instead another of the Hanjin Subic 5400 class, the 5,466 TEU Wide Alpha (9694529, 51,872/14, Wide Alpha Ltd [Oaktree- Green Containerships Group], ZEABORN Ship Management Pte, Singapore; Marshall Islands flag) joined. The following week Maersk Utah (2017, p. 47) replaced the sidelined Cornelia 1 and on 28 November in Kaohsiung Kowloon Bay was replaced by the 4,738 TEU CSL Sophie (9293466, 54,519/05, ex Buffalo Hunter-17 etc, Lunar Shipping Co Ltd, Cyprus Sea Lines Co Ltd, Greece, mgrs.; Malta flag).

North & East Asia/South East Asia

In Maersk‟s Boomerang service the 5,466 TEU Maersk Ganges (9694581, 51,872/14, ex Maersk Tigris-15 etc, AP Moller Singapore Pte Ltd, Maersk Line A/S, Denmark, mgrs.; Singapore flag) replaced Rio de Janeiro (p. 108) in Tanjung Pelepas on 25 September; this took the number of Hanjin Subic5400s in the service to six (Rio de Janeiro then transferred to Maersk‟s Southern Star: see NZ section below). On 15 October in Tanjung Pelepas Santa Cruz (p. 108) was replaced by former Boomerang participant Irenes Warwick (2017, p. 45). Re Thorstar (p. 182): with bad weather and port congestion causing further dislocation to the Boomerang schedule Thorstar made subsequent Tanjung Pelepas-Fremantle (23-25 September)-Tanjung Pelepas and Singapore-Fremantle (21-22 October)- Singapore voyages, with full containers southbound and some empties northbound.

South East Asia

In October/November MSC overhauled the fleets of the Capricorn and New Kiwi Express services, swapping some tonnage between the two. Lori (p. 43), MSC Rebecca (p. 186) and Gottfried Schulte (2016, p. 105) shifted from the former to the latter, while MSC Aditi (p. 43) and MSC Carla 3 (p. 108) made the reverse move. The 3,450 TEU Navios Summer (9308003, 36,483/06, ex Henry Rickmers-17 etc, Ocean Wood Tank Shipping Ltd, Navios Containers Management Inc, Greece; Marshall Is flag) joined Capricorn as the replacement for Lori. In September MSC‟s Noumea service vessel Tilly Russ (p. 108) made two Bell Bay calls after MSC Rebecca and Lori omitted the port to recover schedule; another call was made in early November to cover for Hope Island (p. 108) .

APL England (2017, p. 105) was listed to return to the AAX service, as a sixth ship, in mid-November in order to relax the schedule after the re-inclusion of Jakarta (p. 186) but this addition was reversed over concerns about key port-to-port transit times.

In mid-late November Maersk‟s Safmarine Makutu (above) made an extra loader voyage from Tanjung Pelepas and Singapore to Melbourne, Port Botany, Port Chalmers and Tauranga, returning to Tanjung Pelepas. 256 In the AAA1 loop of the Triple A consortium, after suffering undisclosed damage en route to Fremantle OOCL Norfolk (p. 186) was delayed 30 October-8 November for repairs and subsequently replaced by the 4,334 TEU ALS Clivia (9444417, 41,391/10, ex Corinthiakos-18, STX Corinthiakos-13 [2013, p. 191], ALS Clivia Schiffahrt, Asiatic Lloyd GmbH & Co KG, Germany, mgrs.; Liberia flag).

Re ONE WASCO tonnage swap (p. 186): Although Penang Bridge performed three voyages in place of Margaret River Bridge the latter returned at the end of September; Horai Bridge did not join the service at all, with Swan River Bridge remaining.

Europe

New appearances on MSC‟s AES: the 8,266 TEU Archimidis (9315379, 89,776/06, ex Bunga Seroja Satu-12, Archimidis Container Carrier Corp, Capital Ship Management Corp, Greece, mgrs.; Liberia flag) which, at 317.8m x 43.2m and 103,717 DWT became the largest ship ever to use Melbourne‟s River Yarra and Swanson Dock; the 6,408 TEU MSC Methoni (9256765, 73,819/03, ex MSC Viviana-11, Virna Shipping Co, Costamare Inc, Greece, mgrs.; Liberia flag); the 6,252 TEU York (9196838, 74,661/00, ex Sealand New York-18, Costis Maritime SA, Costamare Shipping Co SA, Greece, mgrs.; Liberia flag); the 7,847 TEU E.R. Yokohama (9285665, 83,133/04,ex MSC Yokohama-15 etc, ER Yokohama KG, Zeaborn Ship Management GmbH & Cie KG, Germany, mgrs.; Luxembourg flag ); the 8,073 TEU Conti Courage (9293789, 90,449/05, ex Hatsu Courage-17, Conti 22 Conti Courage Schiffahrts, NSB Schiffahrts GmbH & Co Kg, Germany, mgrs.; Madeira flag).

In the CMA CGM/Hapag-Lloyd NEMO/EAX service APL Florida (p. 109) was replaced by the 6,673 TEU Mary (9635664, 71,021/13, Alexander Marine LLC [Technomar], Comchart Commercial Inc, Greece, mgrs.; Marshall Islands flag) northbound in Singapore on 5 November. [In late October a merger was announced between Global Ship Lease (majority owner CMA CGM) and Poseidon Containers, parent of Technomar.] Also in Singapore, on 5 December, Conti Paris (2017, p. 172) was replaced by the 6,350 TEU APL Turkey (9532771, 71,787/09, Los Halilos /Shikoku Plaza, Shoei Kisen Kaisha Ltd, Japan, mgrs.; Liberia flag).

Europe/North America

Re PAD/NASP reversion to fortnightly frequency (p. 187): The seven ships remaining on PAD/NASP, in order, were Seatrade Orange, Nordpacific, Santa Bettina, Seatrade Red, Nordserena, EM Corfu and Seatrade Blue; subsequently Seatrade White replaced Santa Bettina. Following the return to weekly service in February 2019 (southbound) pro forma schedules show vessels named CMA CGM Coachwood, CMA CGM Hibiscus, CMA CGM Kauri, CMA CGM Mulga, CMA CGM Tamarind and CMA CGM Waratah, described as each having 1,000 reefer plugs.

North America

The re-formatting of the OVSA service (p. 187) to end the standalone status of the PNW string has seen considerable tonnage re-positioning. Under the consolidated service Maersk (Hamburg Süd) operates four ships, Hapag-Lloyd two and ANL two. Although the service is no longer deemed to be two strings, in fact it continues with two loops, effectively one weekly rotating Auckland, Sydney, Melbourne, Tauranga, Long Beach and Oakland, and one fortnightly rotating Papeete, Auckland, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Tauranga, Vancouver, Seattle and Long Beach. However, in order to avoid congestion at Auckland caused by terminal accidents and the arrival of new container cranes, southbound calls were switched to Tauranga in early October. When the fleet composition is finalised there will be 8 x c.4250 TEU vessels with each operator represented in each loop. The member lines have designated the revised service as follows: ANL, PCX; Hapag-Lloyd, WSN; Maersk/Hamburg Süd, PANZ. PIL (southbound only, AOS) and MSC (both ways, Oceania Loop 1) continue as slot charterers.

PNW‟s Cap Pasado (p. 44) was fully discharged and withdrawn in Port Adelaide on 16 October, before returning to Melbourne and Port Botany to load northbound for China on Maersk‟s YoYo service (see

257 above); Melina (p. 45) transferred from the „old‟ PSW to the fortnightly loop in Cap Pasado‟s place. In Melbourne on 30 October PSW‟s Northern Dexterity (2017, p.173) was replaced by NEAX vessel Seoul Express (see above) which was deployed to the fortnightly loop; Balao (p. 109) phased out of PNW in Oakland on 3 November, Botany Bay (p.187) in Port Adelaide on 11 November. The Hapag- chartered 4,253 TEU Seaspan Hamburg (9224300, 39,941/01, ex CSAV Licanten-13 etc, Seaspan Corp, Canada, Seaspan Ship Management Ltd, Hong Kong, mgrs.; HK flag) joined in Melbourne on 20 November, replacing ANL Walwa (p.188). In early December Maersk (Hamburg Süd) introduced Merkur Ocean (ex Cap Coral, below). Thus the December disposition was, weekly loop Merkur Ocean/Cap Capricorn (Maersk/HSD), Seaspan Hamburg (HLL) and ANL Tongala; fortnightly loop Melina/Kota Ekspres (Maersk/HSD), Seoul Express (HLL) and ANL Warrnambool. On the basis that the fleet will be homogenised at c. 4,250 TEU the 3,868 TEU Cap Capricorn, Kota Ekspres and Merkur Ocean remain to be replaced.

The OC1/Trident service vessel Bernhard-S (2017, p. 241) was renamed ALS Jupiter in Cartagena on 6 September following sale to ALS Jupiter Shipping Pte Ltd, Asiatic Lloyd Shipping Pte Ltd, Singapore mgrs.; Singapore flag. In early October on ECNA the 4,253 TEU Elisabeth-S (9418652, 40,541/09, ex CSAV Lanalhue-14, Elisabeth-S KG, Reederei Rudolf Schepers GmbH & Co KG, Germany, mgrs.; A&B flag) was to replace Spirit of Auckland (2017, p. 173) and then, upon reaching Port Botany 25 October, be replaced in turn by the returning Olga Maersk (above). However, on 17 October Maersk advised that instead Olga Maersk would replace Spirit of Auckland and Elisabeth-S would continue in OC1 (as an eleventh ship), partly to facilitate the seasonal resumption of northbound/eastbound calls at Paita, Peru; first call at Paita was by Maersk Inverness (p. 187) V836N c. In December the returning Olivia Maersk (above) replaced ALS Jupiter which then shifted to the „alternative‟ Triple Star service (see below).

