Evening star., 1927-12-25
BY LIEUT.. COMDR. EDWARD
ELLSRERG. L. s. y.

PROVINCETOWN, Mass. Decem-
ber 24.-Salvaging sunken ships re.
quires a proper appreciation OF the
magnitude OF the forces involved.
Call up the biggest steel mill you
know OF and ask how they are fixed
TO lift a thousandton weight all in
one piece. In most cities you cannot
find derrick powerful enough 10
hoist a hundred tons: in few cities
you could find one that would lift
$50 tons. but only In a few large
navy yards are there land cranes
large enough 10 lift zoo tons, and
these are built on solid concrete piers.
The largest floating derrick in the
United States. which Is at the New
York Navy Yard. can lift only $50
tons and the only crane ship In the
world. the u. S. S. Kearsarge.
former battleship. can lift only ESQ
tons In smooth water.
On land derricks have steady plat
forms. At sea. except inside harhor.
the motion Of the waves rolls the
derricks. causing sudden strains on
the hoisting lines. and IL the sea is
rough. the stoutest wire lines Will
snap.
Derricks Are Useless.
In salvaging the submarine S-sl Il
was necessary while in the East
River on the way 20 the New York
Navy Yard TO hold UP two chains
about the submarine with a 15ton
derrick while we adjusted a pontoon.
Two sailors and myself were standing
on the pontoop securing iogSles IN
the chain when n passing ship caused
a swell and made our derrick surge
suddenly. The 2.lnCh wire hawsers
parted and let the chains down with
such force that the pontoon sank,
carrying down me and the other men
that were on II.
Derricks then are useless on a
sunken submarine at sea. just because
no derricks powerful enough have yet
been built. and second. because even
IL they did they would not take
heavy lif.. even In n calm sea.
Submersible pontoons are pracu-
callv the only solution AZ present.
Ruiit.in units with a lifting power Of
so tons each. steel cylinders 80 feet
long and IL feet in diameter. they can
develop a steady lit and yet ee small
enough TO handle easily. The pom
toons are themselves small sections
OF submarine and look like three
OF the oil barrels YOU see on the decks
Of tho provincetown fishing boats,
Joined together, They have heavy
steel frames, two internal water,tight
bulkheads. flooding valves. safety
valves. air vent valves and blowing
connections. The pontoons are flooded
and sunk tn their places alongside the
wrecked submarine. secured 10 Its
hull and then blown dry 10 develop
their lifting capacity,
Pontoon Placing Hazardous.
But placing and securing the pom.
toons Is in itself n hazardous jcb, To
do IL. first rceving lines of manila
are run under tho submarine, with
which 1-inch steel wires are pulled
through under the hull. With tho
Falcon anchored over the submarine
81 and parallel 10 II. n aofoot length
OF two and u half steel anchor chain.
shackled to the iinch reeving wire.
Is lowered down one side ot the k'ai.
con while she hauls the wire in on
her other aide. In this way the
heavy chain Is threaded under the
submarine. leaving about AS feet of
II on each side. This operation Is
dit'lcult as the links In the chain are
apt to catch on the S'A's keel On one
chain under the submarine sal. two
weeks time. the services or three tugs
AMI desperate work under the sub.
marine hy fearless divers were neces.
sary before one ot tho chains which
had caught on the S,bis hcx keel was
finally pulled through. We had more
luck with most or tho other chains.
Two chains arc required tor each
pair of rontoons, the chains passing
through vertical hawsUptpes in the
pohtonns ahd securing un top uf hA
rohto"ns with heavy nickel steel
tossia hars Slipped through the chain
links, The Development NJ the under.
waiter cutting torch mada possible
tha method.
hnt submarines usually bury them,