WHALER SAFELY DOCKED.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19924, 18 April 1928, Page 10

WHALER SAFELY DOCKED.

GREAT SALVAGING FEAT.

WORK ON C. A. LARSEN.

HULL EXTENSIVELY DAMAGED. EXAMINATION IN PROGRESS. [BY TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT.] DUNEDIN. Tuesday. The docking of the disabled whaler, CA. Larsen, to-day, at Port Chalmers, was the culminating point of successful salvaging operations. Luck is said to have been with the vessel ever since she sank in Paterson's Inlet, although 'the sinking it self was extremely unfortunate. The sal vaging operations have proceeded smoothly throughout. Refloating the big vessel and bringing her safely to Port Chalmers were preliminary. stages to the all-important matter of docking. She was floated on com pressed air from Stewart Island to Port Chalmers, but had to be made to float lighter on more compressed air before she could go into dry dock. Since reaching Port Chalmers on Friday her arrival draught of 26ft. has been gradually reduced until at 10 o'clock this morning it stood at 18ft. 9in. With 18ft. 6in. of water shown by the harbour tidal gauge and the flood tide three hours still to run nothing was left to luck. There were only a few inches of clearance wheD the Larsen passed in through the dock entrance, but she moved steadily ahead until the big whale tunnel at her bow occupied the space that had been specially excavated for its reception. At 12.30 the caisson was swung across the dock entrance and the pumping out of the dock began. The starboard rolling chock is badly damaged, and the ship's bottom for twothirds of the length is torn and indented and can be likened only to a bad piece of pot-holed road. The hull is being examined by Mr. W. Crawford, Lloyd's surveyor, and Captain C. McDonald, who is also acting for Lloyd's. On these two officials, it is understood, will rest the responsibility of saying whether temporary repairs of a sufficiently safe nature can be carried out to enable the vessel to steam to another port for permanent repairs, or whether the work, will have to bo effected at the Otago dock.