SALVING SUNKEN SHIPS

Thames Star, Volume LII, Issue 13940, 19 July 1919, Page 4

SALVING SUNKEN SHIPS

As a result of {&& war fortunes are lying: mr the shalloAv seas in

various parts of *"» "world waiting I to be salved (states a London newspaper), and the AIL Seas Marine' andl Salvage! Company, Ltd., has just been, formed for tihe purpose of powohasi[ngi {and recovering some of the sunken y&ssels and cargoes. . j A 1 fleet of Jour boia'ts., together ( with a technical staff, has been se-; cured, and Young, the man!- * agimg director, will shortly leave for the Murmansk! coast. Off this coast and in the White Sea a great many ■ ships with their valuable cargoes lie j on, the bed of the ocean. Practically no salvage work has been- attempted here, and! very lucrative results are expected. The number of ships Bunki in this region is hardly (known, but the positon of 'a comsid<ejnable n/umber has 1 beemi^ charted. All aroundj the British coasts, too, there is sunken 'treasure, and aitthough food cargoes are not likely to be worth much, etich cargoes as coal, rubber, specie, eS>., will well repay salvage operations. An official of the iuew company, ia ani interview, stated that' valuable cargoes lay at the bottom of the seas almost in every ocean. A great nuamy had been charted, bub he pointed out that salvage operations had beeni carried out only in comipiaratiiveliy shallow: water—to a depth of about 25 fathoms. 4t would, for instance, be imposßible to salve the Busitania, owing: to the depth of water, and also on account of her great size. This official further poinited' out that the Admiralty, during the war, by salvage operations, recovered £40,000,000 worth of goods, but va'sfc stores, some ai-ound t 'the British Isles, still remain at the bottom of the sea. It had been found ' possible to "lift" vessels of nearly 3000. tons. The most valuable cargo yet salved, it was' addeH, was the 'three-quarters of a million < o gold and silver specie taken frorr the Oceana. ..