Attempt To Salvage Holmglen Likely

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29102, 14 January 1960, Page 8

Attempt To Salvage Holmglen Likely

(From Our Own Reporter)

WELLINGTON, January 13.

An attempt may be made to salvage the coastal freighter Holmglen, lying in 230 feet, about 22 miles east of Timaru. The vessel sank on November 24 with the loss of all hands.

In a statement today the Minister of Marine (Mr Fox) said: “Inquiries are being made with regard to the possible salvage of the vessel and the Marine Department has been instructed to give full cooperation.”

It is understood that the inquiries are being made by Lloyds of London who hold the insurance on the Holmglen.

Captain J. F. Holm, general manager of the Holm Shipping Company, said today that he could add nothing to the Minister’s statement.

“All I can say is that the Marine Department and the Navy will not tell us, who are the owners of the ship, what their investigations showed, and therefore we can’t say whether it is possible to salvage the Holmglen or not. It depends on what is wrong with the ship,” said Captain Holm. “It is a ridiculous situation. Had we known they were going to adopt this attitude we might not have been as helpful as we have been.

“It would be a big salvage job, and I wouldn’t like to say it was impossible by any means. In fact, I think it might be possible to do it. But whether it would be economic to do so is another matter. “We do know that the underwriters are in touch with Captain F. E. Johnstone, a well-known diver and salvage expert in Australia, who is known in New Zea-

land for his work in diving to recover gold bullion from the sunken Niagara just off Auckland some years ago.”

Shipping circles in Wellington think that if salvage of the Holmglen proves feasible, the job would have to be done this summer. Good weather would be needed for the big task of making the vessel airtight and raising her in the exposed position in which she lies. The nearest salvage unit capable of an undertaking of this size is Captain Johnstone’s. A salvage expert would have to be flown to New Zealand to determine first the possibility and second, the economics of raising the ship. In the meantime preliminary work in setting up a court of inquiry into the sinking is ’ proceeding. Mr Fox said today that a technical committee of departmental officers was engaged in studying the Navy divers’ report and also the evidence supplied at the preliminary (Marine Department) inquiry with a view to advising him of the questions he could properly ask the court to consider at the formal inquiry. “I hope to be in a position to announce the composition of the court in a few days’ time,” he said.