The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-08-08
SALVAGE SHIPS {
 THAT WERE SUNK DURING WARTIME
Divers Recover Gold From Hulks of Those Too Deep
 Down to Raise
TAKE 75O,OOO POUNDS FROM HOLD OF OCEANA
North Sea Bed Literally Covered With Ships That
 Cannot Be Raised


 75o, ,OCO pounds from the steamship |Cceana, which was sunk in collision off F'olkestone. the diver sent down first had to obtain the key of the ships strong room from the captains cabin. He succeeded, and every gold bar was brought to the surface. This is one of the stories told to a London Globe representative of the salvage achievements.
 Years ago operations were directed to recovering the cargo from sunken vessels and not the vessels them selves. Now the submerged ships constitute the ''buried treasure" and it is in this direction that all the sal wage companies are likely to be work ing at high pressure for many a month to come.
 As every one knows, the war has taken a very heavy toll of the worlds shipping, but probably few people visualize the scene that would be pre- sented to the eye if they could explore the bottom of the ocean for miles round many coast line.
 Round the English coast, for ex-' ample, the sea bed is thicl1ly strewn with wrecks, the North Sea being lit- ! orally covered with vessels that can never be raised owing to the great depth at which they are sunk. Round the Scilly Isles half q dozen vessels have been lying at time, waiting for the attention of the salvage sec tion; while all round the Mediterra- mean the craft lie thick as leaves in i Vallambrosa. Round other more dis ! tant coasts the casualties have been as heavy. scores of ships lying sunk | off the Murman coast alone. The salvage section may be said to be the child of Commodore F. W. Young, who was entru@tetdi with it's lorna tion by the Admiralty, and within a remarkably short space of time he had organized a fleet of eal- wage vessels from other craft The salvage section was originally intended to look after craft casualties in the fleet but with the rapid devel- opment of the submarine warfare it soon became apparent that merchant vessels were equally important, and the Admiralty accordingly extended the operations of the section to all classes of sunken craft. Unceasingly throughout the war the salvers have been employed dn their work of su- preme usefulness and have run up a grand total of nearly five hundred vessels salved. representing about 4O.oO0,000 pounds worth of craft In every case the ships, after the neces- sary repairs, were used again. Tn
 
 oded a second time and sunk, and a second time was raiseN by the sal wage section and sent upon its ocean Journeys.
 Obviously, the enemy did not look on at these operations without doing his best to circumvent them. On one occasion ship was torpedoed and went ashore off Sardinia. where at- | tempts were made to salve her. While
  was again torpedoed. this time twice. and the second torpedo sent her to pieces. The method of raising the sub- merged vessels is exceedingly insen- ious. Two barges or lifting craft are ] moored over the sunk ship at low water and strands of nine-inch wir. rope are passed under 1t and fastened to the vessels above. As the tide rises the lifting craft, of course, rise with 1t and raise at the same time tho sunken vessel lying in the wire cradle. The damaged ship is then lowed into shallow water.
 Another method employed in the case of a vessel which has been holed in the side, and is only partly sub- merged, is to pump in compressed air, which not only prevents the water from entering at uhe hole, but enables
 
 own buoyancy. Other devices have also been employed to meet varying circumstances. Such for instance, was the fighting of vessel lying on her side off Folkestone Pier by coupling up several locomotives, which pulled her into the perpendicular.
 When vessel is submerged much deeper than her masts it is not pos sibIe to raise her. and for this reason ,F ,fyae, l. during the war al sea have passed be- yond recovery. Cargo. however. can be recovered by divers up to about thirty fathoms, and an immense amount of work awaits the salvage companies in this direction also. Tho work of the Admiralty salvage sec tion, however, is now ending, and Comm odore Young, after rendering the country invaluable service in the manner above described, is now en- gagged in clearing away the obstruc- tions from the blocked Belgian ports
 The Admiralty are putting their own section out of action in order that 1t may not compete with private enterprise, of which there Is likely to be no lack in the coming busy time. The Ocean Salving Company is oper- ating round the Mediterranean, where a rich field lies before 1t. Two months ago the All Seas Marine and Salvage Company was formed, with Major Desmond Young. M. C.. the son of Commodore Young. as managing d. rector. and H. B. Sedgwick. a fa- miliar figure at Lloyd's. as chairman Of directors.
 The new company assisted in TO- floating the American transport Mar rangansett off the Isle of Whizht. and is now engaged in salving the Amer ran steamer Lake Erie, which is cap sized oT Cardiff. The company is on the point of dispatching an cxpe- i dition to the White Sea, where so far very little has been done to salve the ships which lie thickly scattered { along the coast line.