The Lakemba
The Lakemba: A Little Family History
Fifty years ago in September 1967, a small ship left Victoria, BC bound for Australia. On October 5 she hit a reef in the south Pacific Ocean. Our family had a direct connection to this event. This document will hopefully tell the story as factually as possible and keep memories of the adventure alive within our greater family.
As my keyboarding abilities are now greatly diminished, I tell this story through various emails that I have written, from the http://www.shipsnostalgia.com/ website and personal communication with those onboard. I trust it’s still understandable.
Please share with your family and interested friends.
Please reply to the writer if you valued this document about our family history. Thank you
Wray McDonnell
Vernon, BC
wraymcdonnell@gmail.com
236-426-2624
The Lakemba
The Ship
She was launched 8.6.1945 by Burrard at Vancouver as the RN landing craft maintenance ship Spurn Point, commissioned at Esquimalt 22.12.1945, and arrived on the Clyde in Feb 1946. There not being much demand for landing craft in 1946, let alone ships to maintain them, she was paid off 31.7.1946 for disposal. Sold to Pacific Shipowners (WR Carpenter) 10.7.1947 and entered commercial service May 1948. Passenger accommodation was fitted at Vancouver in 1950. She was wrecked 5.10.1967 in Fiji at 18.36S 177.48E en route Suva-Lautoka; all 168 on board saved. Length 440 ft beam 57 ft Triple expansion engine service speed 12 knts
1945 Built by Burrard Dry Dock Co of North Vancouver as a Naval Landing Craft maintenance
ship for the Royal Navy and named H.M.Z Spurn Point."
Our Connection:
In September 1967 Art and Irene McDonnell of Langley, BC ventured on a holiday trip to Australia. They embarked on the combination passenger-freighter ship, the Lakemba from Victoria, BC to Sydney, Australia. On October 5th, after a day of shopping and sightseeing in Suva, Fiji, they re-boarded the Lakemba for an overnight trip around the island to deal with cargo at another port. Some passengers took the bus across the island (and missed the excitement!). The 7500 ton Lakemba hit a reef a few hours out of Suva or about 2200 hours local time. All passengers and crew were rescued about twelve hours later but the ship went down a day or so later. Attached is an article from a trade publication, page 2, page 3, page 4, page 5, page 6, page 7 about the incident and the role of the Retriever in the rescue. They later offered thanks to the crew of the Retriever when it was in Sydney Harbour.
My parents travelled on the Lakemba for its last voyage. I believe they left Victoria in late September 1967 and were rescued from it on Oct 5th or thereabouts.
Also I have scanned a copy of the ZODIAC - a trade publication that features the Lakemba's sinking and rescue of the passengers and crew by the Retriever. Click on each page for the full article. You may have to enlarge it to read easily.
My parents told me as well that one passenger had taken a film of the events after the ship hit the reef. With any luck, it may still be available. Any ideas to obtain a passenger list?
I hope that this helps to clarify the last voyage of the Lakemba. I would welcome further comments or information. My parents have now passed on.
Wray
My correspondence on the sinking and rescue:
Hi Jean,
I am pleased that you are doing a photo book and that part of it is about your trip on the Lakemba. I would hope that the seafaring types who subscribe to Ships Nostalgia will be able to help you on that part of it. A few years ago I had an email from someone who said that he had a cabin key from his voyage on the Lakemba but, as I recall, he did not give a date of voyage of his trip. And I long ago deleted it. However, there must be hundreds of those that took the Lakemba who are still around that you could contact. My parents were “seniors” at that time and are now long passed on, so they are not much help except what I can recall what they told me.
