FILMING THE LUSITANIA

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 119, 5 June 1937, Page 11

FILMING THE LUSITANIA

Bavy . Johes' locker will be floodlighted Jfor the flrst time -in history when Capt. John D. Craig, deep sea photographer, desccnds to the black depths of the Irish Cbanncl to the hulk of the Lusitania,- of . the dunard linc. His purposo will be to film the Lusitania salyage operations, and he will be equipped .with. what was described M the most' powerful lamps ever designed for under-water work. The last attempt to salvage the vessel, torpedoed by the German submarine IJ-20 on May 7, 1915, was made two years ago. Treasure estimated to bo worth between £800,000 and £3,000.000 is believed to bo locked in the vesscl's coffeTS. { To recover this treasure was admitted generally to. be the most difficult feat ever attempted by salvagers, for each day the great vessel has sunk deeper and deeper . into the sand. \

When the Lusitania sank with a loss of 1305 passengers, officers and crew, shc was going full specd ahcad until the engines were flooded. - Then slie drifted , The lamps whieh Captain Craig will take with him to film the salvage operations at- the bottom of the Irish Chan nel were developed especially for him by General Electric engineers at the Nela Parlc laboratories in Cleveland, Ohio. Tliey are of 5000-watt rating and -wero built to withstand a water pressure of 500 pounds a squafo'inch — more than threo times the .pressue believed lo be avound.tho hull of tlie vessel. Each lamp lias-a -light output of 137.500 lumens; ' whieh is equal to that of 180 bulbs of ' 60:watt household size. Captain Craig will use a set ot 12 of them mounted on a special sub- | marine stage to floodlight thc sceno.