NEW NAVAL WONDER.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 16501, 31 July 1919, Page 3

NEW NAVAL WONDER.

SALVING'SHIP LUCE A WEDDING CA^E. The first of a new type of “mystery . ship” for the Admiralty has heea oomEleted at Southwiek, near Brighton. It as taken some months to construct, and the cost approaches £1,000,000 for each “ship.” Altogether six are to bo built. Unlike the mystery ships built during the waiy .tjicse are not intended for destruction, hut'for-salving merchant vessels sunk by Tinn submarines round our coasts. The positions of those merchantmen have been ascertain ed by the Admiralty Salvage Depart ment, and divers have reported that in many cases they can ho . raised and fitted again for service. The new salvage ships look like segmented towers, with broad ship-shaped bases.. They rise tier on tier, like a wedding cake, each tier diminishing in size to the top one, which is over 100 ft, above the base. Each tier is mado.of numerous blocks of concrete, honey-combed to withstand , external pressure, but otherwise hollow. There are watertight doors, by which the Mocks can. bo filled with water, and pumps by which the water can ho replaced by air. These concrete tower-ships, which have no motive power, are to bo towed in pairs to the neighbourhood of sunk merchantmen. On a calm day the hollow concrete blocks will bo flooded and the tower-ships will be sunk on each side of the wreck. Divers will lash them to the wreck, the water will b© pumped out of the blocks, and, if all goes well, the tower-ships will rise, bringing the wreck to the'surface. The construction of the mystery ships has provided a new industry for Brighton. Many hundreds of men have been employed and shipyards have been constructed whertf formerly were only mudflats and a tidal estuary.