Great recollection. I was living with my family on Cape Reinga Lighthouse when the Kaitawa sank off Cape Maria Van Diemen in May 1966. It was a rotten night with gale force winds and constant squalls. My father was an assistant keeper at the time. It is believed that the Kaitawa suffered engine failure and cargo shifting causing a list to Port. It is also believed that the ship dragged its anchor in the strengthening gale and was driven onto the Pandora Bank just to the West of Cape Maria Van Diemen. The wreckage was strewn along the coastline from Ninety Mile Beach and around Cape Reinga. The keepers and many others were involved in the search for survivors of which there were none. A sad time indeed!

Are you the same Jan Hoffmann who worked, along with your brother Earl, aboard the Norwegian ship “Bernhard”?

On May 23, 1966, on the evening shift, Joe and I were probably yarning, the usual time filler in between broadcasts. I recollect that the receiving conditions on both watches were quite good that evening, with only a slight amount of background static. Certainly the Aussies were coming in loud and clear in 2182 kcs.

There was an Italian ship, the “Enrico Fermi”, calling an Aussie station on 2182 kcs, a bit unusual as he would have normally used MF instead. I think he was calling either Sydney/VIS, or Adelaide/VIA, the time was a few minutes prior to 9pm. On 2182 kcs the silence period was due to commence from 9pm until 3 minutes past the hour. All ships and coast stations were supposed to cease transmissions during the Silence Period, as per International Convention.

At about 8.59pm the “Kaitawa” broadcast a PAN call to all stations, indicating the vessel was in imminent danger of some description. Unfortunately, the “Enrico Fermi” continued calling over the top of the “Kaitawa’s transmission and some vital words were open to doubt due to this interference. At 9pm, the “Kaitawa”/ZMVC sent a MAYDAY call, indicating a sudden change of circumstances  and that the vessel was now in immediate danger. Aucklandradio responded.

During this fraught period of transmissions from the “Kaitawa”, the “Enrico Fermi” persistently continued his calls to the Aussie station. I recollect both VIS and VIA told him to cease transmitting because of the distress in progress. I will never forget the Italian’s response, “But I am the “Enrico Fermi” and I want to make a radiotelephone call.” I bet the Aussie station eventually gave him an earfull later on.

While I was furiously logging all the transmissions on 2182, Joe was also logging Auckland/ZLD’s morse broadcasts on 500. The British vessel “Cape Horn” was assisting as a responder in the general area. At one stage, Joe turned to me and remarked he thought the “Cape Horn” sounded like he had “the shits up”, but it was more likely, in hindsight, to have been the very rough seas reported in the area at the time.

The “Kaitawa” incident is well covered in various editions of New Zealand Shipwrecks, and also on this site.

My take on what happened was that the cargo of coal may have shifted, affecting the vessel’s trim, caused by a combination of weather and sea conditions, hence the initial PAN call. However, a further dramatic change in trim prompted the MAYDAY call, due to those weather and sea conditions which ultimately completely overwhelmed the vessel and the transmissions ceased. I think it was all over in minutes, from start to finish, as far as the radio transmissions from the vessel was concerned. There was continuing confusion over the “Kaitawa’s” likely position.

Joe and I stayed on our respective watches for the rest of the shift.

The distress was controlled by Aucklandradio, we were just horrified bystanders.

I also consulted “New Zealand Shipwrecks, 1998, 7th revised edition, by Ingram.

I was on the 2182 kcs r/t distress watch at ZLB during this incident. Senior telegraphist, Joe Bell, was on the MF 500 kcs morse distress watch; we were both in the same distress watch room, which was separated from the main HF receiving room.

Joe and I, on our respective watches, thanks to excellent night reception conditions at the time, were well up with the unfolding tragedy over 1,000 miles away off the top end of Northland.

Some of my past posts have disappeared, so I am posting this to test whether it will happen again.