Waipipi Ironsands service vessel Wairoa sank in Whanganui river mouth 40 years ago

The Waipipi Ironsands service vessel Wairoa sank 40 years ago in the Whanganui river mouth.

Forty years ago this week a tragic accident saw the service vessel Wairoa sink in the Whanganui river mouth, claiming the lives of the three men on board.

Just before 3pm on July 5, 1978, the Waipipi Ironsands trawler was entering the Whanganui harbour to bring a floating pipeline in for maintenance. On board were Captain Michael John Ruffhead, engineer Raymond Arthur Chenery and crew member Mervyn Stanley Ericsson, all of Whanganui.

"Where the swollen Whanganui River met the incoming sea, the water was a turmoil and only one minute after the captain had told the pilot things were okay, the 15 metre long trawler was upside down and sinking," reporter John Newton told a television news audience at the time.

The Wairoa sank quickly and rescuers were unable to save the three men. Police recovered Ericsson's body and sea, air and ground searches continued for the two missing men.

Divers from Waipipi Ironsands were taken to the site of the sunken boat but it was too rough to dive. The bodies of the two other crew members were recovered on the North and South Moles in the following days.

Rescuers tried to save the three crew members.

Trevor Gibson was dredging master for the Wanganui Harbour Board at the time and had been working until about 1pm on July 5.

"It got too ropey for me and the Wairoa was still coming in," Gibson said.

"I was living at Ashton Tce and went home early. I got home and I heard a big 'whump' sound and ran back but by then I couldn't see [the Wairoa]. It happened so fast. There's been a lot of guessing about what happened."

In the months that followed, insurers and international salvage experts became involved because the Wanganui Harbour Board wanted the wreck removed.

Wellington-based P&I Services, representing the British underwriters, had been involved in the salvage of the Wahine from Wellington harbour.

Their officials, who came to Whanganui in September 1978 to talk to the Harbour Board and Waipipi Ironsands, said comparatively the Wairoa was a more complex salvage operation, with the small size of the boat and its location and rough seas making access difficult.

P&I Services called tenders for removal of the Wairoa and later brought in international maritime salvage experts. However, the vessel could not be recovered.

The wreck of the Wairoa remains just south of the South Mole and is marked on the nautical chart of approaches to Whanganui.

The red spot marks the wreck of the Wairoa near the Whanganui harbour entrance.

"It's in a trench and is covered over when there is a period of continued westerlies," Gibson said.

"When there are southerlies, it's exposed. There was talk of salvaging it at the time but they decided not to."

Coastguard Wanganui's Wharf St building is dedicated to the crew of the Wairoa.

Coastguard Wanganui's base in Wharf St is dedicated to the crew of the Wairoa, president Garry Hawkins said.

"We have a plaque on the building in memory of the three men and photos of the ship and the rescue attempt," Hawkins said.

"The compass from the Wairoa was salvaged and was gifted to Coastguard by the family. I plan to restore it and polish it up at some stage."

Coastguard Wanganui president Garry Hawkins with the compass salvaged from the Wairoa.