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NORWEGIAN SHIP HOVDIÑG.
DAMAGED IN A GREAT STORM.
NEARLY STRANDED IN PORT
PHILLIP.
MELBOURNE, July 14.
The Norwegian ship Hovding entered
Port Phillip Heads in a partially dis-
mantled condition last night, and sub-
sequently anchored inside the Nepean
Reef. She was towed by the tug Nyora
from the dangerous position in
which she was lying, and brought up
to Hobson's Bay to-day.
Her experiences had been sensational,
and her crew are to be congratulated
upon the vessel reaching port in safety.
Apart from their exciting adventure
when the ship became partially crip-
pled in Bass Strait last Thursday, her
crew spent a particularly anxious time
last night when being guided through
the foaming Rip by the pilot steamer
Victoria. She anchored apparently
only in the nick of time to avoid going
ashore.
With her two anchors down, the ship.
which is said to have been uncomfortably
close to the rocks, rode safely
through the night, whilst the Nyora
was despatched at full speed from
Williamstown to her assistance. Upon
the tug reaching the ship, some hours
before daybreak, stout hawsers were
connected between the two vessels and
other preparations made for extracting
her from her perilous position.
How the Hovding became partially
dismasted and compelled to seek shelter
may be briefly told. Bound to Hobart
in ballast from Rio Janeiro, she was
within less than two days' sail of her
destination when damage aloft was
caused. She had for several days been
flung about in an alarming way by
prodigious seas, whilst squalls of rain and
hail smote her with cyclonic force.
Being in ballast, and therefore show-
ing a big broadside to the seas, the
ship rolled and laboured tremendously.
"We thought that she would roll the
masts out of her," was the comment of
one of the crew when describing the
extraordinary evolutions of his vessel.
Suddenly, as the ship gave an excep-
tionally violent lurch, and was at the
same moment struck by a terrible
squall, a crash was heard overhead,
and the foretopmast was seen to come
tumbling down, a mass of wreckage.
The sails were simultaneously blown
out of the taut ropes as if they were
so much paper, and a moment later it
was seen that with the exception of
the lower topsail yard and the foreyard,
all spars on the fore-mast had
disappeared, whilst what was left of the
sails fluttered in rag-like ribbons about
the wreckage.
Finding that in the prevailing
weather he could not hope to make
Hobart with his partially crippled ship,
Captain Hansen decided to put her
about for Port Phillip to have repairs
effected here before continuing his
voyage. His ship was then approxi-
mately 250 miles off the west coast of
Tasmania. Bad weather continued to
assail her and the hardships of the
crew were increased by the difficulties,
if not the dangers attendant upon
their efforts to cut away and thus free
the ship of the wreckage from aloft
which was hanging over her sides and
proving a serious encumbrance to her
movements. Finally the men succeed-
ed in removing all this impedimenta,
and the vessel, thus relieved, was more
easily managed and steered.
No further exciting incidents occur-
red subsequently until she arrived in
pilotage waters on Sunday night, when
her stirring adventures were as described.
In response to an intimation that
their services might be required, the
lifebont crew at Queenscliff cheerfully
went out to the spot where tho Hov-
ding was anchored, and remained by
the vessel until the arrival of the tug
Nyora.
The Hording left Rio de Janeiro on
April 30 bound for Hobart, in ballast,
to load timber on account of the Huon
Timber Company for the United King-
dom or the Continent. She is a full
rigged iron ship, of 1841 tons gross
register. She has a length of 261 feet,
breadth of 41 feet, and a maximum
draught of 35 feet. She is registered
in Norway, and is classed Al at Lloyd's.
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