Aug-Sep-Oct, Nov-Dec 1971-Jan 1972 - Navy League of Australia

C. M. I."OXY PROOF"Security and Commercial Safes. Wall and Floor Safes and Strongroom DoorsRECORD PROTECTION & COMPUTERTAPE FIREPROOF SAFESSafes Opened & RepairedC.M.I. SAFE CO. PTY. LTD.244 WEST STREET, CARLTON, N.S.W.54 3260After Hours: R. E. Berry, 522 8863. Telegrarm: "OXYPROOF". SydneyA Close liaison — the NAVY DEPARTMENT andNATRONICS PTY. LTD.The CrescentKingsgrove, N.S.W.Who are Proud to be Associated with theNAVY DEPARTMENTSuppliers of: * Regulated D.C. Suppliers * A.C. Voltage Stabilisers * CurrentRegulators * Industrial Control Equipmentfor all anqulriat ...Mr. B. Chapman50-0111 — PHONE — 50-0111TorpedoedCruiserDRAKEto beSalvagedAn attempt will shortly be made to salvage the wreck ofthe World War I cruiser H.M.S. Drake, which sank offRathlin Island almost 54 years ago. The wreck, lying inshallow wst6r in Rathlln's Church Bsy, has long been ahazard to shipping — several vessels have grounded on herdown through the years.Now an English firm is mounting afull-scale operation to salvage thethousands of tons of steel whichtoday has a h;gh scrap metal valueThe job is expected to take between18 months and two years. The plan isto cut up the 14.100 ton battleshipinto sections of around 50 tons,which will then be hoisted aboardanother ship by a huge floatingcrane especially designed for theworkThe chief method of salvage willinvolve a series of underwaterexplosions to break up the hull Andso the divers who will be doing thework will also make a very carefulcheck to see if there are any oldexplosives on board which might stillbe dangerousThe ill-fated Drake wascommissioned in March. 1901. justthree years after she had been laiddown at Pembroke Dockyard. A fourfunnelledship, she was wellequipped with the weapons of war.including two. 9.2 inch; sixteen. 6inch and a dozen powerful 12-pounder guns.It was on the morning of Tuesday.2 October. 1917. that the Drake slast voyage came to a sudden anddramatic end—ironically enough,just a few hours after she hadsuccessfully completed a dangerousescort mission from theH.M.S. Drake an armoured crutee, of the Drake ClMa. Sh. waa 339 lert In lenclti and 71 fwbeam. Twin acrevred aha waa capable of 24 knota.Mediterranean The merchant shipsshe had guarded on that perilousjourney had dispersed and weredischarging their vital cargoes in theClyde and Mersey.As the Drake was steaming in thecomparatively safe waters off theMull of Kmtyre. the enemy, in theshape of German U Boat 79. waslurking in the depths. One officerand 18 men were killed in the vicioustorpedo attack which followed. Butthe Drake, with its full complementof 900 men. remained afloat and wasable to reach the shelter of Rathlin.Captain Stephen Radchffe and hisofficers and men were taken off bytwo other Navy ships and shortlyafterwards the stricken cruiser sankin about ten fathoms of water.Now. with her hull a mere ten feetbelow the suface. the ghost ship issometimes visible from the surfacewhen the weather and tides are right.Boatloads of trippers on their way toand from Rathlin are fascinated bythe story as told by localfishermen—it has becomesomething of a tourist attraction.Although a buoy, placed by theCommissioners for Irish Lights,marks the spo? as a hazard to othershipping, several smaller vesselshave run aground on the wreck overthe years.Most recent mishap involving theDrake occurred six years ago. Thenthe Fleetwood trawler. Ella Hewitt,foundered when she hit the hulk andnow she lies alongside her on thebottom.It was off the Giant's Causewayheadlands, just a few miles fromwhere the Drake lies, that anotherwreck, that of the Armada shipGirona. gave up some of her secrets.Two years ago a team of diversbrought up a fascinating collectionof priceless treasures from theseabed.The possibility of treasure oranything else of interest beingrecovered from the Drake is highlyunlikely. The salvagers areinterested only in the recovery of theheavy armour plate (6 inches thickat the waterhne and 2-3 inches onthe deck) for scrap metal.About a week or so after thecruiser went down, however, therewere picking** for localbeachcombers—large quantities offlour and many boxes of condensedmilk, almost certainly from theDrake, were washed ashore atRathlin and Ballycastle.A report in one of the localnewspapers at the time stated: Agreat number of bales of cotton andother wreckage have also beensaved. Salvaged flour wasauctioned in Ballycastle. over 200boxes being disposed of. Largecrowds of farmers were present andcompetition was extremely keen forthe flour, which was of the very bestquality... 'Paf. SixtaanTHE NAVY Aucuat-Saptombar-Octotor. 1»71August-September-October, 1971 THE NAVY Page Seventeen