Evening star., 1943-03-10
Navy Men in Africa
Battle 10 Salvage
$4,000, Cargo
Planes, Bombs Taken OFF
As Freiehter Threatens
To Split Up on Reef
BY WILLIAM H. STONEMAN,

BY WILLIAM II. SlONEMAN,
Foreign CORRESPONDENT of TIL. Star and
Chicago Daily News.
AT A NORTH AFRICAN PORT,
Feb. II Delayed. - For three
months now we have been watching
German. American and British
troops busily destroying millions of
dollars worth of planes, guns, trucks,
tanks and other expensive impedi-
menta of modern warfare.
Today we have the pleasure of
watching a gang of sharp-witted,
heavily -muscled Americans doing
something constructive
The scene was spot in the ocean
near a big Moroccan seaport where
freighter carrying $4,000 900
worth of war supplies ran aground
on the night Of December 30.
The gentlemen who were doing
something constructive were naval
salvage men bent on stripping the
ship before she broke her back and
spilled it all into the sea.
pirate" Leader.
The leading pirate" of the opera
ton was Capt. w. A. Sullivan, U. S.
N, one of the worlds best salvage
men, who prepared himself for rob-
oing the sea at Andover and Massa-
chusetts Institute Of Technology.
A native OF Lawrence, Mass. Capt.
Sullivan has parked his wife in
New York City, but he is really a
rover. He is certainly the most pop
ular American citizen of this very
large city at present.
In immediate charge of this par
tlcular looting expedition was 1t.
Harvey M. Andersen, U. S. N. of
Chicago. It. Andersen, a person.
able and handsome officer who looks
as though he could knock down a
mule, has been IN the Navy for "a
years, got the Navy Cross when, as
chief damage control officer aboard
the U. S. S. Marblehead. he patched
enough bulkheads to bring the ia
nous cruiser back to port from the
Battle Of Java. This Chicago citizen
mas helped revenge the Norwegian
homeland of his ancestors by rescu-
ing just about as much valuable war
material as any individual in SAL
wage work today.
Big Bombs in Hold.
The ship in question was a mess.
Her fuel oil tanks had been preached
and thousands OF gallons of sticky
stun had flowed into the holds
Wnen we went aboard the men
were working in rubber suits, la
oorlously clearing the litter of boxes,
beams, tin cans. loose smoke gren-
aces and other junk from the prin-
clpal objects of their attention,
1hese were collection of trucks.
stacks of shells and 5O0-pound
bombs which occupied No, 2 hold
the scene Of todays work.
Some OF the stuff was definitely
dangerous. Box after box of Der
cusSlon caps was plucked out of the
goo and 1t. Andersen used language
unbecomlng to an officer when he
lound a couple of boys dropping
them on deck He actually threat
ened to use physical violence when
ne discovered some other fellows
tossing smoke grenades overheard
But most OF the boys were work.
ing like beavers and the hold was
beng cleared fast and efficiently.
ouch a JOB Is pure race against
tlme. You can only work by day.
lgnt and once you start operating
on the lower layers of the cargo
can only do it at low tide. The
weather is tricky and the ship so
low in the water that a good surf
pounds the decks. Heavy weather
at the beginning Of the salvage
work caused the loss of one fighter
plane which was on deck, and since
then 1t has Dashed several trucks
to pieces.
Work Between Breakers.
LII. Andersen is so hot on the lob
he goes out in all kinds of weather,
On rough days one fellow stands no
on the top deck and blows his
whistle when he sees a big breaker
about the swamp the decks. Then
everybody runs for shelter. A broken
arm and some broken ribs have
been the only casualties so far.
Everybody is anxious to get as much
stun as possible out before the big
crack in the ships middle finally
extends into definite breach.
The loot so far has been con-
siderable. One entire radio station
worth 100000 was taken out early
IN the game. So were a large
assortment of los and l55 MN. guns
and three fighter planes. Large and
small trucks and jeeps have gone
ashore and most of the stuff has
been cleaned up, repaired and sent
to the units to which. 1t was con-
signed. Three or four million dol
lars worth of cargo has already
been saved and that figure may be
doubled before the JOB is finished.
Other figures in the local salvage
work include 1t. Charles Folds,
U. S. N, of Evanston, Ill: 1t. Wiley
Wroten, U. S. N. r., of New Orleans,
Lit. Robert Helen of San Francisco
and 1t. George G. Schlesinger of
Relay, Md, doctor who began to
make a study Of submarine and
diving medicine and suddenly made
himself so useful he will probably
end up In charge of a salvage gang.
Copyright .le43, By chicAso Daily News, me.