RAISED FROM DEEP

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 101, 30 April 1937, Page 9

RAISED FROM DEEP

GERMAN BATTLESHIP

THE FRIEDRICH DER GROSSE

SCAPA WRECK

United Press Association—By JEiectric Telegraph—Copyright. (Received April 30, 11.20 a.m.) LONDON, April 29. The German 25,000-ton battleship Friedrich der Grosse, scuttled at Scapa Flow in 1919, was raised from a depth of 23 fathoms by Metal Industries, Ltd. The barnacle-covered wreck, which lay ] on the sea bottom kfeel uppermost, was raised to the surface in 30 seconds by means of compressed air.

When the crew of the Kaiser Friedrich der Grosse, the flagship of the German fleet, was seen leaping into its lifeboats the British learned, on June 21, 1919, that something was amiss with the interned German ships. The ship heeled over and sank and was followed by vessel after vessel. Most of, the British fleet was out at exercises and the ' enemy ships had been interned with their own crews on board. Fifty-three of the 74 vessels went to the bottom that day. For some time salvage was considered impossible, and the ships in the shallow water were stripped of brass and copper by Orkneys looters. In April, 1924, however the work of salvage began and in August the first ship was raised. By April, 1926, all the destroyers had been salvaged, and attention was turned to the Hindenburg, the first of the bigger ships to be brought to the surface. She was raised after months of work, but sank again and was sal.vaged in July, 1930, after sinking once more. Meantime the battleship Kaiser, the battle-cruiser Moltke, the Seydlitz, and the cruiser Bremse were raised. Mr. E. F. Cox, managing director of Cox and Danks, salvaged 32 ships in all before he retired from the work in 1933. He reported a net loss of about £10,000 on the work. Since then Metal Industries, Ltd., of Glasgow, encouraged by the rising prices of metals, have undertaken the work and salvaged the 28,000-ton Bayern from 125 feet of water, the Konig Albert from 138 feet, and the 25,000-ton Kaiserin, which was refloated last year. Only nine ships now remain on the bottom, but it will take five or six years to refloat them.