SCOUTS OF THE SUNKEN GERMAN FLEET

Western Star, 22 August 1924, Page 4

SCOUTS OF THE SUNKEN GERMAN FLEET

Some of the secrets of the sunken | German Fleet in Scapa Flow are allreadv beginning to be revealed by the British divers, who are making preparations for the salvage of the ships. This huge enterprise, which has been commenced by the London and Sheffield firm, Messrs Cox and Banks, is the biggest thing in salvage which has ever been attempted. Picked corps of divers under Chief Diver Mackenzie, go down every day to prepare the first ships for being raised. Plans of every sunken ship have been prepared and the immediate work is being undertaken on the Hindenburg and some smaller vessels.

The Hindenburg is in very water, and part of her deck is showing above the sea-level, but, with, the execution of one other big boat, the others are all under sea, though here and there the ton of a. mast is showing T went down on to the Hindenburg and found that I had by no means been the first, for in some mysterious manner all the available metalwork in brass and copper, and even parts of tin' searchlights have vanished. The divers’ have been busy marking o.nt. the vessels and closing all the port boles and batches which tlw Germans owned in order to sink their ships. Idie ohieot of this work is +o close the bulk almost- completely, and when tins is finished the water in the interior will he dislodged by air pressure. With the lieln of the floating dock—the biggest in the world —which lm« been towed up to Stromness, it is hoped to raise the sunken ships. Although the cost of raising the big Germ an battleships will run into six figures. I understand that there is estimated to he sufficient “scran ’’ to amply compensate the enterprising firm which gets them to the surface. When the divers first went down to examine the interior of the shins they found an extraordinary condition of things. A monstrous kind of seaweed as thick as a man’s wrist, leaves 18in wide, and trailing to 1 oft in length, has grown all over parts of the vessels’ sides. To get at. the- doors and port holes it was necessary to slash their way through the submarine jungle with long-hladed daggers. Chief Diver McKenzie, who has-heen diving in various parts of the world for 15 years, declares that he has never seen this kind of weed so large. Lynoss- Pier, close to where the divers are working, is an old Admiralty depot, which was not ouitc completed bv the end of the war. Besides the big workships the salvage firm has taken over the lints, and it is reckoned ' that when the ’ v ork is in full swing there will he 1030 men engaged in the enterprise.

Tim floating dock, wheh has been A'owed from Queensb nv ough to Wcapa Flow. was. formerly German property and it has beer adapted to its new reouirements. It is to he °ut- in two and used the rak'ipg of the Hin(b'nhuvg's 27,000 tons, when the work of sealing, and the pumping operations hv motors lowered tlvongh steel tubes to the holds, has heap completed.