With lord manner there. The 29th of october, 1932 to completion, one of the largest and fastest liners afloat or general characteristics were length. Overall, 1029 feet beam, 119 feet. Gross tonnage. 79,280. Displacement 65,000 tons. Speed 13 up. Horsepower. 160,000. The ships main propulsion plant was turbo electric drive through force cruise 29 boilers for the turbine the size of the vessel be visualized when it realized any one of the three funnels was large enough to. Hold both tubes or the holland tunnel. The normandy was requisitioned. The Us Government after the outbreak of war in 41, he was transferred the Navy Department on the 24th of december of that year and renamed the uss lafayette. The ship was berth the pier eight north river and work begun converting her to what would transport the conversion included provision or berthing and massing about 4000 officers and men and the installation of necessary ordnance. On the february 1942, as the work of conversion near completion sparks from. Burners torch ignited by a life preserver on the ground mounted the fire started and by a strong northwest wind the blaze over both sides of the promenade deck. And up by 1530 it appeared that the entire deck was a flame. Shortly thereafter. Fire hold on the quarters of the boat deck sundeck and on the bridge so that the three upper deck practically all spaces the theater were enveloping flames and smoke. The new York City Fire Department Took charge of the firefighting activities. Operations were directed chiefly toward getting the fire under control as soon as possible, keeping it from spreading to the lower decks and protecting the pier on the board side of the vessel. By 1530 columbia to take particular a list support. Gradually, this list increased until by 245 on the 10th of february, the vessel completely capsized, coming to rest on the port side at an angle of a little less than 80 degrees. The was the result of a combination circumstances. First reduction of the ships necessary height or stability to, a negative value causing the ship to heal over. This took place soon after the stream the water had collected on the upper deck. Secondly, the ships of the free board was reduced because of open air and cargo port on the deck of the vessel at 13 degrees. These were submerged. Thirdly, a further loss of stability and contact increase in heal due to the port build forward rounding on the rock led on the falling. The ship was completely flooded. All of that up to the outside waterline. The secretary of the navy appointed a special committee to make recommendations with respect to, salvage or other disposition of the uss lafayette. The recommendation of the committee was that the vessel should be ray the bureau of ships. The vessel under the cognizance of the supervisor of salvage commodore a sullivan, who in turn succeeded by captain bobby manzo. They had at their command the facilities of the navy salvage service, which consists of the salvage section of the merritt chaplain and scott corporation, operating under the general ships salvage contract. And on the 36, at a point about one third, the length of the vessel from the bow a profile of manhattans steeply off into the riverbed, a considerable portion of the vessels weight rested on this rock shell. The after two thirds of the length of the ship was supported, surrounded by mud and soil of various actively the possible of of salvage by pumping depended the soil in which the upper portion the ship rested ultimately developing bearing to resist the initial tendency to settle by the stern. It was the decision of the engineers that the ship should be raised by control pumping to supervise the work engineering officers were erected on the alongside the lafayette and the payload worked out in the main officers of the Brandon Scott cooperation upon mr. Acw city naval architect and consultant. Barrack scott cooperate rested the entire program. Stability and strength calculations calculations. The step in the salvage operation was the removal of a superstructure above. The promenade deck. Controlled pumping involved the division of the ship and numerous watertight compartments. The compartment of the ship was based upon the original watertight bulkheads. Wooden, watertight were constructed. Between decks were. No original watertight pop had existed. To complete the compartment on the promenade deck and certain decks below made watertight. This compartment haishen was necessary to control the relations between the center of gravity and center of buoyancy during writing operations, and also to control any unforeseen leaks or failures. At the beginning there was only a limited of experienced divers available. Consequently, two diving schools were organized a period, one civilian and one for navy divers. Altitudes divers gained proficiency in handling tools and the diving dress. They were sent out to do underwater work on the lafayette. Eventually, as many 73 civilian divers were employed one time. Besides a considerable number of navy divers, diving conditions were extremely hazardous. Jagged steel edges and broken ever present threat. The maze of the repack passageways. A terrific problem. The main in complete darkness. The water on the slip containing such an amount of mud and sewage that underwater lights useless work was accomplished by sense of touch alone. Approximately 5000 tons of superstructure was removed, slightly less than half of which was submerged and was cut away by using the underwater gas port. These that were removed to lower the center of gravity and to make accessible the various uptake openings for patrick. When the lafayette capsized Furniture Stores and other loops accumulated on the portside blocking passageways, making it necessary for divers to clear the debris before commencing actual salvage construction. All minor cabin bulkheads and ships piping was removed to lighten the ship as much as possible and to make room for the watertight bulkhead. These operations often carried on in 50 feet of