New Zealand

Hamburg Süd off-hired the ANZL/JKN service‟s Cap Coral (2017, p. 106) in Shanghai at the end of September and replaced it with former Boomerang vessel Maersk Garonne (2017, p. 47). Nordwinter (p. 188) was to be replaced in Busan on 30 November by another former Boomerang, Grasmere Maersk (2016, p. 105), however Safmarine Mulanje (2017, p. 174) was substituted. MOL Destiny (2014, p. 106) was replaced in Shanghai on 19 November by NYK Furano (2016, p. 107). From 1 January 2019 OOCL joins this service as a slot-charterer, labelling it North Asia Express but using the JKN designation of now-parent COSCO Shipping Lines.

Rio de Janeiro (73,899/08) at Port Chalmers 29 October 2018 (R.Walker)

Steering gear/rudder problems saw Southern Star‟s Lica Maersk (2016, p. 260) delayed in Lyttelton 15 September-13 October and upon return to Singapore the vessel was withdrawn for repairs; initially said to be replaced by Boomerang‟s Rio de Janeiro (see above); however Lars Maersk (p. 187) was shifted from AC1 (see below). Lica Maersk later returned for two extra-loader southbound voyages and loaded

258 mostly empties northbound; Rio de Janeiro joined in early October. Safmarine Makutu (see above) undertook a late November extra loader voyage.

On 27 September Maersk announced the Northern Star service would not be returning to Australian ports and instead Southern Star would permanently call Brisbane and Port Botany, for a new rotation of Tanjung Pelepas, Singapore, Brisbane, Sydney, Napier, Tauranga, Lyttelton, Port Chalmers, Tanjung Pelepas. In a further announcement on 15 October Maersk confirmed Northern Star‟s permanent cessation; Nelson is now served by Pacifica feeder and Timaru via transhipment on OC1; Wellington calls have ceased. From November the Southern Star fleet will be progressively upgraded from the 4,258 TEU L class to the 5,905 TEU Rio class with Rio de Janeiro (as above), then Laust Maersk (2015, p. 128) replaced by Rio de la Plata (9357951, 73,899/08, AP Moller (Singapore) Pte Ltd, Columbus Shipmanagement GmbH, Germany, mgrs.; Singapore flag) in November; Lars Maersk (above) by Rio Madeira (9348106, 73,899/09, AP Moller (Singapore) Pte Ltd, Maersk Line A/S, Denmark, mgrs.; Singapore flag) in December; Leda Maersk (p. 110) by Rio Negro (2015, p. 197) also in December; Maersk Virginia (p. 187) by Rio Bravo (9348091, 73,899/09, AP Moller (Singapore) Pte Ltd, Columbus Shipmanagement GmbH, Germany, mgrs.; Singapore flag) in January.

In Triple Star Southbound/AC1/SPE Safmarine Mulanje (2017, p. 174) replaced Santa Rita (p. 187) in late September. The Chinese Golden Week voyage was blanked in early October, following which at weekly intervals Lars Maersk (above) was to be replaced by the 7,500 TEU Maersk Sydney (9289958, 93,511/05, ex P&O Nedlloyd Miro-06, etc, Tongjiang International Shipping, Maersk Line A/S, Denmark, mgrs.; Singapore flag) but then by Maersk Shams (2017, p. 47), Cap Arnauti (p. 187) was replaced by Maersk Gateshead (2017, p. 47) and MP The Gronk (p. 187) was replaced by Marathopolis (p. 187) returning from drydocking; the following week Maersk Utah (2017, p. 47) was to replace Northern Magnum (p. 188) in Hong Kong but was instead diverted to the YoYo service (see above). In late November Luna Maersk (2017, p. 47) was replaced by the 5,527 TEU Tabea (9294812, 66,280/06, ex MSC Turchia-10, etc., Tabea Schiffahrts, Peter Döhle Schiffahrts-KG, Germany, mgrs.; Madeira flag) in Busan; in early December Laura Maersk (2017, p.187) was replaced in Shanghai by recent MSC AES charter SM Tacoma (p. 186).

Due to „seasonal requirements‟ Maersk will suspend Tauranga calls by both Triple Star Southbound/AC1/SPE and AC3/Triple Star Northbound for five weeks 18 December-14 January. During this period Maersk will substitute three alternative sailings ex Tauranga to Hong Kong, Kaohsiung and Shanghai on 17 December, 30 December and 14 January; the first of these sailings is due to be taken by OC1 discard ALS Jupiter (above); the second by Santa Rita (p. 187) and Safmarine Makutu (above). The regular northbound service is due to resume with the Tauranga call of Skagen Maersk (p. 188) on 21 January.

ANL replaced Seaspan Dalian (p. 111) with the 4,389 TEU CMA CGM Amber (9350381, 49,810/08, Ocean Tianhua Shipping Ltd, CMA CGM SA, France, mgrs.; UK flag) in the ANZEX service in Shanghai on 1 November. The recently-sold, COSCO SL-chartered Galicia D (p. 111) was replaced in Shanghai one week later by a sistership, the 4,178 TEU Venetia (9400203, 42,609/10, ex Hammonia Venetia-16 etc., Peter Döhle Schiffahrts KG, Germany, owners & mgrs.; Madeira flag).

South/Central Pacific

The China Navigation Company has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with University of the South Pacific to develop a new class of small freighters specifically for the Pacific islands. The two-year Project Cerulean initially involves conducting feasibility studies and developing a plan for a low-carbon new generation of ships for the Pacific region. Both parties will make use of their relevant expertise to assess performance from launching and delivery to the post-sea trial phase to prove the commercial viability of the initial project ship. In the immediate term, the project aims to design, build and trial a low- carbon test vessel to service the Pacific island communities and territories in partnership with the Micronesian Centre for Sustainable Transport. CNCo will invest around $2.5m to design, build and operate the pilot vessel. Once proven to be commercially viable to operate, the fleet can be scaled up to

259 provide a cost-effective solution for currently marginalised communities in the region. It is hoped the vessels will also be built in a South Pacific shipyard.

Re Kyowa/Swire slot exchange (p. 189-90): The deal also involves NYK Bulk and Projects and ONE, enable all carriers to offer weekly sailings between selected North Asia and the South Pacific ports; other port pairs are served fortnightly and monthly.

PDL diverted Capitaine Wallis (p. 189) to Nuku-alofa (26 November) to support Southern Lily (p. 189) and then to an early December voyage Auckland-Norfolk Island to lift urgent and outstanding cargo, supplementing Southern Tiare (p. 189).

Matson has launched a US-flagged service between Honolulu and the Republic of the Marshall Islands, reducing cargo transit times from the US West Coast by as many as eight days (the previous service was via Guam). The new service utilises the 707 TEU Kamokuiki (9232979, 6,368/00, ex Marstan-18 etc., Matson Navigation Co Inc, owners & mgrs.; US flag; now fitted with 2 x 45t cranes) and calls Kwajalein, Ebeye and Majuro every 17 days.

Breakbulk Liner

AAL Shipping added the bulk carrier Indigo Silva (9642162, 23,273/13, IMS Maritime SA, IMECS Co Ltd, Japan, mgrs.; Marshall Islands flag) to its joint East Coast service with Swire Shipping December/January.

Heavylift, Project, Ro-Ro and Livestock

Heavyload carrier Zhen Hua 24 (8414726, 37,879/86, ex tanker Rich Duke-07 etc, Shanghai Zhenhua Port HK Ltd, Shanghai Zhenhua Shipping Co, PRC, mgrs.; HK flag) arrived Fremantle 20 September from Shanghai carrying five ZPMC ship-to-shore gantries for DP World Australia container terminals – Fremantle (1), Brisbane (1), Port Botany (2) and Melbourne (1). The Fremantle discharge was completed 24 September and the ship departed the following day north-about for Brisbane, where it arrived 16 October, thence Port Botany 25 October and Melbourne 7 November.

Zhen Hua 25 (8700242, 38,255/88, ex tanker Yellow Sea-08, etc, other details as above) arrived at anchor in Hauraki Gulf 3 October with Ports of Auckland‟s three new ZPMC ship-to-shore gantries; the ship berthed at Fergusson Container Terminal early on 5 October to begin discharge. Sailed for return to Shanghai on 16 October.

Heavylift carrier Jumbo Jubilee (p. 190) arrived Fremantle 13 October and went alongside the Kwinana Grain Jetty where it loaded a bulk loader and took it to the AMC No. 4 berth at Henderson, where it was discharged and moved by multi-wheeled transporter to a nearby work site for repairs/maintenance. Jumbo Jubilee departed 23 October for Exmouth Gulf.

In mid-September AAL Shipping completed a three-month offshore pipe-haul and ship-to-ship operation on behalf of TechnipFMC for the Greater Enfield subsea oil production project 60 kilometres northwest of Exmouth, WA. AAL Nanjing (p. 190) loaded subsea pipes and other equipment in Kuantan and Tanjung Langsat, Malaysia, for transfer to two platform supply vessels (PSVs) and TechnipFMC‟s pipelayer/installation vessel Global 1201 (9513579, 32,879/11, Technip Marine BV, Global Offshore International Ltd, USA, mgrs.; Bahamas flag). AAL Nanjing was mobilized from Singapore where a tailor-made accommodation block was installed in Jurong Port to host a group of specialist offshore marine construction workers.

MPP Kota Bistari (9695107, 20,886/14, Pacific international Lines, Singapore owners & mgrs.; Singapore flag) called Auckland early October to discharge new locomotives for Kiwi Rail.

With Brown Marmorated Stink Bug „season‟ underway and quarantine officials extending the number of

260

Titus (73,358/18) on Port Phillip (P.Finnigan) county-of-origin alerts, three PCTCs have already been caught up following the discovery of on-board infestations. Bugs were detected on the Armacup-operated Triumph (2014, p. 117) which arrived at Fisherman Islands, Brisbane from Asian ports on 31 October and after partial discharge it was sent to anchor for fumigation. However, repeated biosecurity risk mitigation efforts failed and after a 22 November inspection revealed a further infestation Triumph was directed to leave Australian waters. The Wallenius Wilhelmsen Ocean newbuilding Titus (9700512, 73,358/18, Wall RoRo AB, Wallenius Marine AB, Swden, mgrs.; Malta flag), en route to Fremantle on its maiden voyage from Europe and due to arrive 5 November, was held off port after live and dead bugs were detected while at sea. This vessel was later cleared to berth, discharge and continue its voyage. Bugs were also detected on the WWO- operated Morning Composer (9336074, 57,542/08, MP-Pan SA, EUKOR Car Carriers Inc, South Korea, mgrs.; Panama flag) en route to Fremantle (26 February) and this ship was also held off-port for fumigation.

