RAISING SUNKEN VESSELS

Evening Star, Issue 17720, 22 July 1921, Page 6

RAISING SUNKEN VESSELS

The method adopted by the Neale Shipraising Association, Ltd., of raising sunken vessels was demonstrated in Newcastle, England, recently, in the presence of a company of ship-owners and others interested in shipping. The principle of the invention consists in sending down to a wreck a couple of pontoons on which there is a conning tower containing four men. The pontoons are fitted with powerful lights to locate the wreck, and to help to manoeuvre the pontoons on each side of the wreck. Once this has been done the lights are switched off and the whole power diverted to a number of electromagnets placed alongside each pontoon. A single magnet has a lifting power of 25 tons, and there are 200 magnets, on a full-sized pontoon. When the pontoons are made buoyant they rise slowly to tho surface, raising between them the wrecked vessel. By means of this invention vessels can be located and raised from a depth of 600 ft, and one of the advantages claimed for it is that it goes below divers’ depths. SHIPPING TELEGRAMS. LYTTELTON, July 22.-12.15 p.ni., Breezo. for Dunedin, AUCKLAND, July 22.-10 a.m„ Kanna, from Wellington.—l2.3o p.m., Rira, ketch, from Lyttelton.