water and ten feet of mud since of the debris had settled to the lowest possible point, the submerged port side of the ship after capsizing passages, became vertical shafts and through the shaft scrap material was hoisted from the interior of the ship and deposited on barges lying alongside. Other records were kept at the weight removed for future calculation. How many of your industrial cities sprang up on the starboard side . The Lafayette Air compressors, the diving units, portable Power Generator tool shed banks of cylinders containing cutting gas firefighting equipment, winches small derricks, catwalk welding machines, power and water lines ran the length of the hull barges were moored along the almost vertical base of the promenade deck. These contained the Blacksmith Shop, the carpenter shop, machine shop and engineering office, while other barges used as lighters passed to and from the ship carrying material and scrap during salvage operations, the lafayette presented a strange appearance to those aboard ships passing up and down the busy hudson river, much like a giant gulliver, overrun with busy lilliputians. To prevent any possible damage to the starboard screws they removed prior to writing operations, each of the screws weighed 23 tons. The port being submerged in 50 feet of modern water could not be removed. The interior of the ship, as you lay at the site, presented another strange spectacle bulkheads became decks. Decks became bulkheads elevator. Shaft, were used as companions and the form of what ships passageways were used as elevator shaft stairways and ships ladders were useless and carpenters were kept busy during the entire salvage operation. Building wooden ladders, platforms and scaffolding to facilitate the and materials throughout the interior of the miles of ladders and thousands of feet of lumber were used. This construction. Emerton destroyed the ships electric system. Three of the four turbines were inundated. But after the ship was raised, the bleeding of the turbines was found to be only slightly corroded. To compartment the ship. It was necessary to install large wooden bulkheads. The bulkheads were constructed of, grooved eight by 12 timbers with a two by four joint approximately, 210,000 board feet of eight by 12 timbers and form lumber was used in constructing these bulkheads. If all bulkheads were placed together, they would make a bulkhead 350 feet long and 60 feet deep. The placement of bulkheads in the followed this plan. For water tightness concrete was poured by the wooden bulkhead that the ships steel deck and they met the skin of the ship the concrete was poured underwater using preemie process. The concrete pumped into forms by a pumped greek machine, sealing the wooden bulkhead to the steel structure of the ship. These were built from above water down and 900 cubic yards of one, two, three mix of concrete were used while the. To backup cargo ports airport on the port side the vessel divers poured bags concrete over these spot to strengthen them 16 cargo ports and 356 airport were strengthened in this manner. The amount of shoring which had to be done is indicated here in salvage jobs requiring extensive pumping the ability of decks and bulkheads to withstand the hydrostatic heads expected requires thorough consideration. Tim timber beams were placed between original deck beams to support the deck, plating against water pressure. The flooring extended from these timber beams to timber stringers on. The deck below. This is the shoring at sea deck. After the ship was raised to 30 degrees a of 90,000 board feet or approximately a pile of half of flooring timbers were. And all of your men from multiple was placed on the line by. Here. Our indicator of the underwater openings on the promenade deck, which necessitated the construction of special patterns. The main parties were constructed in this manner is interesting to note. The 21 inch steel ibeam where you also that rubber used and patterns were from rubber recovered from the lafayette decking. The pattern for the various openings were constructed on the barges board along side, and when completed replacement positions were combined operation of men on the surface divers and derricks where a turbine uptake pathway in 21 parts is being into the water preliminary, transferring it to a vertical position for placement against the ship. All parties were equipped with great through which water was permitted flow to keep the water levels inside and outside equalized until to commence pumping about or supervising flooding during pumping should have become necessary. The parties were properly seated around the boat, which been previously secured at the inboard end to a suitable ship structure by means of him or levers were one to corresponding boat and the parties, and brought up divers from the outside. Captain jamie tucker, one of merritt and scott, leading officers, was made superintendent of the work and an officer. Captain tucker was well suited for the job in view of his previous experience in salvaging capsize his vessels and particularly view of his many Years Experience in diving. First of all, were him of wood with strong backs. The parties were here to the diver to place the parts through the porthole from the inside of the ship. It was often necessary to excavate ten feet of mud to place these patterns, and sometimes required a weeks work for the placement of one patch. 356 patches were placed in this manner. One diver working the entire period of salvage operation on this job. As a safety precaution, the starboard condenser intake was covered with a wooden patch to ensure water tightness when the ship was righted. Wooden plugs used to seal 4500 small openings. All patches plug shoring and bulkhead timbers were prefabricated in carpenter and Blacksmith Shop located aboard board the barges board alongside the piece of the promenade deck. Pumping. The lafayette was accomplished by the use of 4010 inch pumps. 