Sepang Express (p. 48) and Viking Amber (9481049, 39,362/10, Gram Car Carrier Holdings, Gram & Co AS, Norway, mgrs.; Singapore flag) each undertook one voyage in the Armacup ro-ro/PCTC service in October, followed in November by Lake Como (9432919, 46,800/08, ex Osaka Car-18, Kosted Shipping Inc, Eastern Pacific Shipping Pte td, Singapore, mgrs.; Singapore flag;) and Lake Taupo (2017, p. 49) in November.

In mid-October Uljanic Shipyard, Croatia terminated its contract with livestock exporter Wellard for the construction of Ocean Kelpie, originally contracted in March 2015. Both shipyard and shipowner have been under financial stress.

Re live sheep export controversy (p. 113, 191): Al Shuwaik (NB correct spelling) and Al Messilah both made further trips to and from anchorage to Fremantle‟s Inner Harbour during September/early October, having originally arrived 26 June and 16 July respectively.

19 foreign crew members walked off livestock carrier Maysora (2013, p. 60) in Fremantle 19 September in a dispute over unpaid wages; the ship was subsequently detained upon cancellation of the crew‟s visas. The dispute was later settled and the vessel departed.

Jawan (2016, p. 109) twice failed to depart Portland, on 22 and 24 November after suffering major stability problems; the ship was part-discharged and re-loaded but AMSA-detained on 24 November and then its cargo of 4,327 cattle was ordered fully discharged by the federal Department of Agriculture and Water Resources. Jawan was permitted to sail without cattle onbaord.

Antarctic, Research and other Non-Merchant

The hull of Nuyina (p. 101, 190) was floated out at Damen Shipyards Galati on 22 September; on 19 October. The hull was turned in the wet dock to facilitate construction of the superstructure and by early

261 November internal outfitting was „proceeding rapidly‟.

The new French icebreaker/patrol/logistics vessel FNS L’Astrolabe (p. 192) arrived Fremantle 7 October from La Reunion and was taken ashore on the BAE shiplift at AMC Henderson the following day for guarantee and general maintenance repairs and lower hull re-painting after one year‟s service. It was returned to the water 23 October and after trials departed for Hobart the following day.

China's first domestically-built polar research vessel and icebreaker Xuelong 2 (p. 101) – now rendered as Xue Long 2 (9829241, 12,366/19) - was launched 10 September at CSSC's Jiangnan Shipyard in Shanghai.

The 46-yo US Coast Guard icebreaker Polar Star (p. 38) returned to home port Seattle 17 October after six months of maintenance, repairs and upgrades at Mare Island Dry Dock, Vallejo, California.

Survey work for the new Coral Sea Cable between Australia (Sydney), Papua New Guinea (Port Moresby) and the Solomon Islands (Honiara) has been undertaken by the Australian subsidiary of Hong Kong-based EGS using the vessels Northern Endeavour (8602438, 849/87, Northern Oriental Shipping Ltd, Sub-See Philippines Inc, The Philippines, mgrs.; Tuvalu flag) and Ridley Thomas (8112744, 1,241/81, ex Western Inlet-06, etc., Ho Choi Marine Ltd, owners & mgrs.; Hong Kong; Marshall Islands flag). The latter left Noumea 1 September and arrived off Sydney‟s northern beaches a week later, working northwards. Northern Endeavour was noted at Port Moresby 27 September. The $200 million project is being funded by the Australian Government.

Oceanographic research vessel Thomas G Thompson (p. 102) visited Fremantle 1-6 November during an undisclosed expedition. US flag offshore supply vessel/submarine support ship Carolyn Chouest (8875384, 3,220/94, Offshore Service Vessels LLC, Edison Chouest Offshore LLC, USA, mgrs.), called Cairns 10 November from Guam (26 October); sailed the following day for for „high seas‟.

Cable ship Ile de Brehat (p. 192) arrived Sydney 30 October from Fremantle to continue work laying a four fibre-pair system, telecommunications cable known as APX-Central from Perth to Sydney across the Great Australian Bight and through Bass Strait and up the east coast, with connections to Adelaide, Melbourne and Hobart. When completed in mid-2019 and linked with the APX-West cable, it will provide a new cable system known as INDIGO that will connect Australia with Indonesia and Singapore. Subsequently Ile de Brehat called Melbourne 23-25 November for crew change, supplies and parts before undertaking more survey of gas pipelines off the Victorian coast, over which the new cable will pass.

Greenpeace‟s Rainbow Warrior (2013, p. 136) called at several NZ ports on its Making Oil History tour to celebrate the Labour Government‟s ban on new offshore oil exploration which came in to force in April this year; it then visited Sydney (10-11 November) and Melbourne (16-20 November).

TOWAGE, OFFSHORE and DREDGING

Tugs, barges and landing craft

Re Engage Marine (p. 192-193): Operations in Sydney and Geelong officially commenced on 1 October. Indee (p. 194) arrived Geelong 23 September from Sydney (21 September), followed on 26 September by SL Cook (p. 192) from Port Latta. The first Engage job in Geelong was the arrival and departure of the aframax tanker DHT Cathy (9248849, 62,371/04, Marshall Islands flag) on 9/11 October. After completing relief work at Gove Pardoo (p. 194 and below) departed 26 October ultimately for Geelong (30 November), leaving Weipa 11 November, thence Mackay (16 November), Port Botany (20-27 November).

SL Fitzroy (p. 193) and the just-renamed SL Diamantina (ex PB Diamantina p. 115) left Brisbane 26 September for Sydney (28 September) and Twofold Bay (p. 194) left Eden on 27 September and

262 arrived Sydney the following day on Engage charter; however, it soon returned to Eden (5 October) for two jobs and was replaced 6 October by King Bay (p. 194) which arrived from Bundaberg (2 October) on 6 October. On 4 November SL Martinique (9402445, 294/08, ex Smit Martinique-14, Smit Lamnalco Singapore Pte Ltd, owners & mgrs.; Singapore flag) arrived from the Middle East via Colombo and Fremantle (23 October). It appears neither of the Pacific Tug units undertook any work in Sydney for Engage as the first job was the product tanker Iris Victoria (9564671, 40,975/10, Marshall Islands flag) on 18 November, performed by SL Fitzroy, SL Diamantina and SL Martinique. Engage is flagged to also service cruise ships in Sydney represented by agents Barwil; the first such job was to assist Ovation of the Seas (p. 34) in high winds on 23 November.

Meanwhile, King Bay had departed for Port Latta on 13 October; subsequently sailed from Stanley 6 November to Eden where it released Flinders Bay (p. 115) to sail to Newcastle (18 November) for docking at the Thales slipway cradle. TasPorts‟ Korimul (above) was back on duty at Port Latta 21 November pending the return of SL Cook.

In late August Engage purchased Coongan and Corunna (both p. 115) and they were towed to Brisbane for major overhaul by McKenzie‟s Cape Mac (2017, p. 111) which departed Fremantle 5 September, collected the pair at Onslow 10 September, then off Darwin 19 September, off Cairns 1 October, passed Mackey 5 October, anchored off Bundaberg 7-8 October, arrived Brisbane 10 October. There P.T. Zarka (p. 194) took charge of Coongan while Cape Mac continued with Corunna, with all proceeding to Pacific Tug‟s Raptis fishmarkets berth; PT will oversee the refurbishments as it did for SL Fitzoy and (then) PB Diamantina. Cape Mac then sailed for Bundaberg to release King Bay, as above, and is working with Keppel Bay (p. 194). In late November Coongan was renamed Engage Crusader with port of registry changed from Port Hedland to Dampier.

The operating entities are Engage Marine Tasmania Pty Ltd (listed by Lloyd‟s Register as c/o Smit Lamnalco Pte Ltd, Singapore), Engage Marine Sydney Pty Ltd and Engage Marine Geelong Pty Ltd; all are operating on the non-union „partnership model‟ under which under which tug skippers and crews become investors in the individual companies holding particular contracts. Engage companies, all registered in Perth, WA wre established as follows: Engage Marine Pty Ltd - 25/8/2017; Engage Marine Whyalla Pty Ltd - 25/8/2017; Engage Marine Tasmania Pty Ltd - 6/9/2017; Engage Marine Holdings Pty Ltd - 13/6/2018; Engage Marine Asset Company Pty Ltd - 31/7/2018.

At the end of October Engage Marine advertised for qualified personnel to join their Port Hedland operations (as sub-contractor to KOTUG, operator of Fortescue Metals Group‟s Pilbara Marine towage operations) (p. 49 and see below) as „Lead Partners‟.

After running trials at Damen Song Cam in early September the new Damen ASD 3212s SL Irrong (9795830, 450/18, Smit Lamnalco Singapore Pte Ltd, owners & mgrs.; Singapore flag) and SL Thunggun (9795828, other details identical) departed Hai Phong 24 October and arrived Weipa 7 November via Darwin 3-4 November. Irrong means flying fish and Thunggun means whiting in traditional language. SL Gibson (p. 115) left Weipa 9 November for Townsville.

Names of the FMG Pilbara Marine (RaStar) ART 85-32W RotorTugs under construction at Damen Song Cam and due for delivery over the next six months: FMG Hammerhead (9822085), FMG Mako (9822097), FMG Dusky (9822102), FMG Spinner (9822114), FMG Blacktip (9822126), FMG Tawny (9822138). FMG Hammerhead and FMG Mako were running trials at Song Cam under Panama flag in early November.

Re Guya(p. 194): survey/docking at Cairns‟ Tropical Reef Shipyard completed 6 October and the tug departed for Gove towing refitted barge Labroy.

