Submerged Volvos in Halifax Harbor?

[george stady]

Here's a weird one: on our trip to Nova Scotia last year we spent a
day in Halifax and visited the Marine Museum there. On the second
floor, as part of a display covering the rich heritage of sinking
ships, was a satelite map of Halifax harbor with certain submerged
landmarks annotated. The most unusual of the notes was one indicating
a point where there was a pile of volvos lay at the bottom of the
harbor.

No one there could explain it for us and I've never been able to find
an answer as to what a pile of Volvo's would be doing on the bottom of
the harbor (besides rusting). My best guess is either improperly
secured freight or part of a trade dispute.

Anyone know more?

blurp

there is also a legend of a load of early p1800s and scotch whiskey that
went down in the channel in the early sixties. unconfirmed, just thought
id add that

 

[Bev A. Kupf]

there is also a legend of a load of early p1800s and scotch whiskey that
went down in the channel in the early sixties.

The P1800s would have bought it, but the Scotch should have aged nicely.
Except it probably wouldn't be in casks -- still a thought.

 

[Gary Heston]

But WOW.. cutting a boat that size in half!!??? Those pictures were
something!!!

[ ... ]

Actually, I think they cut it into five or six sections. The technique
is rather simple, just on a large scale.

For something the size of the Tricolor, use an abrasive cable (flexible
steel with carbide bits bonded to it, for example) about 1500' (457m)
long and about 2" (50mm) in diameter for a vessel in 1600' (487m) of water.

Position one barge on each side of the vessel where the cut is to be
made, each barge having a large, powerful winch on board. Each winch
needs enough cable to reach to the bottom where the vessel lies. The
abrasive cable is attached to one winch and lowered until the downward
end is at the bottom beside the vessel.

The other winch lowers its' cable to the bottom, where it is passed
under the vessel (a tunnel can be dug with a pressure hose) and attached
to the free end of the abrasive cable. The first winch then pays out
cable as the second draws in, getting the abrasive cable pulled under
the vessel. Once it's through, the barges tighten the cables, then
alternate pulling and paying cable, keeping the tension on.

Eventually, the abrasive cable grinds through the hull, decking,
bulkheads, piping, cargo, and anything else in the way.

Then, someone with a big crane on a big barge gets to hoist up a few
hundred tons of scrap...


Gary

 

[Gary Heston]

Steve, were you able to see any of the action? (Yeah, I know, it was
underwater.)

I'm wondering if it was really noisy.

The engines driving the winches are probably diesels, which will be
pretty noisy.

Underwater, there'd be a long scraping sound, a pause, another long
scraping sound, pause, scrape, pause, scrape, etc.

Might be an occasional clanging sound when a large piece of metal
comes loose and bounces around.


Gary

 

[Joseph Oberlander]

The P1800s would have bought it, but the Scotch should have aged nicely.
Except it probably wouldn't be in casks -- still a thought.

IIRC, there was a load of wine and champaigne that sunk during
WWI in the hcannel that they hauled up.

The pressure had forced seawater into the wine bottles, but the
champaigne was as good as new as its pressure counteracted the
depth.

So the Scotch would be bad as well.

 

[Patrik]

I know it was in the Bedford Basin which is a pretty high-traffic
area...maybe not a safe recreational diving environment. In searching
for details I came across this report of a different wreck from
Cyprus:

"Since it sank one nautical mile off the Larnaca coast 19 years ago,
the Swedish vessel carrying a cargo of Volvos has become a tourist
attraction for pleasure divers. Several local diving schools
specialise in expeditions to the wreck."

Let this be a lesson to all you freight captains: Beware the Curse of
the Volvos!

blurp

Funny, I have actually dived that wreck! It's called the Zenobia and
its full of Volvo and Scania trucks, that where headed for Africa.
It was a strange feeling to swim around inside that boat I tell you
/Patrik

 

[Rick Auricchio]

Underwater, there'd be a long scraping sound, a pause, another long
scraping sound, pause, scrape, pause, scrape, etc.

Yeah, this is the sound that I expect could end up being heard a great
distance. Diesel noise too, of course.

The Tricolor was in shallow water; you could see the hull under perhaps
30 feet of water. This at least made it easy for the divers to work
down there. If the wreck were in deep water or outside of the shipping
lane, perhaps they would have left it there.

 

[Peter Milnes]

Just out of interest the wreck has been hit by at least a couple of ships
already.

Cheers, Peter.

:
: > Underwater, there'd be a long scraping sound, a pause, another long
: > scraping sound, pause, scrape, pause, scrape, etc.
:
: Yeah, this is the sound that I expect could end up being heard a great
: distance. Diesel noise too, of course.
:
: The Tricolor was in shallow water; you could see the hull under perhaps
: 30 feet of water. This at least made it easy for the divers to work
: down there. If the wreck were in deep water or outside of the shipping
: lane, perhaps they would have left it there.
:
: --
: - rick http://www.cfcl.com/~rick/
: Rick Auricchio Acoustic Legacy Studios [email protected]
: I acknowledge the existence of a higher power, and have therefore installed
: surge suppressors.

 

[Rick Auricchio]

Just out of interest the wreck has been hit by at least a couple of ships
already.

Three or four, as a matter of fact. Two hits within about a month of
the sinking (despite being marked with a light), and another a few
months later. I'm pretty sure there was a fourth hit too.

The ship that sank the Tricolor had apparently changed course to avoid
hitting another ship...

It was mentioned on another web site whose URL I now forget.