The Hawaiian gazette., 1917-11-27
.TENYO STRANDED
|. IN SAND AND MUD .
JUST Five DAYS
Suffered No Further Damage
Than Having Paint Scraped
+. From Bottom Plates

o. 4
Being securely held in the sand and
mud for five days, in position where
twenty large vessels have stranded dur.
ing the past ten years, and being dam.
aged no further than having the paint
scraped from her bottom plates. was
the experience Of the Toyo Kisen
Kaisha liner Tenyo Maru, when in an
impenetrable fog at six-fourteen IN
the evening of November 4, the biz
Japanese vessel grounded within a
stones throw of Lighthouse No. 2
about eleven miles from Yokohama.
Chief Officer X. Shinji of the Tenyo.
who was recently in Honolulu, in re-.
lating the story of the stranding Of the
big vessel said: $500
cunning At Full speed
Shortly after dark on the evening
OF November 4, we were running az
full speed toward Yokohama, that we
night arrive in port before seven
O'Clock, for at later hour quarantine
officials would refuse TO come out, ane
would be compelled to remain. outside
until the next morning. The weathe,
was heavy and the night misty. and
Capt. II. s. Smith who was. on m,
bridge, was unable to see a thing.
When we picked u up the Tsurg
lighthouse, q fierce gale was blowing.
In fact, il had been none too pleasant
since the vessel had departed from
Kobe. Captain Smith had been mott
fed that the light at Lighthouse No. 2
had been extinguished and had not nj
that time been relighted, but despite
the efforts Of the skipper to keep the
ship to its course, the strong south
westerly wind was pressing heavily on
The port quarters.
Captain Smith had planned OIL
passing the lighthouse as closely a,
possible for at this place the channe
Is very narrow. He had miscalculateo
but little, but this was sufficient ID
bring him several rods on the opposit,
side of the lighthouse. - (,
FIRST Survey Made ...t.
Immediately the ship grounded, 4
survey Of the situation was made bI
the officers. It was found that the
fenyo was drawing twenty seven fee.
ut the time and tho depth Of the water
= was found tOi be only twenty-four feet
In other words she- was three feet in
ihe mud and sand. Full speed astern
vas ordered bot the .Tenyo could no.
Ie budged> ffdh her position. Cd 2 }.
1.-Two powerful tug boats were sent
Town from Yokohama but the Tenyo
acid securely Five hundred tons ot
water were discharged the first day,
rs well as a quantity of fuel, but still
he combined power of the Tenyo ana
the tugs could not move her single
nch. Three thousand tons of cargo
was discharged to lighters and then
reloaded in the Togo Kisen Kaisha 3
chartered freishter Shinyo Matu No. 2,
which allowed for lift of nearly foul
feet. Twas slow work and at noon
ON November 8, the Yokosuka naval
station, two miles from the place where
the Tenyo had stranded, sent three
small tugs and one training ship to the
assistance of the liner. ~
Among them was the cruiser ,Suwo
which was captured from the Russians
and later converted into a traininp
ship, during which service she has
made many calls at Honolulu.
Divers Sent Down Tee.
with the four powerful vessels
pulling and the engines of the Tenyo
at full speed astern, she. was pulled
from the sand and mud III which she
had been held, about FIVE o,clock in
the evening of November 8. The Ten.
70 anchored off the Yokosuka station
about three miles distant, where she
lay until the next morning when tw,
expert divers were sent down to ascer,
Tain the extent of the damage. The,
worked all day and at five o'clock re-
ported that nothing had been harme,
'ther than a small amount of paint be
'ng scraPcd from the bottom plates.
"She sailed for Yokohama on the
1ight of November 10, where the Tenvo
was Immediately prepared for the voy
lge to America. 1t was at first report
I'd that we were to 60 on drydoek 70
- survey but this WINS unnecessary af
er the report of the expert naval div
ars had been made, "
Capt. H. S. Smith remained in the
. orient and the peRyo is now in tn,
command of Capt. H. Hashimoto VIII,
has been in the Togo Kisen Kaisha
lervice for a number of years.