Svitzer Glenrock (p. 193) was officially named by Emma Fensom, Port Authority of NSW‟s Chief Operating Officer for Newcastle, at Newcastle on 13 September. On 3 October Svitzer undertook the first official active tanker escort assignment when Svitzer Maitland (p. 193) and Svitzer Glenrock assisted

263 chemical/product tanker Astir Lady (9457385, 30,043, Singapore flag). In late October Svitzer Maitland blew a main engine and on 9 November left Newcastle on one engine for The Yard, Brisbane to have a hole cut in the hull and the damaged engine removed

Svitzer Newton (p.114) was officially at Fremantle Maritime Day on 27 October by The Hon. Rita Saffioti MLA, Minister for Transport; Planning; Lands. Svitzer Eagle (2015, p. 131) returned to the water via BAE shiplifter 23 October after refit ashore from late September.

Hastings (p. 193) arrived Geelong 16 September following Brisbane drydocking; Cooma (p. 193) left 26 September to return to Eden. Gloucester (2017, p. 51) was returned to Svitzer from Engage/Westug Whyalla charter at Port Adelaide on 15 October and on 5 November was taken up on the shiplift at Osborne; it is reported Gloucester will replace Tingari (2016, p. 266) at Port Adelaide with the latter moving to Port Pirie where Wonga (p. 114) was offered for sale in March 2018 and said to be sold September. Re La Trobe (p. 193): New owner is N T Tug & Marine Services Pty Ltd.

Tug Pacific Investigator (p. 116) was sold November 2018 with 48.2-metre barge Terangan at Cairns by Carpentaria Contracting (Weipa Hire Pty Ltd), Cairns, to Pacific Project Logistics Ltd, Port Moresby. The tug was the first of thirteen similar 27.5-metre twin-screw tugs designed by Barnes & Fleck and built by Carrington Slipways. It was first registered 4 October1969 as Tom Tough to Howard Smith Industries Pty Ltd, Gladstone (its 1320 bhp, twin-screw manoeuvrability did much towards the redundancy there of the larger (35m/2100 bhp) single-screw Adelaide built William R Golding). Renamed Robert C Gibson in 9/1974, then Yavala in 5/1991 for demise charter to Marine Pacific Ltd, Suva, with ownership transferred in 1994. As Pacific Investigator it was re-registered 10/2000 at Cairns to Marine Pacific Pty Ltd, chartered by Perrott Salvage & Construction Pty Ltd, with sale following in 11/2007. Sold in 12/2011 to Carpentaria Contracting and employed barge towing in northern Queensland where it was recently replaced by the Malaysian newbuild Knight Watch (p. 116).

Re TasPorts‟ tug shuffle (p. 194): With Storm Cove deemed inadequate Devonport‟s Wilga (p. 124) was moved to Inspection Head/Port Dalrymple pending the return to service of Risdon Cove. After a lengthy period on and alongside Launceston‟s Southern Shiplift awaiting spare parts the latter returned to Inspection Head 13 November before departing 24 November for Portland to release Cape Grant (2013, p. 266) to proceed to Launceston for 5-year survey and drydocking (arrived 27 November). Korimul (see above) briefly resumed Port Latta duties in late November; Port Dalrymple‟s York Cove (p. 194) briefly re-located to Devonport in mid-November.

The AMSA-contracted Great Barrier Reef emergency towing vessel Coral Knight (2017, p. 255) drydocked at Tropical Reef shipyard, Cairns on 25 October and returned to station at anchor off Trnity Beach on 11 November. During this period ETV duties were undertaken by AHTS Pacific Vixen (p. 192 and see Antarctic, Research and other non-Merchant, above) which arrived Cairns 12 September from Sydney and upon completion 10 November departed Cairns for Darwin (17 November) and then Singapore (30 November).

Sisters Wide Bay (p. 194) and Hervey Bay (2017, p. 246) have been sold by Pacific Tug (NZ) Ltd to Nathan River Resources Pte Ltd; was involved. Wide Bay left Brisbane 17 August with new owner and change of flag, called Cairns 22 August, arrived Weipa 25 August and is working on bauxite transhipment activity

Tug Vulcan (p. 199) towed 55-metre barge M & R 03 (902/06) from Cairns to Suva (5 November) for use in the Southern Phoenix salvage (see Accidents and Mishaps); tug returned to Port Moresby 16 November.

Polaris tug Edi (p. 206) left Sydney 12 November; anchored off Tangalooma 14 November and left there the following day with Polaris‟s 54.86-metre barge FPS-55-10 (914/11) for Sydney (18 November). The barge had been working from Darwin for some years under Bhagwan charter, left there 3 November in tow of Bhagwan‟s MTS Statum (2017, p. 111) and handed over 15 November to Edi in Moreton Bay.

264 Damen Multi Cat 1506 workboat Beadon Creek (44/18, 600 bhp/sbp 7.4t) was completed 29 June 2018 by Damen Shipyards Changde Co Ltd, Hunan, China for MC Levitate Pty Ltd (Techport Hire Pty Ltd, managers), Port Adelaide.

Wandana (p. 201) left Prince of Wales Bay, Hobart 24 September; at Gladstone 6-9 October; left there with 21.3m barge Heron (sold by Fodico); called Eden 15-17 October; arrived 20/ October at Domain Slip, Hobart.

MPP AAL Melbourne (p. 112) arrived Townsville 2 October to discharge the two dumb barges 36.58- metre PMG 124 (323/18) and 45.7-metre PMG 151 (523/18), built by Nantong Tongmao Shipbuilding Co Ltd, Jiangsu for PMG Equipment Pty Ltd (Pacific Marine Group Pty Ltd), Townsville.

In December 2017 PMG sold what had been their first tug A R Ford (195/68) to Silentworld Shipping & Logistics Ltd. It left Townsville 13 December2017 for Tulagi towing the 30-metre barge Captain Tom (which incidentally was Sea Swift‟s first barge). A R Ford was built by the State Dockyard at Newcastle for the NSW Department of Public Works, and placed in service 22 March1968 at Newcastle. Transferred 3/1974 to the Maritime Services Board, it arrived 3/1975 at Sydney from lay-up at Port Kembla after a protracted manning dispute. Offered for sale by tender 4 July 1988, it was chartered out to associates of Sydney‟s Arrow Diving Company for a Queensland expedition and subsequently sold, and for a time was registered in Belize.

In 2011 and 2013 Nantong Tongmao (above) built the two 131.8-metre Citic/Cape Preston loading barges Magdragon I (2013, p. 126) and Magdragon II (2013, p. 268). Equasis shows Magdragon I as Cape Preston 27/05/2017 to Batam (last on air 8 September 2018), while DNV list it as laid-up and the owner as Louis Dreyfus Armateurs, Panama; with Magdragon II still active at Cape Preston for Loreto Maritime Pte Ltd. Tug Magtrans I (p. 115) has disappeared from Equasis; Magtrans II (p. 115) is now at Miri, with new owners from 6/2018, Micilink Shipping Sdn Bhd, Kuching.

Karama (2017, p. 52) : CT&B‟s Damen Stan Tug 1606, left Darwin 28 August for Skardon River on TSA charter; has been on the market since early 2017.

The former Smithbridge Brisbane pusher tug Lady Dashelle (2015, p. 260), sold to Waterway Constructions with Smithbridge‟s Australian business in 2016, was in service in Melbourne in mid- September.

After three years laid up undergoing repairs to her hull and boiler the steam tug Lyttelton (2015, p. 292) had its boiler slowly bought up to operating pressure 1 October and carried out sea trials the same day. It was hoped to have the 112-year-old tug back up and running passenger trips this summer but some minor work highlighted by a surveyor means it won‟t start trips before January 2019.

Landing barge Kerema Chief (2015, p. 191) was sold 4 June 2018 to Sea Swift Pty Ltd, Darwin; expected to be renamed.

Landing barge Jaya (2012, p. 56) arrived Fremantle 19 September from Derby, missing its bow door/ramp; subsequently shifted to the Jervoise Bay northern harbour and then taken shore at the AME yard for refit and repainting. Returned to the water 19 October – still without bow door/ramp – and to the Fremantle Boat Harbour.

Offshore

A number of vessels have been deployed with part-Australian crews for offshore work. North Sea Atlantic (9665073, 15,701/14, North Atlantic AS, North Sea Shipping AS, Norway, mgrs.; NIS flag) mobilised in Colombo in mid-September for a 90-day assignment on the Woodside Greater Enfield Project. Subsea 7‟s DP2 multipurpose support vessel Seven Eagle (2016, p. 115) mobilised in Singapore c. 22 November; subsea construction vessel Sapura Constuctor (p. 197) mobilised in Bali in

265 mid-November for a 90-day contract with Quadrant Energy to perform inspection to detect corrosion or any other irregularities in the inner walls of the pipeline from the East Spar pipeline end manifold (PLEM) to the onshore processing facilities on Varanus Island; the contract also involves the recovery of subsea infrastructures from three subsea wells. Following this work Sapura Constructor takes up its PTTEP assignment (p. 197).

Seven Oceans (18,201/07) departing Melbourne 24 September 2018 (D.E.Crisp)

Offshore/pipelayer Seven Oceans (9358826, 18,201/07, Subsea 7 Ltd, Subsea 7 International Contracting Ltd, UK, mgrs.; Isle of Man flag) called Melbourne 21-23 September from Europe via Durban to take on stores, personnel and equipment for a two-month charter to Cooper Energy. The vessel then moved to Crib point, Western Port to load pipe. The vessel worked in eastern Bass Strait laying 63km of pipeline connecting the Orbost gas plant to the Sole Field off Gippsland, undertaken in three 21km sections. Work included the subsea tie-back of the Sole Well, fabrication, installation of the pipeline, spool and manifold along with the installation of the umbilical.

Rig Ocean Monarch (p. 196) arrived in the River Derwent 16 November in tow of Far Saracen and Far Senator (both p. 196) and was anchored in Ralphs Bay for an expected three months of repairs and maintenance by local firm Taylor Bros.

The BHP-operated MODEC FPSO Pyrenees Venture (2017, p. 179) underwent a 45-day drydocking at SembCorp‟s Tuas yard in August-September.

On 1 October Solstad Farstad was renamed Solstad Offshore. Sverre Farstad sold his shareholding in the three-way merged company earlier this year after expressing his unhappiness with its direction.

Mermaid Searcher (p. 119) was refitted ashore at BAE Henderson 17 September-3 October and then returned to lay-up in the Fremantle Boat Harbour.

