Lady Elizabeth II

[john sefton]

The entrance to Wellington Harbour claimed another victim on Wednesday 2nd July 1986 when the ports Police launch LADY ELIZABETH II capsized and sank with the
loss of two lives.
The city was in the midst of a very severe southerly storm when the launch left her berth at 10.55am on a routine training exercise to the Heads and back. She had made the same run on the previous day in less severe conditions, but over the years had gained a reputation for rescue work in atrocious weather and there was no reason to query her safety on this day.
The wind was blowing up to 60 knots with gusts to 70 knots as the LADY ELIZABETH neared the harbour entrance. She was in mid channel at 11.35am when a larger than usual wave was sighted 45 degs on the port bow. The Master put the helm to port and increased speed to meet the sea, but this seemed to have little effect. As she neared
the top, she fell away to starboard and capsized.
The sea was very rough, breaking, and up to 25 feet in height. Two men managed to escape through the starboard door of the wheelhouse of the upturned ship, and one of them dived down and recovered a lifebouy, no other lifesaving appliances having floated clear of the wreck at this stage. The wreck then turned on to its side before rolling back upside down and sinking slowly by the stern until only the bow section was above water.
The two men in the water were spotted by a helicopter from Hamilton which had been in the vicinity of Wellington airport at the time. It had no rescue equipment, but remained on the scene to guide Peter Button of Capitol Helicopters in the rescue aircraft.
He arrived just after midday and in a superb display of flying rescued two men and retrieved a body from the water.
Eye witnesses reported that at times he was flying on the troughs of the waves, rising above them as they passed underneath the machine.
The Tug KUPE arrived on the scene at 12.20 followed shortly afterwards by the Tug NGAHUE. They were involved for some time in searching for the missing man and locating and plotting the position of the wreckage.
In view of the prevailing weather conditions they had no chance of attempting any salvage and the launch broke up fairly quickly, most of it coming ashore at Petone Beach the following morning.
The two engines were later found in among the rocks on Barrett Reef, but there had been no trace of the missing policeman. The enquiry which followed exonerated the launch master, Senior Constable James McLean, from all blame.
The launch had a range of positive stability of almost 90 degrees, but past that point was not designed to be self righting. She was originally designed to survive with any one compartment flooded, but the enquiry revealed that a watertight bulkhead had at some time been opened up, a modification which was not reported to the Marine Division.
While this would have not caused her to capsize, it could have materially affected her ablity to remain afloat when she had turned over.
The LADY ELIZABETH II was a legend in her own time on Wellington Harbour. With a cruising range of 60 miles from the harbour, she had participated in many difficult rescues. She was built at Greenhithe on the Upper Waitemata Harbour and launched on 7th February 1973 arriving in Wellington on the 18th March that year.
She had a gross tonnage of 24 and measured 50 feet in length with a beam of 13 feet. Powered by two Cummins diesel engines, she was fitted with twin screws and twin hydraulically operated rudders. Her builders were Salthouse Brothers Ltd.

Log Book November 1991.

New Zealand SG1388.

[aukepalmhof]

LADY ELIZABETH II, with more than 1500 operations behind her, was smashed to pieces and the wreckage washed up days later.