Just to give you an idea of what they said:
They greatly enjoyed the trip including the night they hit the reef. Dad said he wouldn’t have missed it for the world. Mom was not so quick to agree. As I recall, they were in their cabin at perhaps 11:00pm or so when Mom said her head hit the head board in her bunk. Everyone rushed into the hallways to find out what happened. Dad said the captain was drunk which, again Dad said, he often was but he sobered up quickly enough to take the situation seriously. Shortly thereafter, they reversed the engines to test if they could pull it off the reef but thankfully it was stuck tightly on. If it had come off, possibly it would have went straight down.
Shortly thereafter, somehow it was organized to retrieve the baggage from the ship’s hold. My Dad said that the Indian crew were extremely reluctant (scared?) to go below deck and many refused. However, according to my father, the native Fijian crew were quite willing to help get the baggage and my father volunteered to go down with them. I expect the ship was listing and taking on water so perhaps there was some risk involved? Anyway, my father was most complimentary toward the support that the Fijians gave. No luggage was left behind as a result. Once the initial idea had sunk in to everyone that the ship had hit a reef, the crew and passengers moved to the ships aft deck to wait out the night. Mother, who was a non swimmer, tightly fastened on a life jacket. Then the long wait began for a rescue ship. As I recall, she said it was about 12 hours before the rescue ship (the Retriever) arrived. Sometime in the night, Mom turned on a short wave radio that she had just bought duty free in Suva. So they listened to the BBC world service news which reported that the Lakemba had it a reef. She said there was relief that the word was out that they needed help. When the rescue transfer took place, they used those rope ladders (not sure the actual name) to have everyone climb down into dories for the transfer across open water to the Retriever. From there they were given wonderful hospitality by its crew and taken back to Suva. Again according to my father, the ships owners wanted the passengers to board another ship and continue on to Sydney, however, the Doctor advised that the passengers needed rest and should be flown – which happened the following day. My parents spent six months headquartered in Sydney (a little motel type place in Paddington) and travelling the country. They did not know a soul in Aussie but wanted an adventure in retirement. Somehow Dad found out that the Retriever was in port so he went down to thank those involved. That is where the trade publication on my website came from. As I mentioned before, they returned on the Canberra to Vancouver.
I found out about the whole thing when I was coming off work at a dusty and dirty feed mill job that I had. A co-worker who was just starting the next shift said “What was the name of that ship your parents were on?” I told him and he said it had hit a reef. My sister phoned the radio station but they had only the basic wire service info which did not give details. About a week later we received an aerogram letter from Mom telling her five kids the story. A couple of months later, I boarded the P&O Oriana in Vancouver and went to Sydney where I met up with them as well as hitched and toured (on the cheap) some portion of the country. My trip was a year prior in the planning and it was great to have them meet me in the Circular Quay. I haven’t been back to Aussie since but now that I am retired perhaps it’s time. We also have that long lost uncle of my wife’s in Sydney to see as well before he passes on. His children are my wife’s first cousins.
This is probably much more than you wanted to know about the Lakemba but I think I have just written a short chapter on my own life story! That’s what one can do on a snowy Wednesday morning in Canada. Thank you
All the best
Wray
Life on the Lakemba
The deck Cargo was a real work of Art to load and keep track of. Cargo was loaded in reverse order, and marked off with spray cans of different colors. It used to fall to me, as well as preparing the Weather Maps, to Draw out the Cargo Plans using the Supercargoes rough Diagrams. Done usually starting the First Night out of BC (Victoria quite often) and completed well before Honolulu. ..... The swimming Pool generally went up, Starboard Side, just below the Bridge, the First or Second day out of Honolulu. Shipboard made, of Canvas Hatch Covers and Boards, fresh Sea Water pumped in, generally, after about 2000 hours each night.
Passengers wrote: (from Shipnostalgia)
At 17 as a passenger I didn't realize how much the SS Lakemba would affect my life.
As a family of 7 we drove from San Antonio, Texas to Vancouver, Canada. The idea was to legally migrate to Australia. My father had a job lined up and us 5 kids were to finish our education in Australia. My mom was there to keep us all out of trouble.
