SALVING SUNKEN SHIPS.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 22 November 1924, Page 10

SALVING SUNKEN SHIPS.

Between 8000 an‘d 10,000 ships, of which nearly 6000 are British, it is estimated are lying on the ocean bed. These sunken ships are recyoned to account for about 15,053,786 gross tons, and their estimated value is £226,806,780 —at pre-war shipbuilding rates. With their cargoes, the ships below the sea ai’e worth a fabulous amount — experts put the figures at £1,204,302,880 roughly. There is need for the ships as well as their precious cargoes to he raised, and there is small doubt that the salvage engineer will be kept busy for years hence. Ships of less than 2000 tons can usually be raised bodily by means of pontoons; ships above such a mark require often more ingenious handling. Pontooning is employed whenever possible for salving sunken ships; the second method is for ships to he pumped and floated, which means that divers must go down, locate holes, and mend them with plates, before the ship is pumped free from water and raised again. In a third method compressed air is used to force the water out of the ship at the bottom of the ocean. s An American has invented a salvage submarine which can have its door open below water without letting water into the ship. A European salvage company, too, have a patent under-water ship which carries several divers, and is a complete repair-shop fitted with telephones and searchlights.