WANGANELLA WORK ONLY STARTING

Greymouth Evening Star, 8 February 1947, Page 2

WANGANELLA WORK ONLY STARTING

Extensive Preliminary Operations (P.A.) WELLINGTON, February 7. “Most people think, seeing the Wanganella tied up at Aotea Quay, that the job is half done,” said Mr. John Dilworth, consulting engineer appointed by the Salvage Association, London, to represent British underwriters’ interests on the salvage operations of the vessel. “But nobody realises more than Ido that the work is only just beginning.” The Wanganella is drawing 39ft. 6in. forward and her forefoot is resting in mud on the bottom of the harbour.

“Nobody can look for this ship going into the floating dock for two weeks at the very minimum,” said Mr. Dilworth. “She is extensively damaged. We have a tremendous amount of work to do before she can be put in dock. She was drawing 34ft. when she came off; but No. 3 hold suffered further damage, which probably resulted in her present draught. The floating dock will only take a ship of 25ft. draught. This means that we must seal her and lighten her until she is drawing less than that. This will be no easy matter. “We shall have to build at, least two more coffer dams and put a large patch over her side as well. It will be difficult, as we can’t work very well against the dock side. We can’t get down to the job properly. Another great drawback is that there is very title rise and fall of tide in this harbour. “The ship made her first movement just at high water; but it was not until four hours after that she came clear of the reef. The southerly swell that had been running since Monday afternoon had increased the damage to her bottom; but I wasn’t worried much what happened to her bottom plates. I was hanging on to her top.” He said he never had had a case j parallel to the Wanganella, though he had salvaged ships in two pieces and had to “ solve various other problems of a similar nature. The Wanganella was a big job, but it was straight forward. Marvellous Team Work. Mr. Dilworth paid a particular tribute to men working on the operation. He said he had never known such marvellous team work. Everyone had performed his duties magnificently. He had not the least idea what the cost of the job would be or what had been lost through her running ■ aground; but when he had finished,

he said, he had to draw up a specification of every bit of damage done to her. Late to-night, the situation op the Wanganella seemed a little improvedThe water in No. 3 hold had been considerably reduced in level. This was partly through the fall of the tide —it was at' about its lowest then —and partly through the work done by the additional auxiliary fire pump fixed late in the afternoon at the hatch level on the boat deck. At 11 p.m., this pump had been lowered down the hatchway to the level of the saloon deck, at which the water had stood at its height, and was being fitted up for further pumping. It was then several feet above the current water level in the dining saloon. Water Lower. The water on the port side was considerably lowered. There was no longer any sign of its spurting through the deck. The forepart of the ship remained on the mud, though the fall of the tide made it appear that she was higher in the water. .The auxiliary fire pump drawing water from No. 1 hold had ceased to work. It was found that it was no longer drawing water. Compressors were still busy maintaining the pressure in. No. 2 hold. No change was apparent in the list of the ship, which was still resting heavily on the wooden spring piling of the wharf. As the port list, developed, a doorway which had been swung open from the deck at the level of the stringer along the piling had caught up on it. To-night this door was badly buckled. The piling itself is held to the concrete piling of the wharf at the top with chains. These chains are now under great tension. Captain McDonald, officer in charge of salvage operations, expressed himself as well satisfied.