We travelled to Hawaii and then Suva. Before the last leg of the trip to Australia we had to travel to the other side of Fiji to Latoka.
Night time...... bit of a storm......12 miles or so off course ( she was an old ship at this time...... actually it was her last voyage, she was to be scrapped.
Hit a reef....... there is a bit of a story as to why that happened.....
Anyway with the reef holding us and the engines and some anchors keeping us up on the reef they decided that it was safer to stay on board until someone showed up or the engine room flooded.
Next morning with lifeboats from the Retriever we abandoned the Lakemba.....
Lifeboats with motors towing lifeboats without motors.... big waves left over from the storm.... pretty girls to look brave in front of.... and with everything to look at all we could see was how good the Retriever looked from the level of a lifeboat.
The Retriever crew were great to everyone. They took the passengers from the Lakemba back to Fiji. Some passengers weren't on board because they travelled overland to Latoka.
The Latoka might have seen a lot of service...... might have looked better when she was younger........ but one thing about that ship.
It wasn't her fault.......... She stayed on the reef while some other ships might have given up....
I still have the key to my cabin........
Passengers wrote:
We had purchased a movie camera in Suva so chose to take the ship rather than do the overland trip with our friends to Lautoka. (saving our pennies). We had a cabin on the top deck so my husband was one of the first out on the deck. I remember the jolt when we hit the reef, he said "what was that" and I jokingly said "we hit a reef". I remember the strong Fijian crew assisting us as we climbed down the rope ladder into the Retriever. I also remember the wonderful food on the Retriever.
I remember the Boen's. I believe their volkswagon van was on deck when the ship slipped off the reef. (correct me if I'm wrong). The biggest joke even now, was that my 18 month supply of birth control pills was in the part of our luggage that followed us to Sydney several months later. I found a doctor in Sydney very soon.
The Reef, that the "Lakemba" died on, was called, CAKAULEKALEKA REEF ( my spelling may be a little off ) located some 45 miles SW of Suva. .... I would personally, love to read the results of the Admiralty Hearing, as to the causes and contributing factors of this "grounding" and subsequent sinking. It was incredibly fortunate, that the "Retriever" was close by, in Suva, and was able to get underway so quickly, and had the equipment and skills to effect the rescue without loss of life. ..... David K
Originally Posted by Mary Tilda View Post
I sailed on the Lakemba from Victoria, Vancouver Island to Fiji August 1966. There were about 60 to 70 passengers all bound for Australia, mostly Canadians and a few English and American. I was the only passenger to jump ship in Fiji. The crew were Australian, East Indian and Fijian and the cargo timber. The ships doctor a Dr. Shannon died on board about two days from Honolulu. Looking at old photographs our swimming pool was a canvas sack about 6 foot X 6 foot. I remember being covered in a sticky mess of honey and flour and dunked in it when we crossed the Equator.
Originally Posted by David K View Post
... I served as Third Mate on the Lakemba. She actually carried 98 passengers and 64 Crew. Sailing from Sydney to the west coast it was seldom that here were more than about 20 passengers, BUT returning a full Complement. A Doctor was carried during the two years I sailed aboard (Capt. Geoff Cleveland).... Owned by Pacific Shipowners, which was a subsidiary of WRC Carpenters ( "Would Rob Christ" ). After I left in Vancouver, the then 'Mate, John Ward was promoted Master, when Cleveland left, and shortly thereafter ran aground on a Reef ( Mbbenga Reef ? ) just off Suva, sliding off a shortly thereafter into Deep water... non Salvageable. I know I've very fond memories of the time served on the Lakemba, and the "Great Island Nights" held every Voyage for the Passengers Entertainment, usually the second night out from Honolulu, and well before Suva.' Learned to really love the Curries from the Crews Mess, when I could duck the more formal, Noon Meal in the Saloon! ...... David K ..... (S/S Lakemba, ex HMCS "Spurn Point" )
