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The Spiegel Grove
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| Miami Herald's Susan Cocking:
Crew
on the way to help sink ship
Keynoter's Kevin Wadlow: Hopes high to salvage ‘Grove’ WPLG Channel 10 News: Sinking Ship Saga Continues |
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Posted on Wed, May. 22, 2002 BY SUSAN COCKING
A 100-foot dive-support vessel from Resolve Towing and Salvage was expected to leave Port Everglades early this morning, bound for Key Largo to complete the sinking of the Spiegel Grove. The vessel was expected to arrive alongside the partially sunken Navy ship about noon. The salvage gear includes air compressors, communications gear for five divers and one supervisor, underwater welding and cutting tools and about 40 air bags, each with six to 10 tons of lift. Resolve salvage engineer Todd Schauer said his company's crew will work with volunteer divers from Key Largo to inspect and test the flooded compartments to see how to pump air into them. He said holes drilled to sink the ship will have to be plugged and patched. Schauer figures that process will take about a week. The 510-foot, 6,880-ton Spiegel Grove was touted as the largest ship ever deliberately put down to create an artificial reef. It sank prematurely Friday morning, resting upside down on its stern. Workers say the wreck is stable, held in place by four anchors in 130 feet of water. © 2002 miami and wire
service sources. All Rights Reserved.
Return to newspaper story index
Operation costs expand by $250,000 for the scuttling By Kevin Wadlow Senior Staff
Writer
A combination of "mechanical brute strength and all the air we can trap" stands a good chance of rolling the Spiegel Grove over, said a salvage expert hired Monday to save the artificial-reef project. "I’m very confident we will get it done," said Joe Farrell, president of Resolve Towing and Salvage of Fort Lauderdale, after inspecting the 510-foot ship angled upside-down off Key Largo. The attempt – ideally to turn the former Navy transport upright, at least to lay it on its side – appears at least a week away. Time is needed to inspect the massive vessel to see if the structure can stand being refilled with air, Farrell said. "We’re not going to drag this out. Every day it’s out there, it gets more difficult," he said. "It will take us a good four or five days to tell if the [interior walls] are in good condition. This is not something you can do in a half-hour." Cost of the salvage operation could exceed $250,000. Local banks have agreed to extend loans to the Key Largo Chamber of Commerce to be repaid by a program to sell dive medallions.
Friday was expected to be the climax of an eight-year project to scuttle the Spiegel Grove off Key Largo as the largest ship ever to be intentionally sunk within sport-diving depths. Instead, the vessel flooded with water faster than expected, forcing an emergency evacuation of about 40 volunteer workers. As the sea closed in over the stern, the Spiegel Grove twisted and rolled completely over – a disaster, as far as creating an accessible dive attraction. With about 30 feet of the bow breaking the surface, the ship must now be lighted and patrolled as a hazard to navigation. The stern rests 130 feet down. It appears stable, officials said. Officials of the U.S. Coast Guard and Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary want to see the Spiegel Grove off the surface as soon as possible, but apparently will wait several days while the salvage attempt takes place. A shipwreck that lands "in an upside-down position is not beneficial [as an artificial reef] to anyone," said Upper Keys sanctuary Manager Dave Score. Resolve Marine recently freed a large ship from a grounding at Miami’s Government Cut. "This is not the biggest ship we’ve dealt with," said Farrell, "but it’s one of the more challenging situations." Divers can work only a short time in 130-foot depths. As outlined by Farrell, the salvage effort likely will pump about 2,000 tons of air into the port side of the Spiegel Grove. For the attempt to roll it, 30 large lift bags will be attached to the forward superstructure. First, the Resolve crew must determine if 18 different sections of the ship can stand being pressurized. That will involve drilling through the hull to attach gauges and fittings. Hydraulic jacks and cranes on a topside barge also will be used. While the crew needs to keep the bow afloat during preparation, the Spiegel Grove actually will be sunk completely before the attempt is made to right the vessel. Photo: A diver inspects the propeller of the ‘Spiegel Grove,’ which faces the sky after the 510-foot former Navy ship rolled over while sinking as an artificial reef off Key Largo on Friday. An attempt will be made to right the massive vessel. (Photo by STEPHEN FRINK/WATERHOUSE) Return to newspaper story index The saga of the sinking of the Spiegel Grove isn't over yet. The ship was to be sunk for the creation of an artificial reef 6 miles off the coast of Key Largo, but just before the scheduled sinking, everything went wrong. The ship took on water early, started to sink, and rolled over with the bottom of the bow left sticking out of the water. The new plan to take the ship the 130 feet to the bottom is a complicated one. The president of the company hired to complete sinking says he wants to keep the bow as high as possible as he prepares to roll the ship over on its side and, hopefully, turn it right side up on the bottom. A dive support barge will depart from Port Everglades will likely arrive at the station tomorrow. It would take at least a week to pump more than 2,000 tons of air into the hull along the port side, then roll the ship onto its starboard side using 350 to 400 tons of air bags and two tugboats with 120 tons of pull. Many of the holes drilled by the project's volunteer workers to flood the ballast tanks to sink the ship will have to be patched before attempts are made to flip the ship. Hydraulic lift jacks with 3-inch-thick chains would be fastened to the sides of the ship and to submerged cranes to roll it upright. The company's contract with the Key Largo Chamber of Commerce says the company will be paid $15,000 per day. The contractor estimates that getting the ship over on its side will cost about $250,000, and righting it on the bottom will be even more costly. Most of the money for the sinking of the Spiegel Grove came from the Monroe County Tourist Development Council, private donations, a boat raffle and sales of commemorative dive medallions. Cost has already exceeded $1.1 million. Organizations such as the Ocean Reef Club Homeowners Association and Friends of the National Marine Sanctuary have also pledged support for the project. |
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| Thank you for visiting our Spiegel Grove update pages. Much of the information here is copyrighted by other news agencies, as noted. This information is presented for the convenience of the members of South Florida Divers, by their newsletter editor, in order to bring all of the news to one central location. DO NOT use these images or stories for newsletters, web pages, or any other publications. You may print one copy for your own personal use only. Thank you. |
A
support vessel from the company was scheduled to be on site today, with
a team of 10 to 12 divers beginning a close inspection of the topsy-turvy
ship.
