ESTIMATED DAMAGE TO WANGANELLA

Rotorua Morning Post, Issue 5323, 8 February 1947, Page 5

ESTIMATED DAMAGE TO WANGANELLA

/Press Assn.—

dramatic salvage POSITION DETERIORATES since berthing

-By Telegraph — Copyright.)

WELLINGTON, Last Night. Down 39ft 6in at the head . uith her bows resting on the mud and leaning against the spring piling of Aotea Quav, ffith a list of 12 to 15 degrees, the Wanganella to-night is providing a big problem for Ihose responsible for her salvage and restoration. Her coiulition had deterioratedh since she tied up at the wharf 24 hours earlier, for much water had entered No. 3 hold. Her head had sunk more than 4ft. ieener U'wards high tide. Water- be-n-aii to la]> into the hawse ports fortvard. much higher than when she was safely berthed after her release from tiif p of Barrptt's Reef. The jiiflux of water into Xo. 3 hold this morninu'. and consquent further sinkina at the head, together with the list {0 poit. and then to starboard, brouuiu t' l- water in No. 2 and No. 3 holds to the underside of the deek of ihe iiitinsr saioon. Evei compressors were put to wfti'k tryina to keep down the water level ii: X '. - hold, it has been known that tlu'ii* were many slig'ht air leaks in ihe jointing of the deck with the j-hipV siiie. The air leaks beeame water leaks. with the water being foive.i ii '.ards by pressure. lluckiing of the Deek Tiiesaio.'ii then beeame awash when the ship iay on a level keel, and when she lit'te.i ;> -uarboard later there was adepth >7 ai'out 18 inches against the siile oi' ;iu* saioon. It was with the water in this posi- j tion that he eumniander, Captain Darroelt an : his officers sat down to lunch tn-day. The dinner was not served in tlu* saioon in the evening. The jioimding of the ship's bottom ua the I'oeii:- and eonsequent upthrust tif the iilternal strueture has tausetl iiaekling of the deek, with the upri/nt itiidering coming in for eonsiderable distortion. Additioral auxiliary fire pumps were hoistea on board the ship today to keen down the rising water in Xo. iiold. Tlie eompressors madethe air lii.ie,.ns with the roar of their exhausts. All energies were directed at tiwini to ensnre that the position of the ship uot :,,j worse. The chief need was to reditee the flooding of Xo. 3 hold. A later message states that late toniith* the sitnation seemed a little impT.wei. The water in No. 3 hold ha) considerably reduced i.n level. This was partly due to the fall of the tide -it was about its lowest tiien— and nartly from the work done by the addilional auxiliary fire pump fixeii in t'ne afternoon at hatch level oi: the '.ua' deek. Appreciation At 11 p.m. At 11 ri.a!. this pump had been lowPi'fcti ili'wn ihe hatchway to the level of ihe salouii deek, at which the water had stoud at its highest, and was being titteil ap for further pumping. It tvas then several feet above the carrent water level in the dining saioon. Th I'i.reparl of the ship remained on ihe mud, however, though the fall of the tide made it appear that she was higher in the water. The auxiliary lire pumps pouring water from Xo. 1 hold had ceased tc work. Xo rhanges were apparent in the list of tlu- ship, which is still resting heavily ihe wooden spring piles of the wharf. As the port list developed, a iloorway which had been swung trom the deck at the level of the -triiiaer ai.mg the piling caught up on it to-night. and was badly buckled. The ehains holding the ship to the coikiete piiing of The whart are 'itawn ta : and are under great tension.

Vessel Ripped From fc'idgt1 1 o Bow WELLINGTON, last night. "She jii.upeil and heaved and nearly ii'ew us uti' oar feet as she came off the rocks, ' it.it after that she settled a hit," said Captain G. McDona«l marioe surveyor and chief underWTiter fu. ;he Huddart-Parker Compa:jy. when interviewed after the ^'an.irauella had tied up. Captain AIcDonald said that great crsdit wa vlue to the diver, Mr._ J. JohnstoiK-, the officers and erew, Cable a'!il Comnauy, and all who had partidpatwl iu the salvage operations. •- "I ean't tell what kind of job the Iepairs vvill We until we get her in dry ^°ck. I should think the double bott"m is ripped out from the bridge forwaisl, if not more than that," he added. Afyer i>eing freed the Wanganella proeeeded in tow to port, progress be- % at apjuoximately a knot an hour. The linei* came alongside the north end of Aotea Quay at 11.30 p.m. It was a great feat of seanianship. T°Wed bow first, she came in without 'tch. She used her own screws and ^ drawing about 36 feet. List of jlO Degrees * The forward screws were threshing as she came alongside. Half her iudder could be seep as she had a list |?P°i't of between ftve and 10 degrees. '"er forward well deck, which on the seemed almost level with the lvater, was below the jetty. The pumps were going and pumping yil be continaed, with wharf-side to reduee drauglit before the ( % can be towed into place in the ' t 0ating dock. . • 'Ts the mooring lines finally went a^°i'e at Aotea Wharf, the liner's %'n Was Hig-b out of the water so at the rudder and the tip of a proPellor blade was visible. When the Pfopellors were set in motion they cll0Pped the surface of the water.

When the Wanganella tied up the forecastle was on a level with the wharf and the forward hatch'es were well below. Virtually Freed Herself Many spectators who climbed the fences had to be kept clear of the edge of the wharf while the ship was made fast. There were only five or six feet of freeboard between the water and hawser holes on the foredeck. The vessel was listlng- a good 10 degrees t0 port. The most dramatic tliing about the move of the liner from the reef was tliat she virtually freed herself. The extent to which she moved on her own accord was unexpected. When nOnessential members of the crew were ordered ashore in the evening they brought some fears that the liner's end was near. There was unfeigned surprise amongst some of these nien' when they learned that the ship was safely afloat. The southei-ly swell in Cook Strait which, at its-worst, could have spelled disaster to the ship, proved paradoxically to be the force that started her moving to safety.