RAISING A WARSHIP

Hokitika Guardian, 25 May 1926, Page 1

RAISING A WARSHIP

A SALVAGE TRIUMPH. GUNS AND EQUIPMENT INTACT. The London “Daily Telegraph” says the raising of the ship Glutton from the hetl of Dover harbour is a triumph of salvage work. With tlio exception of the Italian battleship Leonardo da

Vinci, the Glatton is the heaviest vessel that has ever been lifted, whilst she is the only ship that has ever been salved and carried ashore a distance of about 1400 feet at an angle of 00 degrees with all her guns (two 9in and four fiin) and equipment intact. The scheme for raising this vessel was that of Captain John Iron, the Dover harbour master, Who personally supervised tlie salvage. The work was started in May, 1925, the first steps being to have a general survey by divers to ascertain the position and condition of things under water. The Glatton was found to have turned over to an angle of 06 degrees, at a depth of 40 feet, and to be apparently resting on the barbette of the starboard Gin gun, the upper edge of the boat deck,’ and the top of the conning tower. Before this could be fully ascertained, however, 12,000 tons of mud that had collected under the decks, between the port gunwale and the ground, had to he cleared away. This, on account of wreckage, could only he done by centrifugal pumps, and took a considerable time. I The tripod mast, four feet in diameter, of half-inch steel, and the tlvo

struts, two feet in diameter, also of liajf-inch steel, were .found to be buckled into a V-shape, but not broken; and these had to bo cut through in two places by acetylene submarine cutting plant, and the strengthening bars inside blown out with small explosive charges. The funnel and bridge had to be cut away by the same means, and everything cleared away that ex-

tended below the armour-plated conning tower, which was then a 5 feet below low-water neap tides. Eight pairs of 9in wires were then passed under the wreck, in such positions jjs

to take the armour-plating. Td get these wires through in some places ways had to be made for a length of 52 feet, by water jets and pumping. The difficulty of /"getting air all through a vessel with so many' watertight compartments was overcome by fitting a 4in air-pipe the entire length of the wreck, between the bulge and the shell plating, with branch pipes leading from it into as many compart-

ments as possible, capable of taking air at 70,000 cubic feet per hour. All the manholes on the open-to-the-sea bulge were closed and made perfectly airtight; all the light ports in the port side were closed by steel plates se-

cured % strongbacks, bolts and nuts; all hatches, skylights, ventilators, doors, etc., on the port side, as far as the centre line of the monitor, were also closed and made airtight by the divers. Ihe barbette ol the Gin port midships gun, the gun muzzle, sight holes in the barbette, etc., were also made as airtight as possible. A trial was then made with air, which was pumping into the wreck at the rate of 70,000 cubic toot per hour by two compressors, and on getting 101 b pressure it was found ■that the wreck had a decided tendency to turn back toward uprighting. To prevent this, two pairs of 9iu wires were placed round the barbettes of the two 9in guns and passed under the starboard gunwale, in readiness to be placed over the lifting lighters. When all, this preparatory' work had been completed, and the weather he-

came suitable, the four lifting lighters hired from the Admiralty were towed to the wreck, the 9in wires were passed

across them, and at low water the lighters were pinned down and air pumped into the wreck. .As the barges rose with the tide the Glatton came up with them, the wires' round the guns holding her in the same position as

when on the ground. It was then found that tlie air under compression

gave the wreck sufficient buoyancy to relieve the lighters of fifty per cent of

the weight. After a few minor difficulties, which generally happen in this kind of work, the Glatton was moved 1400 feet in two tides, and within 200 feet of the west pier of the Submarine Harbour. When the question of raising the wreck was under discussion in Parliament, two estimates of cost were mentioned. one of COO,OOO and one of £40,000. Captain Tron estimated £SOOO, but owing to the huge quantity of mud to be removed tlie actual cost will work out at something between £IO,OOO and £12.000. All the materials for the salvage work were made at the Dover Harbour Board’s own workshops, under the superintendence of Mr P. G. Sutton, the works superintendent.