Napier Harbour Tragedy - Grave Story # 21

Across from the Hawke's Bay Earthquake Memorial at Park Island Cemetery is another less well known one - dedicated to the 10 men who died when the launch Doris collided with the ship Tu Atu in Napier harbour.
Erected by the NZ Waterside Workers Federation, it reads, “No pains, no griefs, no anxious fear can reach our loved ones, sleeping here.”
The accident left 26 children fatherless.
It was a calm mildly rainy night on December 28, 1932 as the Doris, with 31 watersiders aboard, headed for her moorings at the inner harbour.
They had been working in the freezing chambers aboard a ship and were heavily dressed against the cold.
At the same time, the Tu Atu left her berth at Ahuriri and headed out.
She tried to stay in deeper water on the outward channel.
The Doris, a bright white oncoming light to the men aboard the Tu Atu, looked initially to be on the other side of the channel.
But at about 150 yards away both lights of the Doris could be seen, which meant it was on a collision course.
The Tu Atu was in a narrow deep water channel with rocks on either side, unable to turn away and the crew watched in horror as the Doris disappeared under the bows of the Tu Atu.
Boats, trawlers and tugs hurried to the area to help pull survivors from the water. Then the search began for the bodies.
Walter Andrews, Robert Aplin, Alexander Boyd, Eddie Cooper, Harold Johnson, Thomas Kitt, Norman Low, Jethro Metcalf, John Wilson and James Woods lost their lives.
A Marine enquiry into the disaster found that the helmsman of the Doris, Erik Mentzer, was directly responsible for attempting to cross the Tu Atu’s bow.
Witnesses said the Doris appeared to try and change its course just before the collision.
Erik Gunnar Mentzer was buried in the Hastings cemetery in 1969.
Today the memorial lies in the shadow of the earthquake one, smaller but no less tragic.