The World : Ship Loss Blamed on Pilot

A New Zealand harbor master caused a Soviet luxury liner to hit submerged rocks and sink last month when he piloted the ship at full speed through a narrow passage, an official inquiry by the New Zealand government found. All 750 passengers and all but one crew member aboard the Mikhail Lermontov were rescued when the liner sank off New Zealand Feb. 16. Capt. Don Jamieson, chief pilot and harbor master of the Marlborough Harbor Board, was blamed. The report credited quick action by the ship’s Soviet captain with preventing loss of life among the passengers.