Skandi Singapore (p. 118) arrived at Port Taranaki in late October to undertake repairs offshore to the 10.8 kilometre Pohokura undersea pipeline, which links Shell‟s Pohokura platform to the Methanex plant. Work was due to be completed by mid-November.

Dredging

Port Hedland‟s annual maintenance dredging program from early August-end September was undertaken by Juan Sebastian de Elcano (2016, p. 269) assisted by sweep vessel Bhagwan Renegade (2017, p. 180), hydrographic survey vessel GO Puriya (2016, p. 269) and crew transfer

266 vessel Pure Adrenalin (2017, p. 115). The same armada was used for dredging and survey operations at the Port of Ashburton, covering the Wheatstone LNG Channel, swing basin and anchorages and spoil grounds 17 August-4 September.

At Dampier 16 August-6 September bed-levelling in the Rio Tinto channel was undertaken by MTS Vantage (2017, p. 248).

Dredge Nile River (p. 198) left Brisbane 25 September for Singapore. On 26 September Bhagwan tugs Fiona F (p. 198) and Mildred (2017, p. 53) towed the floating pipeline from the Marcoola receival site back to Murarrie for disassembly.

Suction hopper dredge Pelican (p. 53) delivered in tow 11/2017 from NZ to Port Macquarie, is under conversion to a non-propelled hopper barge by Birdon for their own use. Birdon has also acquired the former MHT hoppers DHB-139 (and DHB-140 (2017, p. 111) from Houben Marine. DHB-139, attended by tug Leaders Creek, is working in Newcastle on the Stockton Boat Harbour redevelopment.

P.T. Monto (p. 198) left Noumea 24 September towing dredge Machiavelli (p. 198) and hopper H1201 (p. 198) and arrived Burnie 10 October to work primarily on deepening of Berth 4 for the new Toll Shipping vessels (see Australasia and South Pacific – General Cargo). Following completion the convoy departed Burnie 7 November for Newcastle (13 November).

P.T. Kotor with hoppers BKA Endeavour and BKA Resolution (all p. 120) returned to Melbourne from Port Lincoln on 4 November. These vessels, along with backhoe Storken (2016, p. 47), crew transfer vessel Investigator, sweep tug Edi (see Towage, above) and survey vessels John Norgate and Lonsdale are scheduled to work on the deepening of Toll Shipping‟s 1 East Webb Dock berth from 28 November and then switch to maintenance dredging in the Yarra River and Melbourne berths until mid- April 2019.

Westport dredge Kawatiri (2018, p. 199) arrived Nelson 8 September to go on the slip for minor repairs before commencing a dredging contract there two days later. Upon completion the dredge sailed for Westport (15 October) and then Greymouth (5 November) to work in the channel and around the wharves to restore water depth to allow fishing boats to work over a bigger tidal window.

Fairway (33,423/1997) at Lyttelton 21 October 2018 (A.Calvert)

Work is well underway with the construction of the purpose-built cruise berth at Lyttelton. The dredge Fairway (p.199) has been dredging around the area as part of the current channel deepening project. Completion is expected in time for the 2019-2020 cruise season.

Work commenced during October at Oamaru to dredge the entrance and an area around the berths to 3 metres, following silting. This is the first-time dredging has been done at the port since 2011. The work

267 will be carried out by a long reach excavator from the foreshore. Stage two due to start March 2019 will see the channel and berth area deepened to 5 metres.

FERRIES, FISHING and MISCELLANEOUS CRAFT

Ferries

It was announced on 25 October that the NRMA was purchasing the Sydney operation of Fantasea Cruises, including the ferry service between Palm Beach and the Central Coast, the fleet comprising ten ferries and ten water-taxis. Following their purchase last year of Manly Fast Ferries (p. 53), now rebranded as My Fast Ferries, this will make NRMA one of the major Sydney tourist operators. The addition of the Fantasea fleet could see the overall operation rebranded, with a focus on domestic and international tourism. The NRMA CEO, Rohan Lund, has said the organisation “wants the city to again realise the potential of the world‟s greatest harbour.”

Martin Cash aground in the Parramatta River 23 March 2018 (L.D.Rex collection)

Re Sydney charter boat Martin Cash demolition (p.121 and 200): The vessel was refloated and removed from the Parramatta River near the Ryde Bridge by Australian Wharf and Bridge of Rozelle per contract from Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) resulting from the calling of tenders for the work. The general purpose workboat Ability (45/00) operated by associated company Ability Barge and Services was employed for both refloating and towing to AWB in Rozelle Bay on 30 March where demolition was completed by mid-year. Martin Cash had been berthed at marinas just west of the Sydney fish market until c. late 2015 when with dwindling business it was moved to swing moorings in Brays Bay. Few if any charters had been operated in the year prior to the grounding. The last owner was Steve Quinn. Martin Cash was built on an urgent basis for the Sullivans Cove Ferry Co. after Hobart's Tasman bridge was hit and part demolished by bulk carrier Lake Illawarra in January 1975.

Excursion vessel Lady Cutler (p. 200) completed a five-year AMSA survey over eight weeks on the Mersey Slipway in Devonport when re-launched on 31 October, arriving back in Melbourne late on 1 November and resuming service the following evening. Major work included replacement of 15 square metres of hull plating largely in the engine room area.

268 Another of the former Sydney Harbour Lady-class ferries, Lady Woodward (339/70), has been converted to a houseboat in Queensland. After being withdrawn from service in 1998 it was sold to a Tasmanian company and became a mother ship for a fish farm in Macquarie Harbour, this lasting until 2010, when the vessel was sold and moved under its own power to Tin Can Bay, near Gympie in Queensland, where it was converted into a houseboat, with accommodation for up to twenty people. During a major storm on 23 October 2012, Lady Woodward dragged its anchor and collided with another houseboat, a converted trawler, before running aground. Since being refloated, Lady Woodward has lain at anchor, though the engine is still in place, and the vessel can be moved if required. Lady Woodward has now been offered for sale on Gumtree, the price being around $100,000.

Re Prolific (see Accidents and Mishaps): Built as standard WWII 45' (13.7m) wood Army towboat by W Ryan and Sons at Taree, NSW in 1945 and apparently sold before service to become fishing boat Terri (details and clarification sought). In 1964 purchased by Nicholson Bros Harbour Transport Pty Ltd as fishing boat and refitted by Nicholsons to become an enhanced "Army" towboat with new more powerful V8 Cummins diesel in place of previous 6 cyl. Cummins and (perhaps later) new upper wheelhouse designed by Eric Nicholson (both wheelhouses functional) to provide improved visibility from wheel when handling fuel or timber barges. In service late 1964 renamed Prolific with survey for carrying 12 passengers within Sydney Harbour (possibly with contract to transport MSB workmen about the harbour). In January 1968 sold with Nicholson business to Stannard Bros Launch Services Pty Ltd remaining in Sydney and in July 1976 sold to Albert (Berti) Webster of Darling Point and fitted out for private purposes, sighted 1977 in Parramatta River as cruiser. Converted to houseboat in Sydney by 2004 and by 2016 fitted with Detroit 6-71 diesel of 165bhp. In August 2016 reported in Port Hacking recently sold in neglected state possibly by Mike Webster (son of B Webster) to Kris Mitchell, then sold again in c. 2017 to David McGregor, being sighted for sale for $15,000 at swing moorings in Burraneer Bay,Port Hacking in September 2017. Operated as private "party boat" in last years. (With due acknowledgement to Mori Flapan: Register of Australian and New Zealand Ships and Boats).

Bowen arriving Kettering 22 October 2017 (R.Cox)

The Sealink Travel Group took over the running of southern Tasmania‟s Bruny Island ferry service (p. 200) on 23 September; on 23 October Sealink announced the purchase of the powered ro-ro barge (and former Bruny Island peak season/relief vessel) Bowen (2016, p. 49), which re-entered the service the following day. At the same time Sealink announced the two new ferries for the service would be built by Hobart‟s Richardson Devine Marine, with the first expected to go into service in December 2019, and the second scheduled for March 2021. The lightweight single-deck aluminium catamarans will be powered by direct drive diesel, and designed so an extra deck can be added if required to meet demand.

Sydney Ferries‟ Newcastle ferry Hunter (8511562, 176/86) left on 17 September for Port Macquarie for a substantial refurbishment by Birdon; it was back in service by 21 November. The ferry‟s refurbishment features new seating on the boat‟s back deck as well as spaces for wheelchairs, surfboards and bicycles. Sister Shortland (8511550, 174/86) is to follow.

269 A new CityCat terminal will be built at the $100 million Howard Smith Wharves development in what will bet Brisbane‟s 26th terminal. The $12 million terminal will be jointly funded by Brisbane City Council and the Howard Smith Wharves Consortium. The terminal is expected to open in 2020.

Re the KI Connect service (p. 121, 200): A sandbar at Cape Jervis has affected the running of James Cowell with some sailings cancelled at low tide and others forced to use a local jetty; the operators claim South Australia‟s Department of Transport, Planning and infrastructure has declined to fund necessary dredging, although it does so for similar small ports.

Fishing

The Western Australian Government in mid-October granted Hobart‟s Huon Aquaculture a lease over a 2,200 hectare site off Geraldton to farm yellowtail kingfish. Meanwhile, Huon‟s activities at Port Stephen, NSW, which had been affected by bad weather causing fish farm stock loss, appear to have cease: the 24-metre landing barge Bulldog 13 (p. 55) left Newcastle on 9 October for Tasmania carrying two unused floating fish feeders that had been stored with spare anchors and such at the CTB‟s East Kooragang yard. At the Ausbarge yard a team had been taking apart the fish cages, the final two being towed from Providence Bay by tug Arana on 11 August.

Landing barge Sammy Express (p. 50, 56), now owned by Devonport-based Petuna Aquaculture and employed on fish farm work at Strahan, arrived Devonport 13 November for slipping; departed again for Strahan 25 November.

