1972 - 1984 | Salvage

NOTE: Some of this is identical to what is written on Wikipedia, as both were written by the author of this website, stardust5980 (aka celesteshipping5980). 

NOTE TWO: Huge thanks to Kenneth Kennedy and Kerry Kennedy for providing Kenneth's book 'ALL AT SEA' which provides almost all of the information on this page.

Salvage

- Back onboard, they opened the hatch to supply the hold with light and started searching for the hole which started this whole mess. They managed to find it quite quickly, having a diameter of six inches. The ship's hull was already very thin from 60 years' worth of life, so the wood easily punched through it. The tide was now fully out and would soon come rising back up so they had to make a patch as soon as possible Kenneth cut two plates bigger than the hole and cut a hole in the centre of each, then inserted a thick rubber gasket between them. Kenneth brought his plate along with a gasket and a bolt outside the ship and pressed the plate against the hull as Alec put his plate on the ship from the inside. They both used spanners to fasten the plates together and were soon more or less watertight. The ship was resting on boulders and rocks, but they hoped to pull her off and head home. The coastguard was still on the scene watching their antics, thinking them insane for not abandoning ship. As the tide rose the ship's stern was lifting and striking rocks, and eventually the bow started to do the same. Within minutes another leak appeared, the hold beginning to flood once more. She was moving further up the beach as the same boulder continued to attack the plates. They both returned on deck, a feeling of despair consuming them. Fortunately, the accommodation was still high above the water, so they had a quick tea break as they waited for the tide to peak. Water was pouring into the engine room once more, and large waves were crashing onto the wheelhouse and the cabin below, and as each wave passed the ship's keel struck the ground. They watched as oily water crawled up the engine room stairs and covered the cabin floor, the engine room now completely filled with water. The ship was now completely filled with water which actually helped reduce the pounding on the rocks given they had lost so much buoyancy. By now the tide had turned so they watched for another half an hour as the water receded from the cabin as the tide fell. Knowing they were safe, they fell into an exhausted sleep.[1]

They were up at first light, inspecting the damage. Both hatches were opened up, revealing a chaotic mess of equipment, ropes, timber and sand. There was a few feet of water still draining and a film of oil covered the whole thing. There wasn't much they could do at this point, so they wandered aimlessly on deck and on the beach, approached by sightseers and reporters sporadically. Kenneth made some more calls home, with the hope that some friends could come to their aid. He was doubtful that the ship could be saved and had already had some offers from scrappers. After some encouragement from his new friend, Bill, he decided to try to save her.[1]

They set off setting up the forward derrick and clearing the hold to expose the fractured plates. The dinghies, Lister generator, and other pieces of machinery were lifted out. Kenneth had a look at the engine room but everything was covered in oil, including the ceiling, so he left. Repairing the hull took priority. The tides were past their peak but were still filling up the hold to deck level,  each one taking hours to drain. Friends and family were beginning to appear to help, so Kenneth sent them off to bring fondue cement and portable pumps. Some of the holes were so big that fish came in and could be seen swimming inside the ship at high tide. The family arrived at the weekend and every hole was plugged, but a few days after another gale struck the ship and caused further damage and holes. Kenneth decided they needed to go home for rest, so he left De Wadden in Bill's hands.[1]

He thought again about scrapping her, but they had recovered enough to keep trying to save her. After a few days of rest, Kenneth and Alec returned to the ship still perched on the rocks. They hired a bulldozer to dig around the boulders, which eventually forced them to sink into the beach as they lost support during each tide. The keel was finally sitting on the sand alone, removing that threat. One of the biggest issues was draining the water that got in during each tide, as it left little time for repairs between tides, so they needed a way to drain the water quickly. One of the water tanks had a six-inch brass screw cap so Kenneth burnt off a section of the tank and bolted the whole thing into the bottom of the ship over another hole which he had cut beforehand with an oxy-acetylene torch. He attached a long handle to the screw capand was able to open the drain as soon as the tide turned, giving them an extra two hours of work. They were soon plugging holes with fondue cement then building wooden boxes around them which were then filled with concrete.[1]