36 inch pumps and 25 pumps capable of discharge 40,000 tons of water an hour. They were tested on the pier previous installation. The placing of the pumps inside the vessel just prior writing operations was a hazardous and difficult job involving many cases considerable ingenuity on part of the riggers, it was necessary to locate a suitable number of ten inch and six inch pumps in each of the watertight subdivisions of the ship to adequately water compartments in a short time and at the same time to provide a reserve to handle unexpected leakage. It was also necessary to have an up initial capacity available to, compensate for the expected reduction due to increasing head of. The water level dropped and the vessel rotated. In each case, suction extended to the port side of the ship and where possible, hope for the watertight boundary of each compartment discharges by nearly horizontal through the promenade deck deck. The pump platform were hip to the vertical decks and raised in such a manner that has the ship rotated the pumps could be kept in a horizontal position by slacking off on chain points. In, order that gasoline driven pumps would not exhaust in the compartment. Flexible exhaust lines were carried up to the starboard side of the ship and out through airport airport. Pier capsized her rudder cut under the pier about five feet. Shearing pipes while supporting pier 88. Since that portion of the ship still projected under the pier, it was necessary to remove a portion the pier at this point to avoid any damage to the stern of the ship. Writing as a further precautionary measure, while clusters were driven to act as tenders for the vessel, the bear again as it approached the 45 degree position. From the very beginning, the salvage operations, it was necessary to take extraordinary fire precautions after the initial fire and capsizing of the vessel, the embarrassment that might be caused by subsequent fires during operations made it necessary to take exaggerated precautions, even though the probability of further to the ship because of fire was very small smoking was not allowed inside hull of the ship was being cleaned or cleared or during the final pumping operations when the possibility existed of gasoline permeating the ship, a fire was always posted whenever there was burning with natural settling torch. Various gas testing devices and implements where you throw out salvage of the vessel as a constant against the formation of gas from organic materials within ship, and that created by the immense amount sewage draining into the slip on which the ship lay. For instance were constructed to give an accurate picture of the exact position of the ship at any time during writing operations, rapid tide gauges were installed at various points throughout the ship, a common arbiter was constructed to record the angle of list of the ship. A movement gauge was installed to indicate the movement of the ship toward pier 88. The compartment was completed by the 2nd of august, and after further preparation, an overall pump test was made for the 48 hour period, during which time divers applied sawdust to all patches, seams or binder leakage might exist. With the result that the ship was nearly type pumping operations were under the direct supervision of captain demands. All usa supervisor of salvage and took because there was no particular reason speed and because it was extremely important to build up no forces or develop leakage which could not be controlled. Pumping continued and each rising tide was utilized to supply the additional buoyancy necessary to move the ship. Air and water installed in various patches on the port side and along the port of the promenade deck were started and maintained continuously in order to relieve any mud, suction that might exist. At hundred and 6th of august, there was a 16 negative head with the rising tide, the buoyancy. And at about one half tide the vessel started to roll slowly and steadily during the pumping operations. Readings were taken every 15 minutes on the movement gauge gauge and the number. Is readings were all transferred to the control officer on the ship for the recording and of the movement of the ship. In its initial capsize position with all decks about the promenade deck removed, the center of buoyancy was about two three farther from the keel than the center of gravity. This gave the lafayette initial tendency to write itself as water was pumped from the ship. The buoyancy increased with the corresponding decrease in the weight of water. The ship also the distance between the center of gravity and the federal buoyancy increased. The result was an increase tendency of the ship to write itself, pivoting about the turn of the build, it became apparent that each time water in the ship was lowered relative to the outside water level, the ship started to rotate at the important pumping stop. The Ships Movement stopped it was felt that absolute controlled would be maintained over the vessels. Every movement during writing operations. Rear admiral e. L. Cochran and jj inspected the ship. As the promenade deck rose water. The patches became the patches on the underwater port side of the promenade deck covered openings similar to those on the high or starboard side. Measurements for the underwater patches were obtained by checking the openings, the high side and further by divers. The underwater. Total weight of all of these patches was 350 tons. The largest single part weighing 52 tons. It was 54 feet long, 22 feet wide and three feet deep during the process of removing all decks above the promenade deck, lower the center of gravity and to facilitate it was found impossible. Remove all of the boat deck the last ten feet of the stack being so deeply buried in the mud that the divers couldnt it. Consequently, when the writing operation had progressed until, the remaining portion of the boat deck appeared above. This section was removed using torches to further lighten the weight on the port side of the ship. Approximately 500 tons were removed. In order to secure the portion of the vessel. Special mooring arrangements were designed and installed. 