Endeavour Bay (7048673, 294/67): Laid up at Cairns and out of survey, has been offered for sale by Sea Swift Pty Ltd. Its last active role was in the Gulf of Carpentaria during April/May 2017 as a fishing fleet mothership at the start of the banana prawn season. One of the early American style oil rig supply vessels, built as Aqueduct later Ariel in Port Arthur, Texas for Caspary-Wendell Inc, Wilmington, from 1978 it was owned by Offshore Logistics International Inc, Panama, and in 1983 renamed Ariele. Renamed Pacific Endeavour in 2/1991 when it came to Cairns for Endeavour Shipping Pty Ltd (Perrott Salvage & Construction Pty Ltd), it was then sold 6/2009 to Sea Swift to become Endeavour Bay.

Miscellaneous Craft

Clarence River pilot cutter Governor King (2016, p. 75) was taken up under maintenance at the Midcoast Boatyard at Wickham on 13 September, returning to Yamba on 29 September, with fuel taken at Port Macquarie both ways.

Western Australia‟s Department of Parks and Wildlife has placed a contract with Henderson-based Cordina Marine for a 16-metre patrol vessel to serve the East Kimberley District/Marine Park. It will also support management operations for proposed islands and terrestrial conservation estate around Kimberley. It will be used to a lesser extent beyond North Kimberley Marine Park boundaries and for support of other regional marine operations as well as interagency operations. The vessel will be built to NSCV 2B standard and will be accompanied by a five-metre tender vessel which will be launched and retrieved via an A-frame crane. Completion and delivery are expected to be in the fourth quarter of 2019.

ACCIDENTS AND MISHAPS

At around 0900 27 November coal-laden bulk carrier Maria G.O. (9511428, 47,984/11, South Bird Co, Gleamray Maritime Inc, Greece, mgrs.; Marshall Island flag) grounded on a mud bank outside Gladstone Harbour after engine failure. The vessel was refloated by local tugs on a rising tide at about 1100 and taken to deep water, where it was detained by AMS pending inspection for damage and seaworthiness.

Fire erupted 0230 on 17 November at Noumea in the superstructure of the abandoned chemical products tanker Grete Theresa (9119440, 821/96, ex Celine-01, Stiles de Louis Kotra Uregei, New Caledonia; French flag). The fire was extinguished after about seven hours with firefighters hampered by

270 thick smoke and toxic fumes. The vessel has been laid up at Noumea for at least 6 years according to AIS records (Equasis – laid up since 30/4/2011)

On 7 November the ex Nicholson Bros harbour tug Prolific (29grt in 1965/45) was brought to the surface by AWB Contractors Pty Ltd (trading as Australian Wharf and Bridge) employing the company No 1 crane barge in Burraneer Bay, Port Hacking. Prolific had sunk at moorings in 15m depth c. two months earlier and had been abandoned by the owner. On recovery the vessel was placed on a shallow sandy bottom where the superstructure was demolished in-situ. Subsequently the hull was loaded on the company No 3 flat top barge and towed to the AWB premises in Rozelle Bay by associate company Ability Barge and Services' workboat Breona (details sought) arriving late on 14 November where it was demolished the following day. The crane barge was towed back to Rozelle by Ability's workboat Ability (45/2000, built by Brown at Toronto, 15.75m x 5.01m). AWB had won a tender let by Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) for removal of Prolific. Both companies involved are owned by Mr Paul Whitmarsh. (See Historic, Preserved & Museum)

The cement carrier Fjordvik (7423249, 3,091/76, ex Westport-16, Aalborg Pearl Ltd, SMT Shipmanagement & Transport Gdynia, Poland, mgrs.; Bahamas flag) grounded on a breakwater outside the port of Helguvik, Iceland, at around 0100 UTC on 3 November after missing the entrance to the port. The former NZ coastal bulk cement carrier (2016, p.180, 232, 254) sustained hull damage resulting in some leakage of cement and lubricating oil and ingress of a large quantity of water. The 14 crew and pilot were winched off safely by the Icelandic Coast Guard. An LOF was signed with Ardent Maritime Netherlands BV who managed to re-float the vessel on the evening of 9 Nov, with two tugs towing it first to nearby Keflavik harbour and then on 13 Nov to Hafnarfjörður harbour, which has a floating dry dock, for inspection and temporary repairs. The vessel was very low in the stern with severe damage aft including a 2-metre long gash and was being kept afloat by a salvage team from Ardent by compressed air and pumps.

AMSA coordinated a search and rescue operation for a French solo yachtsman competing in the Golden Globe Race after his yacht Laaland was dismasted some 1,300km SW of Perth. The sailor was recovered from the yacht on 23 October by the bulk carrier Shiosai (9468188, 89,777/09, Kitaura Kaiun KK, owners & mgrs.; Japan flag).

On the morning of 15 October smoke was detected in a cargo of coal on board Liangchow (9715191 24,785/15, China Navigation Co Pte Ltd, owners & mgrs.; Hong Kong flag) berthed at Auckland. There was no open fire and the smouldering cargo was sprayed with water by Auckland firefighters over 6 hours to cool the coal before offloading. A second round of smouldering occurred on the morning of 17 Oct during discharge of the coal. There were no injuries to crew members or damage to the vessel as a result of either event.

Pacific Towing (PNG) Ltd has salvaged the PNG registered trawler Louaro which had been beached near Kerema on the Gulf of Papua, 230km NW of Port Moresby. The nearest navigable access was 2.6km from the shore and the salvage was undertaken by Vulcan (7422996, 247/75) running a long tow- line from seaward and utilising surf conditions to re-float the trawler before towing it to Port Moresby. (Based on a report dated 14 Oct 2018 - no dates for stranding or salvage given.)

Re L’Austral (p.125; 2017, p.61): French company Compagnie du Ponant and the ship‟s captain were fined NZ$70,000 and NZ$30,000 respectively by the Wellington District Court on 2 October, for endangering human life and entering a prohibited zone following an incident in the remote New Zealand sub-Antarctic islands. The charges arose from the vessel grounding on an unchartered rock at the Snares Islands on 9 Jan 2017. NZ TAIC has added ship navigation in pilotage waters to its watchlist after a series of incidents where ships have grounded. In addition to the above incident, L’Austral struck a stony bank near the base of Milford Peak when entering Milford Sound at night on 9 Feb 2017 (2017, p.61) after the pilot lost situational awareness; in early 2016 Azamara Quest, hit Wheki Rock in Tory Channel (2016, p. 277), while a fourth incident involved the bulk carrier Molly Manx, which ran aground in Otago Harbour on 19 Aug 2016 (p. 59; 2016, p.277).

271 A „ghost ship‟ that was first spotted abandoned and adrift in late August 2018 near the mouth of the Sittoung River, Myanmar, sank on 1 October off the coast of Yangon in the Gulf of Martaban. The ship was identified as the former Indonesian registered Sam Ratulangi PB 1600 (9151981, 18,247/01) which was being towed to Bangladeshi breakers (registered as Sam Ratulangi, Palau flag) when it broke free during heavy weather and was abandoned by the crew of the towing tug. The ship was on the SE Asia- Australia run for several years in the early 2000s, operated for Djakarta Lloyd when it was a member of ANRO/AAX and later under charter to PIL. The ship and sister MH Thamrin were Indonesian-built versions of the BV1600 design and had significant reliability issues.

NT environmental authorities laid charges in Oct 2018 against the Master and owners of the general cargo ship Antung (9371957, 5,316/07) in relation to an oil spill in Darwin harbour on 19 August 2016 as the vessel was departing East Arm Wharf. The vessel was on charter to Swire at the time and has since reverted to its build-name, MCP London (2017 p.103).

Re Thorco Lineage (p.202): The vessel arrived in tow at Gwangyang for repairs on 11 September.

Re sail training vessel Lady Nelson (p. 124): The grounding was in the Pot Boil shoals while departing from Lady Barron on Flinders Island; considerable damage was sustained from the buffeting including loss of the rudder. A fishing boat towed the vessel back to Lady Barron where tug Wilga awaited for the tow to Devonport and repair. Lady Nelson was slipped soon after arrival at Mersey Slipway where major repair and other maintenance was carried out over a period of six and a half months. Work included a new stem, a new steel three piece shoe on the keel (the centre section of the keel is lead), new rudder and propeller, some fastenings and a complete re-caulking of the vessel. The hull is wood except for the centre keel section and the keel shoe. Lady Nelson was re-launched on 4 October and returned to Hobart and fromlate November for the following four months conducts a series of 2 to 5 day cruises between Hobart and the Triabunna/Maria Island area on the Tasmanian east coast. Lady Nelson is operated and maintained by the Tasmanian Sail Training Association, a non profit charitable trust, on behalf of the people of Tasmania. The vessel‟s construction was a bi-centenary of European settlement project (see picture inside back page).

Re Kia Trader (p. 57, 124, 202): By early September, more than 97 tonnes of submerged debris had been removed from the wreck.

Re Lauren Hansen (p.123) the ATSB has found that the uncontrolled turn to port leading to the vessel grounding on 11 April 2018 was likely due to an intermittent fault with the autopilot or compass top sensor unit. Both units were replaced after the incident.

ATSB has released an interim factual report (MO-2017-009) on the grounding of the Australian Border Force Cutter Roebuck Bay on Henry Reef in the Great Barrier Reef on 30 Sept 2017 (2017 p.255). The report details information on the sequence of events leading up to the grounding and the emergency response but does not include analysis of the contributing factors of the incident which will be covered in its final report.

A NZ Transport Accident Investigation Commission report into the fire on board Kokopo Chief at the Port of Tauringa on 24 Sept 2017 (2017, p. 255) found the fire was caused by heat from an “incandescent reflector lamp” that had been left on after loading had been completed which ignited packs of timber stowed nearby. Contrary to reports at the time, TAIC found that the ship‟s fixed CO2 fire- extinguishing system was effective.

Re Southern Phoenix (p. 58, 123): the contract to salvage the vessel, which sank in Suva Harbour 5 May 2017, was awarded to Pacific Towing Papua New Guinea Limited who began salvaging works on the vessel on 10 Nov 2018. The wreck is slated to be scuttled in deep water upon re-floatation; the work is estimated to cost around $1.2 million.

