THE "QUEEN MARY."

(1948) 82 Ll.L.Rep. 303

HOUSE OF LORDS.

Before Lord Porter, Lord Merriman, Lord du Parcq, Lord Normand and Lord MacDermott, sitting with Vice-Admiral Moore and Captain Chaplin, R.N., Nautical Assessors.

Collision-Single ship convoy-Escort- Respective rights and duties - Overtaking - Seamanship - Look-out - Collision between H.M.S. Curacoa and steamship Queen Mary in Atlantic Ocean in broad daylight - Curacoa acting as protective escort to Queen Mary-Queen Mary on zigzag course known to Curacoa, and overtaking Curacoa in spite of zigzag-Manoeuvres by Curacoa to keep herself within limits of Queen Mary's zigzag-Starboard leg of zigzag undertaken by Queen Mary when Curacoa was a little forward of her starboard beam and about a mile distant - Converging courses-Porting by Queen Mary when vessels about two cables apart, followed by hard-a-porting when they were about one cable apart-Allegation by Curacoa that order "Starboard 15 deg." was given when ships were about four cables apart-Evidence of port wheel action taken before collision -Reason for porting unexplained- Interaction-Impact between stem of Queen Mary and port side of Curacoa -Curacoa sunk - Consideration of correlative duties of escort and her faster convoy-Collision Regulations, Arts. 21, 24, 27, 29.