Evening star., 1942-04-21
Experts 10 Determine
Whether Normandie
Can Be SaIvaged
Gross CoreIessness'
Responsible for Fire,
Navy Court DeeIores
~ tkt Associated Press.

~ III Associated Press.
A special committee OF expert
ship builders and naval architects
set out today to try to determine
whether the scared and flooded
$50. 900 900 liner Eormandie can be
salyaged for war duty.
Appointment of the committee by
Secretary of the Navy Knox was
announced last night co-incideni
with release OF the findings Of q
departmental court OF inquiry
which said gross carelessness7 was
responsible for the fire that swept
the big liner at her New York City
pier last February
The carelessness, plus utter vio-
lation OF rules OF common sense, y
was attributed in the report TO en-
ployes OF the Robins Drydock 4
Repair Co. Inc, contractors en-
gagged TO convert the s3,000-ton
vessel, once the pride Of the French
merchant marine, into q United
States troop transport.
No evidence OF sabotage was
found.
Salvage Cost s1o. o.oeo 900.
Provided the committee headed
by }. Barstow Smull OF New York
can offer a solution TO the engineer
ing problems involved. 1t was esti-
mated unoficially that the cost Of
salvaging the ship would run around
SIC, ,000, 900.
Two officers. one OF the Coast
Guard. the other Of the Navy, were
said ofiiciany to have failed TO take
all proper precautions TO prevent
such disaster as occurred. Secre-
tary Knox, in a letter accompany
ing the boards report, said that
this failure should be made q part Of
their personnel records for con-
sideration when they become eligi-
bic for promotion.
They were named as 1t. Comdr.
Earl G. Brooks OF Valley Stream,
N. Y, commanding officer Of the
Coast Guard detail guarding the
ship, and 1t. Comdr. Lester G.
Scott, Brooklyn. naval inspector In
charge Of the conversion work.
Seized Last December.
The Normandie, which gayly fer
ried world notables across the At
lsntic in other years, was tied up in
New York when the war started.
She was seized by the United States
last December II and renamed the
U. s. S. Lafayette.
Approximately $4,000 900 worth Of
luxurious decorations and furnish
ings, the work OF number of lead
ing French artists and artisans, were
removed and stored when the job of
converting her into troop transport
was begun. -
The fire started when life preserv-
ers stored in the main lounge were
ignited by blow torch in the hands
Of a workman, the Navy report said,
and spread through the l,l60 bales
Of preservers like a grass fire"
Has Lain on Side.
Flooded with water from firemen s
hose, the ship rolled over on her
side and has lain there since.
In letter accompanying the court
of inquiry report, the judge ad-
vocate general OF the Navy, Rear
Admiral w. B. Woodson, expressed
the view that while the Navy had
made stipulations in a contract
with the Robins Co. for the safe
performance Of work, the Navy
cannot delegate to any private per-
son or corporation the responsibility
for the safety of the vessel. ="
TT is clear" Admiral Woodson
continued, that the representa-
tives Of the commandant of the
Sd Naval District (then Rear Ad-
miral Adolphus Andrews had a
definite military mission to perform
in connection with the safety of the
vessel; and the responsibility in con-
nection with that mission had no
relation to the contractual
provisions, which were civil in
nature
1t is noted that the testimony Of
the commandant of the Sd Naval
District, who was called as a witness,
consisted of a prepared statement.
No searching inquiries by examina-
ton were made as to the details Of
the function of his once as they
related to his duties in connection
with the safety Of the Lafayette.
House Group Charged Laxity.
A House subcommittee reported
recently that "carelessness and lack
Of proper supervision" were respon-
Sible for the disaster. Since the
major fire there have been several
other blazes aboard the liner as
workmen labored with acetylene
torches in an attempt to salvage
her. The latest was last Saturday.
Other members of the committee
to study salvage possibilities of the
ship are:
Rear Admiral H S. Howard. Bu-
reau Of Ships, Navy Department;
H G. Smith. president, National
Council of American Shipbuilders
A. V. Moore. president, Moore Nc
Cormack Lines, Inc, New York
Rear Admiral H. L. Vickery. Mari
time Commission; Rear Admiral
George H, Rock. retired: Prof. H. L.
Seward. Yale University; Comdr. w
A. Sullivan Of the Bureau OF Ships
and w. A. Gibbs, New York.