DIFFERENT WAYS OF SALVING A WRECK
There are four well-known methods of raising a vessel that is completely submerged. Of course, if the ship is not completely submerged, the holes in her hull may be patched up, and then when her hull is pumped out, the sea itself will raise the ship, unless it be deeply embedded in sand or mud. If the vessel is completely submerged, the same process may be resorted to, but first the sides of the hull must be extended to the surface to keep the water from flowing in as fast as it is pumped out. It is not usual to build up the entire length of the ship. If the deck is in good condition, it may suffice to construct coffer-dams or walls around several of the hatches. But building up the sides of a ship, or constructing coffer-dams on the ship's deck is a difficult task, at best, because it must be done under water by divers.
A record for this type of salvage work was established by the Japanese when they raised the battle-ship Mikasa that lay in some eighty feet of water. Her decks were submerged to a depth of forty feet. It is doubtful that this salvage work could be duplicated by any other people of the world. The wonderful patriotism and loyalty of the Japanese race were called forth. It is no small task to build a large coffer-dam strong enough to withstand the weight of forty feet of water, or a pressure of a ton and a quarter per square foot, even when the work is done on the surface. Perfect discipline and organized effort of the highest sort were required. Labor is cheap in Japan and there was no dearth of men for the work. Over one hundred divers were employed. In addition to the coffer-dam construction much repair work was necessary. Marvelous acts of devotion and heroism were performed. It is rumored that in some places it was necessary for divers to close themselves in, cut their air supply-pipes and seal themselves off from the slightest chance of escape; and that there were men who actually volunteered to sacrifice their lives in this way for their beloved country and its young navy. Where, indeed, outside of the Land of the Rising Sun could we find such patriotic devotion!
A second salvage method consists in building a coffer-dam not on the ship but around it, and then pumping this out so as to expose the ship as in a dry-dock. Such was the plan followed out in recovering the Maine. Obviously, it is a very expensive method and is used only in exceptional cases, such as this, in which it was necessary to make a post-mortem examination to determine what caused the destruction of the vessel. Neither of these methods of salvage will serve for raising a ship sunk in deep water.