TANKER SALVAGE

Greymouth Evening Star, 17 November 1943, Page 6

TANKER SALVAGE

BRITISH DEVICE SUCCEEDS

RUGBY, November 16

Hundreds of British tankers are being fitted with a device for ship saving, which has already proved to be one of the most important and successful of the war. Since first used in June, 1942, many tankers have been brought into port after receiving torpedo damage which at one time would have caused complete loss. The device, which was evolved by W. J. Nelson, a seagoing engineer, makes use of compressed air to keep water out of fractured tanks. An air line is run the full length of the ship with a compressor at either end, and if the ship is torpedoed the compressors are brought into operation to force air into damaged compartments. The inrush of water is checked,' then forced out and the pressure is maintained until the ship is docked for repairs.

The device can also be used for fire fighting, when the engine room has been put out of action, a hose pipe being hung over the side and linked with the. system to produce a 60ft jet of water. The system can also be put into use to pump fuel from tanks, if the normal pumping system is put out of action. Another use, which was not thought of by Nelson, saved a tanker torpedoed in the mid-Atlantic. The steering gear was put out *of action and the ship’s engineer used the compressor to operate the steering machinery. The compressor was also used to pump oil fuel to the galley, so that the crew could have hot meals.