SUBMARINE AUCTION.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1909, 18 November 1913, Page 5

SUBMARINE AUCTION.

I'CKCHASB FOR USE IN LIFTING WRECKS. ■ ■".'■■■, ' ... ■■ i. For the first, time in naval historr submarines were, offered for sale at. .in auction of obsolete warships at Portsmouth Dockyard reccnti;:. Th"6'first British submarine was launched in October, 1001, atj Barrow. Three submarines of the. Holland type, ■the boats which formed the nucleus of our present magnificent submarine flotilla", wore the subject of .'motion V They we.'ro sold with their 160 h.p. engines arid ■also their- torpoao tubes, li'ut..it was Acor.difion of sole that, the lubes should bp broken up under . the inspection ■.of, aa, Admiralty official before the removal of tho boats. The engines and oilier fiftiiißS were dismantled so as to be useless, ■•jn.d, the, boats were really litllo more than shells.

Tho submarines were built ,to sink' ships i now l.hey art? to be used: to raise' thenft.. One of tho buyers said tlie.v-would bo turned over to salvage fcernpatnes f6ruse as "camels''' (larc'e cylinders sunk ber.eatU n. Wreck. and filled with air for the purpose of lifting it). <Sli.bniar.ine HI. Was pmight by Messrs, I-i W. Ward* Sheffield, for ,£I1C; 112 by Messrs. Pollock and .Brown, of f-'ov.lhnmpton, for .ESI-fl; and 113 bv Sir. F; H.vsdyk, nf: Amsterdam, The old battleship '.Kpjal,.:'Sovereiffii.,. biii'.f at Torts:nn«!!i Tor' .f.SS-t.Ovl arid named- by Queen 'Victoria,. was'so'ld. for-.f.-t0,0i!(l to Mr. Claii'safij representine Messrs. 0. B. Berkrello and Co:, of Genoa, The Eamiilies, .fttiotbe'r battle* sliip of this type, was sold to* the Ship* breaking; Conipiiny. of Commercial Bo.nd s London E., for <£42,3.0.1). She- cost twenty' years ago r.r-ariv ,£1.,[)?0.000. Mcf-c-s, Ward, *if SliPfEfetcY bauiAt the siii.nil cr'niseT >!e:b«'i.rwv fer .£ls,S.Si>, and tho small cruiser Andorn for .tWCiI. Mfc«.rs." J. Bclioer, of ll'ili. l:o tlie Fairy, an obsolete tils-, for ,£GCf». A jtfjriiber o.f foreign buyers were pite'enfc at the a.netiOii. Th.o'y wore escort, ed from 'the dockyard Rates to the. side-, room by Metropolitan police, and after ■Hie sale- were similarly escorted out of d:.n yard. Ordinary dockyard Sales are -4.lv■the. hands of o ri.nn. .aiid it is to iU'Cv-riit a ring from heinß formed to buy Sid biil,-■t-le.ships tli-at the Admirn!.tv '{Iviw-iv • ji'-n battleship sales to bidders froiii sj«.v rart o.f the world. ' . \ . ■