PETER JOHANNSEN,
quartermaster, Storstard,
Sworn.
(Evidence given through interpreter, Mr. Jensen.)
By Mr. Haight:
4688. How long have you been going to sea?
- Four years.
4689. How long have you been on the Storstad?
- Thirteen months.
4690. Where did you join it?
- Shields.
4691. Have you been acting as quartermaster all that time?
- No.
4692. How long have you been taking your trick at the wheel?
- We have three men on the watch and we are one hour and twenty minutes at the wheel.
4693. You have been thirteen months on the Storstad; have you been taking your turn at the wheel part or all of that time?
- Yes.
4694. Yes, what?
- I took my turn all the time since I came on board.
4695. Were you at the wheel at the time of the collision with the Empress?
- Yes.
4696. When did you take the wheel?
- Twenty minutes to three.
4697. Did you receive your course from the man whom you relieved?
- Yes.
4698. What is the course which he gave you?
- West by south half south.
4699. When you looked into the compass was the steamer holding on that course?
- Yes.
4700. Did you, before the collision, receive an order to change your wheel?
- Yes, sir.
4701. What order was that?
- Port.
4702. Who gave you the order?
- The chief officer.
4703. When you received the order to port how was the Storstad then holding by your compass?
- West by south half south.
4704. Did you put your wheel over to port?
- Yes.
4705. How much?
- Half over.
4706. Did you put it over more later?
- Hard over later.
4707. Why did you put it hard over?
- The third mate came and put the wheel hard over.
4708. Before the third mate took the wheel had your heading changed any by compass?
- No.
4709. When the third mate put the wheel hard over had your ship changed?
- No.
4710. Did you see the Empress before the collision?
- A little before the collision.
4711. On which bow was she?
- The port bow
4712. Could you tell whether or not the Empress was moving?
- No.
4713. After the collision what became of the Empress?
- I do not know, I ran aft and called the men.
4714. What was the last you saw of the Empress before you left the bridge?
- Right ahead.
4715. The boats were then in contact?
- Yes.
Cross-examined by Mr. Aspinall:
4716.. Mr. Johannsen, at the time of the collision was the Storstad travelling fast or slow?
- I do not know.
4717. A man at the wheel ought to know, if he is using his wheel, whether the ship is travelling fast or slow, ought he not?
- I do not know.
4718. He would know whether the ship had steerage way or not?
- She had steering.
By Lord Mersey:
4719. Be quite clear about it. Had the Storstad steering way at the time he was at the wheel?
- Yes.
By Mr. Aspinall:
4720. Is the Storstad a good steering vessel?
- Yes.
4721. Is the wheel easily put to port or starboard?
- Yes.
4722. You put it to port?
- Yes.
4723. The mate, Saxe, put it to hard-a-port?
- Yes.
4724. I suppose you could easily have put it to hard-a-port, could you?
- Yes, sir.
4725. When the mate took the wheel and put it hard-a-port, did he seem to be excited?
- No.
4726. Could you tell me why he did that which you could so easily do?
- I do not know.
4727. The moment the collision happened - I understand -
Lord Mersey:
I want you to put a question. You may not want to put it but I want you to put it.
Mr. Aspinall:
I can understand that we may be looking at it sometimes from different points of view.
By Lord Mersey:
4728. Is the wheel easily moved?
- Yes.
4729. And the Storstad answered quickly to her wheel -
- Yes, sir.
4730. He put the wheel to port?
- Yes.
4731. Did she answer?
- No.
4732. The mate hurried up and put the wheel hard-a-port?
- Yes.
4733. Did she answer?
- No.
47341. Why?
- Too little headway.
4735. I thought he told us just now that she had steerage headway.
- When the ship has speed ahead she has steering.
4736. I understood him to say just now that his ship had steerage way on at this time?
- She had steering way but did not answer right away.
4737. If she had steerage way, and she answered quickly to her helm, why did she not answer on this occasion?
- There was one minute after putting the helm hard-a-port that the collision happened.
4738. Did you ever hear anything about the current?
- No.
Lord Mersey:
I did not want to let that pass.
Mr. Aspinall:
I quite understand the difference in our positions.
Lord Mersey:
I want to know as accurately as I can what it is that they intend me to believe.
By Mr. Aspinall:
4739. As soon as the collision happened is it right that you ran away and called the crew?
- Yes, sir.
By Mr. Haight:
4740. Quartermaster, when you last saw the compass before you left the bridge, how was the Storstad then heading?
- Course.
4741. What course?
- West by south, half south.
4742. Was that before the vessels came together or after they came together?
- Just as they collided she was heading west by south half south.
By Mr. Newcombe:
4743. How long before the collision was it that your wheel was first ported?
- A minute and a half.
4744. And one minute to hard-a-port?
- Yes.
Witness retired.