IN THE DEPTHS

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 284, 26 July 1932, Page 8

IN THE DEPTHS

DETERMINED SALVAGE EFFORTS TO RAISE SUNKEN SUBMARINE. AN EXPERT CONFIDENT. Despite the freely expressed scepticism of other authorities, Mr. E. F. Cox, the civilian salvage expert, who has been advising the Admiralty on the raising of the ill-fated British sub-

marine M2 off Portland, has given a derinite assurance that the submarine will be raised. "In the very unlikely event of the \dmiralty giving up," Mr. Cox said, "then my firm will lift M2 itself. If it costs me £5000 of my own money I will get that submarine up." Sceptics were in the offing when Mr. Cox first propused to raise the scuttled German fleet at Scapa Flow, but they soon changed their tune when he started heaving up destroyers one by one. By the time a couple of battleships had appeared above the surfaee keel uppermost they were open-mouthed with astonishment. When he went to Scapa, Mr. Cox had never raised a ship before. At the fourth attempt he raised the 27,500 tons Hindenburg. With huge blocks of concrete weighing 500 tons apiece built on either side of her to keep her on an even keel, he blew the water out of her with eompressed air and up she came. It cost him more than £50.000.

Rsfrring to the work on the M2 Mr. Cox said: "All the hatches have been sealed with concrete, and we are pumping air into the ship for testing purposes. In order to drain the ship i when we fill her with air six holas j have been cut in the outer skin at the bottom of the hull, one for each compartment, and corresponding holes are being blasted in the inn-er skin. "We are sealing up any outlets, such as voice pip.es, through which we

find air escapmg, and when we are satisfied that everything is in order then we shall lift the ship."