In a week's time she was watertight once more, able to float. She was winched away from the rocks to a strip of sand a few hundred yards along the beach. The bulldozer deployed the anchors to keep her in place. Things were a lot more hopeful now but exhaustion was rife, so they returned home for more rest, once again leaving the ship in Bill's hands. The returned to the ship again and set to work on the engine. Bill had supplied a new generator for light. They used every spare blanket they could find to clean up all the oil, then drained the water from the block and sump. The petrol engine for charging the air bottles was replaced with a lister diesel which proved better as it had no electronics to be damaged by water. Kenneth drained the water from it's sump, and put in new oil. After a couple of swings it ran as if it had never been submerged in the first place.[1]

Once the compressor was clean they were able to pump the air bottles to full pressure. The main engine took much longer to clean as every valve had to be removed. The fuel tank had remained above water meaning the injection system was still pressurised, which saved some work. They blew compressed air through the engine a few times to clear out any remaining water, and it burst into life, working as usual.[1]

Just as Kenneth thought the worst of their troubles were over, he received a letter from the Clyde Port Authority, who had been watching their efforts, telling him that under no circumstances could he bring the shi[ back into their shipping area without a certificate of seaworthiness. This was a huge hindrance as the ship was not fit to go anywhere but in the shelter of the Clyde. They had no interest in helping them, instead choosing to keep them out. Kenneth decided to ignore the letter and sail anyway, saving the arguing for later.[1]

They continued to plug the remaining leaks as they waited for a spring tide to get the ship off the shore. It was now early May and the weather was mild. The high tide was predicted to come at 2 a.m. so it was thought to be now or never. A small group of local helpers would reel in a cable that ran from the ship to an anchor placed well out. Kenneth sporadically observed the hold for any leaks, in between watching the water creep up to the waterline. It was about half an hour until full tide when he decided it was time to pull. On his order, the windlass team began to reel in the cable and inch by inch it came in, cracking under the strain. Eventually the cracking halted, meaning either they were off the beach or the anchor had broken free. By looking over the side he could tell the ship was on the move as pieces of flotsam were passing the bow. Without a sound the ship was gliding back towards deep water, and were soon over the stern anchor, pulling it free. She still had some sternway on so Kenneth allowed her to continue moving until well clear, then he dropped the main anchor. The ordeal on the beach was over at last. They promptly ferried their jubilant helpers ashore.[1]

Overall the ordeal spanned six weeks, and the night of freeing the ship from shore was an anxious one as Kenneth and Alec checked for leaks. The patches were holding well and the hand pump was well enough to keep her dry. The next morning Kenneth went ashore and sent for two friends who had offered to help sail the ship home. In the afternoon they performed a test run with some of the helpers aboard as passengers to check that the engine was performing well. The extra crew arrived in the evening and they were ready to leave the next morning.[1]

The morning was dark and dense fog covered the area. Visibility was less than a ship's length. Kenneth refused to move the ship. as the risk was too great. Sailing in fog with a 'dodgy boat' was certainly pushing whatever luck they had. They waited until the next morning to find a flat calm and insanely clear conditions with perfect visibility. They raised anchor and were off with a farewell blast on the siren, heading north for the Cumbries. The engine was running well, and they kept a constant watch on the repairs. At midday they were close to Garroch Head and sighted a small boat approaching their own. It turned out to be a police launch sent by the Clyde Port Authority, inspecting De Wadden via binoculars, though they ignored the boat and stayed on course for Dunoon. After a time they came closer and asked Kenneth to shut the engine down to an idle, then to alter course to a beach at Bute. Kenneth had had enough of strange beaches so refused to alter course, and gave an excuse that the blige pump had to be kept going otherwise they would sink. This wasn't the case, but it meant they wouldn't have to stop. The police craft fell astern and continued to follow them as they continued onwards, soon passing Toward Point.[1]

An hour from then, they had arrived at Dunoon, finally bringing the ship home. The tide was low so Kenneth brought the ship to rest on a sandbank close to the coal pier. They would be able to tie up at the usual berth in about an hour once the tide rose. Eventually, the police craft came alongside to interview the master and said that Kenneth would be charged with various offences. They tied up at the coal pier, the battered and bruised ship finally home. Things weren't over just yet, as there was a huge concern for repairs.[1]

References

1.  Kennedy, Kenneth M. (1985). All At Sea. Retrieved 2023-12-16.