40 horsepower to drop winches supplied the hauling power for each set of mooring lines. The hauling part, the standard nine part beach gear take off was led to the drama of the women as the stern came afloat during the early stages, pumping a steady port was maintained on the cables leading to pier 90, so that by the time the vessel approached its 45 degree position. The stern well clear of the safety pile clusters along the north side of 88. Early the morning of the 9th of august, as the lafayette reached an installation, 49 degrees. The pumps compartment 16 were unable to lower the water beyond the existing level. A leak of extremely serious nature at developed in the way of the rock led the damage occurred just under the turn of the bilge on the port side between frame 24 and 44 due to the movement of the ship on bearing rock. The whole place had been the cracks extending before long and 20 one half feet wide after approximate position of the leak was known, divers attempted to stop the leak by using bags of rags. This attempt, unsuccessful. A second attempt was made to stop the leak by pouring 100 cubic yards of concrete on the tank top the concrete was used to pump the concrete into place and pouring was accomplished by preemie process. The area indicated is the first pour in compartment 16. At first this method seemed successful. Suddenly the water commenced to rise rapidly with all pumps going subsequent inspection by divers indicated that a rupture in the tank had opened a bath. The concrete, which had been previously laid following considerable study and 30 between the 20 seconds and 30th of august, it was decided to again attempt to stop the leak by filling the Double Bottom and wing tanks in the way any other ruptures with 800 tons of concrete in the meantime, by further pumping and compartment 16 and adjacent compartments and balancing of the starboard side, the lift was reduced to 25 degrees. The greater surface covered by the second pour was in the Double Bottom and wing banks. Pumping was again started raising ship by parallel rise and on the morning of the 15th of september, the lafayette floated clear apple pie and both the old water lines by surface oil could clearly be divers, could now reach damaged area from the outside and several thousand bags of rags were stuffed into the cracks. From 16th of september. Work was directed, removing the tremendous amount of and concrete construction from the port side of the ship all portside side were removed, the removal being a much easier test than the placement. To reduce the lift the starboard wing tanks and Double Bottom were balloted with fresh water and further work continued removing the remaining water and the large quantities of mud and debris. A collision that was placed over the damaged area to secure leak in order that the lafayette could be to a dry dock. This method was one of the largest ever constructed being approximately 65 square made by throwing Standard Navy collision mats together. It was placed and secured hugging lines attached to the bottom and the top of the map. Along. With the final cleaning operation and the removal salvage gear, workers began preparing the ship for transfer from pier eight liquefied lanes along to the drydock towing ais were welded along the side of the ship to lines from the tugs at all towing and securing line were stored aboard on november 3rd. The us s lafayette was transferred from the control of the of garbage and placed the cognizance of the commandant of the third naval district. On the morning of november 3rd, captain manzo and captain tucker congratulated each other a job well done. Behind them. Busy tugs muscled in alongside the mafia and passed through a huge fire scarred streaked bulk. At 1000, she was scheduled to move the pier and at exactly ten, the great ship began to slide out into the hudson river 21 and 24 days after the first plane had moored north bay, a life preservers, the lafayette was again underway on the whole, the entire operation from the initial development of the plan, through the preparation to the final plotting and cleaning of the ship was considered extremely successful successful completion of the salvage at an estimated cost of 4,500,000 is complete justification of the committees recommendation of salvage endeavor hull greatly. The salvage cost was recovered and by removal of the ship to 1000 foot pier were again made available for use. Three tugs were vital at the bow to, tugs worked at the stern, while 15 others part of the longer hull. As she slowly moved down the river in the bright november, sunshine when one considers the hazard at the time of the salvage work, it amazing and of credit to the United States navy that not one single casualty occurred and comparatively few accidents despite the fact that the daily average of men employed on the project was 700. Her entry into the drydock was accomplished a hitch light messenger lines were passed ashore and the heavy manila lines were brought down and carried the docks by crews carefully trained for the occasion, the operation, directed by loudspeakers and radio, telephone and just a few hours after leaving pier 88, the lafayette were securely berthed. Just months and 19 days after the supervisor of salvage was directed by the secretary, the navy, to conduct the salvage operation. The past have been done to commodore sullivan, us m captain v months us m captain pay i took her the supervisors, the divers and other workmen who were responsible for devising means for the actual accomplishment of the many of construction and other preparatory work on which success of the salvage depended goes credit for one of the greatest engineering of the century. Any navy out there . All right. Anchor i bet you all think the army won the war, right . Well, youre going to have to sit through one navy talk, but im sure you are. Enjoy it. My friend. Oh, now,
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