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THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 23RD MAY, 1896.
GOVERNMENT NOTIFICATION.-No. 192.
The following Finding of the Marine Court of Enquiry into the stranding of the British steamship Menmuir, Official Number 77,120, is published.
By Command,
Colonial Secretary's Office, Hongkong, 21st May, 1896.
J. H. STEWART LOCKHART,
Colonial Secretary.
FINDING.
We find that the British steamship Menmuir (77,120) of which HUGH CRAIG was Master, the number of whose Certificate of Competency as Master is 93,119, left Kobe on the 30th April bound for Hongkong, passing through the Inland Sea of Japan.
That having passed 10 foot Rock light at the entrance to Bingo Nada, and the night being fine, at midnight the Master, who had been on the bridge up to that time, went to his cabin on the lower bridge to lie down, trusting to well known orders of a general description that he would be called when the narrow waters of the Kurushima Strait were reached, and leaving the European Pilot, who had made the voyage repeatedly before in the Menmuir, in charge of the navigation.
The second officer was on watch and understood the general orders that the Captain was to be called when the ship got into narrow waters.
That the Pilot went to sleep in a chair on the bridge, leaving word with the second officer to call him at a certain time, and that he was so called, that he altered the course, and then again went to sleep.
That at about 2 a.m. the second officer became uneasy about the position of the ship and he called the Pilot. who expressed himself in a way that re-assured the second officer, but a quarter of an hour after this he again called him and then it was too late, for before the course could be altered or speed stopped the ship was on shore.
The casualty was directly due to the negligence of the Licensed European Pilot, who was called by the officer of the watch when the ship had run her distance from the time of the last observation; but, seeing the special circumstances of the case, where the ship was steering stem on to land with a prospective alteration of course of about eight points, which could only be made after the land ahead had been approached to within about two miles, the Court is of opinion that more definite orders should have been given with reference to calling the Master, and knowing that the speed was regular the Master should have left orders to be called at a certain hour.
The Court is further of opinion that, had the second officer, who was on watch, displayed a sufficient amount of interest in the navigation of the ship to cause him to consult the chart when doubts had arisen in his mind, he would probably now have been entitled to the credit of having averted the casualty.
The ship sustained no damage, and, with the exception of the above, appears to have been navigated with proper and seamanlike care.
The Court does not deal with the Certificates of the Master or Officers.
The Court is of opinion that the attention of the Licensing Authority at Kobe for Pilots for the Inland Sea might with advantage be called to the opinion they have expressed with regard to the negligence of the Pilot BISCHOF, who was in pilot charge of the Menmuir at the time of the casualty.
Given under our hands at Hongkong this 15th day of May, 1896.
R. MURRAY RUMSEY, Retd. Comd., R.N.,
President of Court.
C. R. H. ROBINSON, R.N., Staff Commander.
GEO. A. LEE, Master, R.M.S. Empress of Japan.
ROBERT BARTON, Master, S.S. Afghan.
PERCY GIBSON, Master, S.S. Azamor.
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