Soviet Navigator Jailed for Shipwreck off New Zealand

The navigator of a Soviet cruise liner that struck a reef and sank off New Zealand has been jailed for four years, according to a Soviet report on the shipwreck released here Friday.

But the Soviet report placed principal blame on New Zealand pilot Capt. Don Jamison, who it said guided the 20,000-ton Mikhail Lermontov into dangerous waters. It said Jamison took a “decision (to change course into shallow waters) which was not justified by anything.”

The ship, carrying more than 700 passengers and crew, sank hours after hitting a submerged reef in the Marlborough Sounds on Feb. 16. Most of the passengers were elderly Australians on a 14-day cruise of the Pacific islands, but the single fatality was a Soviet crew member.