The skipper of City Cat, one of Wellington‟s East By West ferries, was fined $1,688 in Wellington District

272 Court 14 Nov 2018 for causing unnecessary danger to 18 passengers and crew when the ferry grounded on a rock In Karaka Bay on 16 April 2017. At the time the ferry was on a regular run between city and Seatoun and was travelling at 17 knots in a 5-knot area. There were no serious injuries but vessel was out of service for 2 weeks for repairs.

On 12 February 2017, the fully-laden bulk carrier Aquadiva (9469675, 93,360/10, Arion Shipping SA, Carras Hellas SA, Greece, mgrs.; Greek flag) was departing Newcastle Harbour under the conduct of a harbour pilot when at about 2218 AEDT, during passage through a section of the harbour channel known as The Horse Shoe, insufficient rudder was applied in time to effectively turn the ship. The ship slewed toward the southern edge of the channel and crossed over the limits of the marked navigation channel. Additional tugs were required to arrest the ship‟s movement and return it to the channel. A subsequent harbour survey indicated that Aquadiva had touched bottom although not enough for the ship to have stopped and grounded. ATSB found (330-MO-2017-002, 4 Sep 2018) that the bridge crew and harbour pilot did not have a shared understanding of the vessel‟s passage plan so that when insufficient rudder was applied and the ship did not turn as expected, no-one from the ship‟s bridge crew challenged or intervened to draw this error to the attention of the harbour pilot.

SHIPBUILDING and SHIP REPAIR

Austal, Henderson launched Express 4 (2018, p. 205) on 16 October for Molslinjen, Denmark and has commenced work on the first of two 117-metre trimaran ferries for Canary Islands based Fred Olsen S.A. (2017, p.257).

The Government of Trinidad and Tobago has announced its intention to order a 94-metre ferry from Austal; this would be built at Henderson and is intended for operation between the two main islands of the Caribbean nation.

Austal, USA : The littoral combat ship Charleston (LCS 18) (2018, p. 205) was delivered to the US Navy on 31 August and expeditionary fast transport Burlington (EPF 10) (2018, p. 205) on 15 November. Puerto Rico (EPF 11) (2018, p. 205) was launched in mid-November. Contracts have been secured for Santa Barbara (LCS 32) and LCS 34, also EPF 13.

Austal, Cebu delivered the 30-metre catamaran Seacat to VS Grand Ferries of the Philippines in September. A 109-metre ferry is under construction for Fjord Line of Norway.

On 25 November Hobart‟s Richardson Devine Marine launched catamaran ferry Freya, intended to join Ena on the run between Sullivans Cove and MONA at Berriedale.

Echo Yachts launched the 84-metre tri-hulled super yacht White Rabbit at Henderson on 1 September for Goh Hup Jin, Singapore. Registered in the Cook Islands, it is reported to be the largest vessel of this type built anywhere in the world. Design work was done by One2Three Naval Architects, which also designed the 41.12-metre passenger ferry Red Jet Seven, recently completed by Wight Shipyard for Red Funnel Ferries, Southampton. Fitted with four MTU 10V 2000 M72 main engines, this vessel has a maximum service speed of 38 knots.

New Incat Crowther designs: The 29-metre Acadia Explorer and Schoodic Explorer were delivered in September by Gulf Craft, Louisiana for Bar Harbor Whale Watch, Maine. Two Caterpillar C32 ACERT main engines provide a service speed of 25 knots.Astilleros Armon at Gijon is to build a 125-metre ro- pax ferry for Baleària with capacity for 500 cars and 1,200 passengers and a 20-metre monohull workboat has been ordered from Veecraft Marine, Capetown for South African Special Forces. Two 40- metre ferries built in China - Jiang Men launched by Wang Tak and Xin Hai Bin launched by AFAI for Zhuhai Fast Ferry Co.

Tug Warren (170/71) arrived in Sydney Harbour from Yamba on 28 September, towing the former Garden Island floating dock, both owned by Noakes Marine. John Bennett reports that on arrival the tow

273 was taken into the shelter of Watsons Bay where Warren was relieved by the Ausbarge Co tugs Arana and Morpeth. With ARANA pushing at the rear and MORPETH travelling to the side the dock proceeded to a temporary lay up berth in Snails Bay, where they arrived at 11.45am. Warren stayed only a few hours before departing to return to Yamba. The dock will remain at Snails Bay until space is available at the Noakes facility in Berrys Bay for it to be put to work. The dock is self supporting, not requiring shore power to operate the internal pumps, and can operate anywhere in the harbour the depth of water permits.

HISTORIC, PRESERVED AND MUSEUM

In November the classic wood fantail stern ex Sydney tug Argos (O/No 117639, 22grt to 1962/1903, ex Gladys Ellison-62, built by W M Ford at Berrys Bay, NSW), was advertised for sale for $20,000 (later $6,000) on the RegattaSailing, Boats online website. Argos is on swing moorings at Lovett Bay, Pittwater, NSW and has been there since at least June 2010. The vessel is in a neglected state, without engine and rudder but with shaft and propeller, with near all metal fittings and the bulwarks removed and little on deck except the 1962 built wheelhouse. The website states the vessel is 70‟ o/a x 14‟ beam x 6‟ draft, was last slipped four years ago and previously annually and that the owner is no longer with us. Gladys Ellison was built for S. T. and B. Penson of Sydney with a 2cyl. steam engine and was sold in 1920 to John W. Eaton Ltd with further sales in 1927 and 1956 to Bailey and Jorgenson organizations, in 1974 (as Argos) to Harbour Lighterage Pty Ltd and in 1979 to unknown buyers for non commercial use. Nfi. Interestingly the Sydney register was closed in 1961 with note “Vessel broken up” but Gladys Ellison was rebuilt with the current wheelhouse and an 8L3 Gardner diesel in 1962 and renamed Argos. In c. 1965 the vessel was again re-engined with a GM/Gray marine diesel.

Prolific (29/1945) at Burraneer Bay, Port Hacking, September 2017 (J.Bennett collection)

In view of the recent salvage and demolition of the ex Nicholson Bros Sydney based harbour tug Prolific (see Accidents and Mishaps) it is appropriate to review the vessel‟s history. Prolific was built as a standard WWII 45' (13.7m) wood Army towboat by W Ryan and Sons at Taree, NSW in 1945 and apparently sold before service to become the fishing boat Terri (details and clarification sought). In 1964 Nicholson Bros Harbour Transport Pty Ltd purchased the vessel as a fishing boat and refitted it in their yard to become an “enhanced” Army towboat with new more powerful V8 Cummins diesel in place of the previous 6 cyl. Cummins and (perhaps later) a new upper wheelhouse designed by Eric Nicholson (both wheelhouses functional) to provide improved visibility for the helmsman when handling fuel or timber barges and punts. Renamed Prolific the tug entered service late in 1964 with survey for 12 passengers within Sydney Harbour, apparently in accordance with a contract for transport for MSB employees. In January 1968 Prolific was sold together with other vessels and the Nicholson business to Stannard Bros

274 Launch Services Pty Ltd remaining in Sydney and in July 1976 was sold to Albert (Berti) Webster of Darling Point and fitted out for private purposes, being sighted in 1977 in the Parramatta River as a “cruiser”. By c. 1985 Prolific had been converted to a houseboat with extensive main deck accommodation with a tall “funnel” and was moored in Watsons Bay. By 2016 a Detroit 6-71 diesel of 165bhp had been fitted and in August 2016 Prolific was reported in Port Hacking in a neglected state having recently been sold, possibly by Mike Webster (son of B Webster above) to Kris Mitchell. A further sale was reported in c. 2017 to David McGregor, and the vessel was for sale for $15,000 when at swing moorings in Burraneer Bay, Port Hacking in September 2017. During these latter years Prolific was used as private "party boat". Further information is welcome.

NAVAL

HMAS Warramunga at Hobart 14 September 2018 (R.Cox)

On 20 October the Anzac class FFH HMAS Warramunga held a public open day in Melbourne as part of a short visit to the Victorian capital.

HMAS Ballarat departed Fleet Base West at Garden Island, Western Australia for maritime security operations in the Middle East on 28 October 2018. The Anzac class helicopter frigate (FFH) would provide safe and open access to the region while fostering trade and commerce. For the RAN it was the 67th rotation in the Middle East region.

The RAN's second Hobart class guided missile destroyer (DDG), HMAS Brisbane, was commissioned into the Australian Fleet at a ceremony at Fleet Base East in Sydney on 27 October 2018. Two days earlier, 25 October, Navy also commissioned its first UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) squadron, 822X, at HMAS Albatross south of Nowra. The X indicates the developmental nature of the squadron. UAVs will be trialled aboard the Hobart class destroyers and Anzac class helicopter frigates.

The 18th series of Exercise PENGUIN, a bilateral exercise between the Royal Brunei Navy (RBN) and

275 the RAN, concluded with a closing ceremony on 22 October. The RBN hosted the biennial exercise in Brunei between 18-22 October when the offshore patrol vessels (OPVs), KDB Darulaman and KDB Berkat, exercised with the Armidale class patrol boats HMAS Launceston. Exercise PENGUIN aimed to "enhance the professionalism and interoperability of both navies by sharing knowledge and experiences and through combined training and various sea evolutions." The two Brunei ships are the same design as chosen by the RAN for its new 12-strong future class of OPVs.

The LHD HMAS Adelaide hosted a family day on Sydney Harbour on 19 October prior to the ship's deployment to Papua New Guinea in support of APEC 2018. She sailed from Sydney for PNG on 22 October.

The former Oberon class submarine HMAS Otama, which has been in Western Port for 14 years has been finally been earmarked for preservation ashore. The mid October announcement will see the 40- year old boat preserved as a museum vessel at Hastings. Otama was paid off on 15 December 2000 and in 2001 was sold to the Western Port Oberon Association, a community group intending to preserve her as a museum vessel and building the Victorian Maritime Centre in Hastings, Victoria.

Guided missile frigate (FFG) HMAS Melbourne participated in the Republic of Korea Navy International Fleet Review in Jeju from 10 - 15 October 2018. The Review involved participants from 40 nations, including ships from Australia, Brunei, Canada, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Thailand, and the USA.

