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Maryland State Archives Jeffersonian, Towson, Maryland mdsa_sc3410_1_81-0065 Enlarge and print image (5M) |
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Maryland State Archives Jeffersonian, Towson, Maryland mdsa_sc3410_1_81-0065 Enlarge and print image (5M) |
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Off Sparrows Point on the evening of April 6th, 1923, the Danish freighter Nordhvalen, bound for France with a cargo of coal, was rammed by another freighter and sent to the bottom of the river Since then several attempts have been made to float the ship and salvage her cargo; but until quite recently these attempts met only failure. Clinging to the mud in the harbor, the Nordhvalen refused to bulge.
Companies whose business it is to salvage sunken ships made the effort to raise it; but it was not until Charles A. Jording, of Baltimore, undertook the work that it was successful.
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After seven weeks' labor in which a corps of divers and other members of a salvage crew took part, the ship that had been for a year practically under water slowly rose to the surface.
Today it is afloat with what is considered a pretty good chance once again to sail the se'as.
Raising a sunken ship is thrilling work, according to Mr. Jording, who now has four salvaged boats to his credit. There's a lot of preliminary work, but the thrill really comes when, after the pumps begin work, there is the first indication that the boat is beginning to rise.
"It takes some patience," said Mr. Jording, "we began pumping one morning about 7 o'clock and kept it up all day. It wasn't until 10 o'clock that night that we noticed that the bow,, which was awash, was lifting a bit and the water was rushing toward the »tern. Then we continued until the decks were freed and finally we had a three-foot freeboard."
The task of raising a sunken ship does not begin with the pumping. That, in fact, is something of a grand climax.
To begin at the beginning, the story of the Nordhvalen's stay in Baltimore harbor is romantic. Sailing serenly out of Baltimore harbor on a bright evening in April more than a year ago it just had passed Sparrows Point when it was rammed by another freighter coming into the harbor, the Barraco. A hole six or seven feet deep was made in one side and it began to settle rapidly.
The Nordhvalen was in . the channel when struck, but the crew made every effort to get it into shallow water. According to reports, the chief engineer displayed heroic courage in sticking
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to his post on the fast-sinking ship until it could be gotten out of the channel. The crew remained on board for several day salvaging whatever it was possible to take from the decks.
For more than one year since, the masts of the sunken steamer have been seen in the harbor and efforts have been made to dispose of the vessel in some way.
No longer sailing from port to port, contributing to the commerce of the world, the Nordhvalen seemed to have run its course. Insurance companies tried to salvage it, but failed.
But, lying so close to the channel, with masts and funnel above that it was a menace and tried to induce some one to raise it.
In August, 1923, in obedience to orders of the United States District Court, the ship that had cost about $300,000 to build was offered at auction.
Not 10 cents was bid.
However, in October Clarke Minter, of Newark, N. J., formerly of Baltimore, paid $200 for it.
"Probably Mr. Minter got enough in the deck fittings and other things to make a little on his investment," said Mr. Jording in referring to this period of the ship's history, "but he decided that he didn't want to keep her.
"However, the Government decided that she was a menace and called for bids for raising her. The highest bid was $52,000 and mine was the lowest, $4,800."
That is how it came about that, after insurance companies tried to raise the freighter soon after it sunk, and later, another company gave up an effort, Mr. Jording decided that, having raised three other boats in Baltimore harbor, he would "have a try at it" himself.
So began the work that was to
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end when, slowly and with the dignity that attends a ship, the Nordhvalen was raised.
The first thing to be done was to find what was the full extent of the damage. There was a hole in the side, and it would be necessary to know how big a patch would be needed to _ cover it. Were the hatches open? What other openings might there be through which the water might enter, making operation of pumps futile ?
In the task of raising a sunken ship the diver has a most important part. Practically the first work is his. He goes down and finds just what is needed in the way of repairs, measures the hatches, closes the ventilators, takes a preliminary survey.
The chief of the diving crew working upon the Nordhvalen was Samuel L. Abrahams. With him at different times were assistants.
Under water these men began the delicate task of "diagnosing" the injuries. Then, with a full knowledge of what was needed, the salvage crew began work on the cofferdams and patches.
"The patches are of wood," explained Mr. Jording, "and are padded so they will cling to the side of the ship. Then they have iron bars attached, fastened underneath.
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When they are lowered the bar goes inside the ship and the patch is fastened from the inside by means of bolts. The patch with its lower bolt is so constructed that as it is lowered it fastens tighter. The padding is of felt.'
The cofferdams are used for the hatches. These, too, are lowered and fitted over the apertures. Smaller openings are made air tight also.
All this requires much time—¦ and sometimes much work is not successful, but in the case of the coal freighter lying off Sparrows Point, the labor succeeded and after seven weeks the Nordhvalen is afloat again.
"It's rather exciting until you know what is really going to happen," M,r. Jording said, "and when the ship first begins to rise you can't help being a bit thrilled.
"But a boat that has been as long under water as the Nordhvalen is very dirty. In the first place the decks are slimy and slip-
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pery from the water and you can't walk well. Then the inside is Very unattractive. It takes some time to dry out.
"During the year this boat has been in the harbor, nearly everything that it was possible to remove has been taken.
Mr. Jording doesn't think that he has a bad bargain. This vessel, valued at $300,000 originally, ignored when offered at auction, sold for a meager sum of $200, he values with its present cargo at $-1-0,000. Of the original amount of coal there are only about 2000 tons left.
"1 think the boat might be put in condition easily again,'' he says, "and don't doubt that with a little trouble she'll be perfectly seaworthy once more. There are several companies already interested in her."
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