Captain of ill-fated ship to mark anniversary

The memorial at Whananaki South, where a ceremony will mark the 40th anniversary of the Capitaine Bougainville's sinking. Photo / File

Plans are being finalised for 40th anniversary commemorations of a ship sinking that claimed 12 lives off the coast north of Whangarei, with the ship's captain due in the country today for the event.

An engine-room fire and atrocious weather claimed the freighter Capitaine Bougainville on September 3, 1975, off the Whananaki coast.

The ship's captain, Frenchman Jean-Raymond Thomas - who lost his New Zealand wife, Philippa, infant daughter and two stepchildren in the tragedy - said at the 30th anniversary that the chance to farewell his family at the site of the tragedy would help him age peacefully.

Benoit Marcenac, the current managing director of Sofrana Unilines, which owned the ship, said Mr Thomas was due to land in New Zealand today.

He planned to head north for the 40th commemorations, to be held at the Capitaine Bougainville memorial at Whananaki South on September 5.

Mr Marcenac said final details for the 40th anniversary ceremony were still being worked on but would be revealed on Tuesday.

"I will be up there on Monday visiting the site, liaising with the landowner and the local iwi.

"As well as Mr Thomas we have other survivors and rescuers coming, with some from Australia also," he said.

A 30th anniversary service was held at the site 10 years ago.

"For me it was an emotional day, but it was a kind of emotion that will help a man of my age to become an old man nicely, in serenity," Mr Thomas told the Northern Advocate on that occasion.

The Noumea-registered 3614-tonne cargo vessel, carrying a crew of 29 and eight passengers, was en route from Auckland to Sydney.

It was taking meat and dairy products, but a fire broke out in the engine room, directly below the lifeboats.