On 4 October an interim contract was struck between the Commonwealth and BAE Systems Australia for the RAN's new Hunter class frigate program. The Advanced Work Arrangement (AWA) will cover on- going work on the $35 billion program, ahead of agreeing the Head Contract. “The AWA is an interim contract which enables BAE Systems to continue to mobilise its workforce and progress the critical work required to ensure the project remains on track to start production in 2020,” Minister Pyne said. Nine Hunter class frigates will be built.

On 3 October the new offshore patrol vessel project celebrated the first steel cut of unit one at Civmec‟s facility in Western Australia. The first bolt was also locked down on the steelwork at the country‟s largest ship assembly hall at Civmec‟s massive new $85 million Henderson facility. The primary role of the OPV will be to undertake constabulary missions as the primary ADF asset for maritime patrol and response dutie. The first two vessels will be built in South Australia by ASC and Civmec will undertake the fabrication, construction and consolidation for the following 10 vessels in Western Australia. They will be known as the Arafura class, with the first ship entering service in 2022 being named HMAS Arafura.

Anzac class FFH HMAS Ballarat returned to Fremantle on 1 October after participating in a search-and- rescue mission for two solo round-the-world yachtsmen. Ballarat’s MH60 Romeo Seahawk helicopter recovered Irish national Gregor McGuckin from a French scientific research station on Amsterdam Island in the Indian Ocean after he was transported there by French fishing vessel Osiris. The other sailor, Indian Navy Commander Abhilash Tomy, had suffered a back injury and was being picked up by Indian Navy frigate INS Satpura for return to India. Ballarat's crew then resumed their pre-Middle East deployment leave to ensure all personnel were well rested before sailing.

BAE Systems Australia welcomed HMAS Anzac, the RAN's first Anzac class FFH, to its Henderson facility in Western Australia on 10 September as part of the navy‟s fleet upgrade to keep the class in service until they are replaced by the new Hunter class frigates. Known as the Mid Life Capability Assurance Program (AMCAP) upgrade the work is being undertaken at Henderson, with HMA Ships Perth and Arunta already in the process of the refit. Arunta, the first to receive AMCAP, has had her old mast removed to make way for the installation of a newly developed Air Search Radar System. The new mast is currently being manufactured by BAE Systems and was scheduled to be installed at the end of October. Arunta will undock before the end of the year after having spent more than 12 months on the hard stand. She is planned to return to service in 2019. The remaining seven in the class will be back in service by 2023.

276 On 29 September the Adelaide class guided missile frigate HMAS Melbourne completed a visit to the Chinese port of Zhanjiang and conducted a combined passage exercise with the PLA-N Ship, Xianning. Part of Navy‟s North East Asian Deployment for 2018, the short passage exercise conducted after sailing from port included routine safety of life at sea drills, helicopter search and rescue operations, as well as navigation and ship handling exercises.

HMAS Gascoyne on Port Phillip 31 May 2002 (R.A.Priest/NAA collection)

On 10 September two of the RAN's coastal mine hunters, HMA Ships Huon and Gascoyne, sailed from HMAS Waterhen in Sydney for north-east Asia. Away for three months it will be the longest deployment for the class to date, with the vessels to return to Sydney in December. Meanwhile two inactive sister ships, ex-HMAS Hawkesbury and ex-HMAS Norman, were offered for sale into private ownership in October, leaving four of the class to continue in service until the early 2030s.

HMAS Choules arrived in Melbourne 28 September for her first ever visit and public open day on Sunday, 30 September. The amphibious ship arrived back in Sydney on 4 October, marking the 105th anniversary of the arrival of the first RAN Fleet unit, when ten ships sailed into Sydney Harbour for the first time in 1913.

Exercise KAKADU 2018 ended on 13 September with a multinational fleet formation off the coast of Darwin.

NUSHIP Brisbane sailed from Port Adelaide 3 September. After a stopover in Jervis Bay the guided missile destroyer arrived in Sydney on 10 September.

HMAS Hobart berthed in Sydney 2 September 2018, and then sailed to Pearl Harbor, arriving there on 22 September. Hobart then proceeded to the US west coast to conduct missile tests off San Diego.

On 1 September the Anzac class FFH HMAS Toowoomba returned to Fleet Base West, Rockingham, Western Australia, after the ship‟s longest deployment to date, successfully contributing to seven Task Groups in seven months. Toowoomba had sailed 40,125 nautical miles or more than 74,000km, equivalent to 1.85 times around the world. Throughout the deployment, the ship visited various ports around Australia, Guam, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei, Singapore, Vanuatu, the United States, and Solomon Islands. 277 Australia‟s largest annual maritime task group, Indo-Pacific Endeavour 2018 (IPE18), returned to Australia on 23 August following a successful three month deployment to the Pacific. Personnel participated in maritime training with regional security forces, humanitarian and disaster relief planning, community engagement, and held discussions on regional security issues, as well as visits to Vanuatu, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands.

On 22 August HMA Ships Sirius and Stuart were deployed from Fleet Base West bound for Exercise KAKADU 2018 off Darwin. Then on 9 October both ships joined the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) corvettes RSS Valiant and Vigour for Exercise SINGAROO, a two day maritime exercise in waters off Singapore. Stuart is expected to return towards the end of the year. Following her deployment, Sirius will enter a period of maintenance on the east coast before returning to Fleet Base West in 2019. In a recent trial, HMAS Canberra maneuvered into position between Clark Island and the Garden Island Heritage center to receive naval aviation spirit (F44) via the Damen-built and Lloyd-classed vessel Manning. Whilst not without the customary challenges like wind and the location of organic bollards, Manning successfully transferred 100,000 liters of F44 which she had received from the bulk storage depot at Botany Bay. This transfer of fuel into HMAS Canberra proved a further flexibility of the Defence Fuel Supply Chain. “While road tankers remain an option, this capability significantly improves the efficient delivery of bulk F44 quantities to LHDs; enhancing navy‟s ability to respond to short notice tasking,” Lieutenant T. Rob Gould, Staff Officer Fuels and Lubricants, said. The trial was a milestone of firsts, with Manning conducting a transit outside of Sydney heads for the first time since her arrival in 2015, conducting the first fueling of a vessel from the commercial Botany Bay F44 bulk fuel storage andconducting the first fueling of an LHD with F44 by SPWFL. “The advancement in capability provided by the fuel support vessels has been considerable in my time, and now we have the opportunity to provide even more capability,” Manning‟s Master, Nigel Wingate, summed up their role by saying. Manning and her sister ships, Macleay (Fleet Base East), Mowamba (Fleet Base West) and Macarthur (HMAS Coonawarra) can now be classified as a dual fuel carrying fleet. The operation confirmed the ability to quickly fuel an LHD with F44, avoiding the alternative use of up to 31 road tankers to fill the LHD F44 tanks to capacity, according to the Royal Australian Navy. The Australian government plans to build a new naval ship to assist the country‟s neighbours in carrying out humanitarian and disaster relief operations as part of a new foreign policy strategy for the Pacific region. Defence Minister Christopher Pyne has stated that, under the strategy, the new vessel would operate semi-permanently in the south west Pacific.Details of the project‟s cost as well as when and where the vessel will be built have not been disclosed. Mr Pyne has said that the new vessel will be deployed to assist in preparing for natural disasters or to respond to natural disasters as they occur.

HMNZS Otago at Bluff (C.Howell)

278 In late October the offshore patrol vessel HMNZS Otago conducted a passage exercise with the patrol boat HMAS Wollongong off the east coast of Australia. Earlier, on 22 October, Civil Defence Minister Kris Faafoi joined Otago to the atolls of Tokelau to assess village emergency preparedness plans, in the event of natural disaster in the Pacific Islands.

Lady Nelson at Hobart 6 February 2009 (L.D.Rex)

NAUTICAL ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA – ADDRESSES The following addresses should be used for communications to the Association: Editor: R. A. Priest, 2 Bebington Close, Ringwood, Vic., 3124. Email [email protected] Treasurer: A. Knott, P.O. Box 267, Leopold, Vic., 3224. Email [email protected] Secretary: P. E. Cundall, Unit 9, 70-74 Phillip Street, Parramatta, NSW 2150. Email [email protected] Photographs for inclusion in The Log should be sent to R.A.Priest, at the above address. Photographs submitted to the NAA, unless accompanied by written instructions to their use and/or return, will be accepted with the implied consent for the NAA to use them in The Log, or other NAA publications. Such photos to be retained in the NAA archives, and the photographer to be acknowledged if and when they are published. www.nautical.asn.au All persons with an interest in ships and shipping are encouraged to subscribe to The Log, the quarterly journal of the Nautical Association of Australia Inc. Since 1968 The Log has recorded the maritime history of Australia and New Zealand by publishing research articles, personal reminiscences and current maritime news. A subscription form is available on the Association website www.nautical.asn.au. Annual subscription rates are $42.00 (NZ$45.50) for individual subscribers in Australia and New Zealand, $55.00 (NZ59.50) for institutions and companies in Australia and New Zealand and A$58.00 for airmail subscribers in the rest of the world. Subscription renewals are payable annually on 1 July. Subscriptions should be forwarded to The Treasurer, Alan Knott, PO Box 237, Leopold, Victoria 3224 or email: [email protected] together with payment or with credit card details (Visa or Mastercard). New Zealand subscriptions can also be paid in NZ$ to the New Zealand representative, Lindsay Butterfield, 10 Guys Hill Road, Napier 4110, New Zealand. Historical articles, items of correspondence and photographs for publication in The Log are always welcome, and should be forwarded to The Editor, Russell Priest at email: [email protected] or by post to 2 Bebington Close, Ringwood, Victoria 3134. Contributions for the news section are similarly welcome and should be forwarded to Dale Crisp at email: [email protected] or by post to 104 Head Street, Brighton, Victoria 3186. This journal is copyright. Except for copying permitted under the Copyright Act, no part of The Log may be copied or reproduced by any process without permission of the Publisher, being the Nautical Association of Australia Inc., through The Secretary at email: [email protected] or Unit 9, 70-74 Phillip Street, Parramatta, New South Wales 2150. Opinions expressed by contributors are not necessarily those held by the Editor or the Publisher. The Log is printed by Focus Print Group, 25 Arctic Court,4 Keysborough, Victoria 3173.