MAKING READY

Evening Star, Issue 19841, 14 April 1928, Page 10

MAKING READY

DOCKING OF THE LARSEN DIARY RECORD OF SALVAGE LOW PERCENTAGE OF EUROPEAN SAVES. Drawing 22ft 2iu for’ard and 20ft lin aft, the whaler C. A. Larsen was berthed at the George street wharf yesterday afternoon, and was this morning removed to alongside the old ship Broxton, at the entrance of the Otago dock for lightening. , The Larsen will draw only 18ft when she goes into the dock for sighting. Yesterday afternoon the punt brought the Harbor Board’s air compressor from the Spit to tho ship, and the plant will be used for pumping the tanks dry. There are now only seventy-three men aboard the whaler, tho majority of the seamen having returned to Norway by passenger boats and on the Sir James Clark Ross. That tho Larsen, when she first went aground, was in a bad way is proved by the quotations for reinsurance on the London market. At first the quote was 50 per cent., but it later commenced to drop, and by March 3 was down to 5 per cent. The almost miraculous refloating of the C. A. Larsen is likely to become a record in ship salvaging in tho South Pacific. About 2 per cent, of the large number of vessels wrecked in European waters are successfully salvaged, and such successes arc widely emphasised. The big element of uncertainty makes salvaging extremely difficult. The problem presented in the salvaging of the C. A. Larsen at the entrance of Paterson’s Inlet scorned to the uninitiated, hut was not so. Fortunately, practical men, experienced in ship repairing, were available. Their success was a great achievement, but it is freely admitted that the of luck was favorable to the enterprise. Much arduous toil, freely leavened with disappointments, went to the work_ ot refloating the whaler. The following extracts are from tho diary of a participant in the work of salvage; — Saturday, February 25.—-The huge whaler is now firmly aground forward, and is approximately in eight fathoms of water, with her stern afloat and a slight list to starboard. She certainly looks more or less a wreck. However, no chances are taken lest storms should swing her about, and huge wire hawsers are leading far aft of tho ship, showing that she is well moored at the floating end. Close at hand can bo seen the isle of Ulva, and on the other side the Stewart Island mainland, approximately half a mile on either side. Sunday, February 26.—A start was made to patch the big hole in the forward hold, a survey of the damage having already been made by the Otago Harbor Board’s diver (Mr Arthur). Mr A. Miller, tho Port Chalmers shipwright company’s diver, with Mr Arthur, is now busily engaged witn the big forward hole. Close to the ship is a large floating punt with throe sets of air pumps. _ Two sets of these pumps arp now being turned by four men to each pump. Two men at a time operate each pump, while the other two men spell, turn and turn about. . After about ten days ol this continuous sort of work 1 ho huge bole is finished. Tho pump now does the rest, and the ship begins to float. During this time another huge hole has been patched under the forward pump room bv Mr W. E. Year and Mr Campbell, ti'ith the next tide, at high water, the Larson makes preparations to quit her present position for a, more sheltered one, and with the aid of tuo whale chasers, and under her own steam, she heads for big Glory Harbor, about seven miles further up Paterson s Inlet. Once here the storms may blow as they like, for the ship is now practically immune from heavy weather, being almost land-locked. An endeavor is now being made to pump the pump room dry. The first attempt ivas not successful, and the temporary pumps in use are not able to make much impression on tho water, which must he about 30ft deep. Another attempt is made to stem the inrush of water irom the inside. Two divers descend inside the pump room, and with the aid of stopping material and timber another attempt is made to pump the room out. Before starts ing the temporary pumps tho diver is instructed how to manipulate the ship s pump, and the diver descends once more to open the necessary valves, etc. However, not being familiar with tho contrary ways ol these valves, the diver is not successful. Undaunted, the chief engineer (an elderly man) volunteers to don a diver’s suit, and ho sets the ship’s pump in motion. His first attempt being unsuccessful, ho again descends, and within a little while the throb of the huge ship’s pump working under water is heard, and a copious stream of water is seen coming out ol the ship’s side. Within an hour or so the pump room is almost dry to within n foot or two of the floor. The second engineer now walks down the ladders with a diver’s suit, minus helmet; this is not necessary, the water at most being 311 from the floor. He is seen to turn the valves on the other ship’s pump, no doubt with the intention of having the two pumps under control. While this is being done the water in the pump room is seen to rise rapidly, and haste is made by’the engineer to gain the ladders. Another failure —as the pressure now forces tho stoppings from the bulkhead, and the water quietly rises, beating tho big shiii’s pump. Operations now cease in the pump room, and the water is allowed to back up to its own level, probably 3011 or more. Mr Year and Mr Campbell now make another attempt, when cement is brought into action. This is a slow process, as tho cement must first bo mixed, carried to the pump room, and lowered in collapsible buckets. Tho divers having already descended to the floor, one must go still further through a manhole door in tho lloor of the pump room into the tank over pipes, etc., to the bulkhead where the leak is, the other diver remaining on the pump room floor ready to grab the buckets of cement and pass them on through tho manhole door to his mate, who then releases the catch on the bucket, and the cement is allowed to fill up around tho damaged bulkhead. This must bo kept moving, as ’ the cement, being mixed with a chemical, sets quickly, and unless it reaches its destination quickly it sets, and consequently’is of no use. While tho pump room has been attended to the other two divers (Mr Miller and Mr Arthur) have been busily engaged on the huge rip underneath the bunker, a hole probably 20ft or more in length and close by another 4ft or so; and while the cement has been allowed to set in the pump room Mr Leftwich and Mr Year .nave also carried on diving operations on another large hole forward, another large imnt having been used to work iheir air pumps from. With this interval of a number of days another attempt is made to cope with the pump room. The ship’s pumps are again brought into action, this time with a feeling by all hands that victory over the pump room would he achieved. Within an hour or so tho huge pumps make their impression, and the floor of the pump room is dry; alsu down into the tank. The pumps seem to be victorious. However, on inspection it is found that the water is not entirely beaten, as it still requires one of the ship’s pumps, going at halfspeed, to cope with the inrush which is making its way uiiuerneath the cement. This is trying, as already so much energy has been expended. The gas from the whale oil is very

strong and has a tendency to cause tears to flow, as if to fit the situation. Being of a determined spirit, the shipwrights now work all night to build a huge box around the leaks. This completed, the water is again allowed to fill up to its old water mark, and a combined effort by the divers and their assistants (working shifts) is made, this time to use probably four or five times the amount of cement. Night and day for two days they worked, and success is now in view and everything in readiness for the new oil tanker now alongside to-fcranship the cargo.