The Naval Review The copyright of this article rests with the author, or the author's estate.

SALVAGE OPERATIONS ON H.M.S. "HASTINGS.”

On 6th June, 1935, H.M.S. Hastings was at Hodeida, on the Yemen coast , in the southern part of the Red Sea when a most unfortunate incident occurred. The wardroom cat savagely attacked the engineer officer, biting him and scratching him on the arm; she then rushed round the mess, as if completely demented, fiercely threatening everybody ­who approached her. Finally the wardroom was vacated for a time with the cat locked inside in the hope that she would recover and quieten down. Later in the afternoon she was secured and caged by aparty clad in protective clothing-not, however, without a great of trouble, one man being badly scratched and the first lieutenant bitten through his grove and fingers. The cat had been in the ship for a year and had always been of a normal and friendly disposition. In of this sudden and frenzied change the medical officer represented the possibility of rabies could not be overlooked. Accordingly enquiries were made by wireless to Kamaran, Aden and Port Sudan whether facilities existed for examining the animal for this disease and for treating the two officers and the man who had been attacked. Kamaran and Aden replied in the negative; and Hastings therefore ­got under way at 0630 on the 9th of June to proceed to Port Sudan, assuming that facilities would exist either there or at Khartoum. This confirmed later by a message from Port Sudan, which also emphasised the importance of the test and the initial treatment being carried out at the earliest possible moment. Course and speed were adjusted as necessary with the intention of arriving at Port Sudan at daylight on the 11th of June. Unfortunately at 0114 on that day the ship grounded on Shab Kutb reef, 8 miles 150 degrees from Hindi Gider Light and 48 miles 114 degrees from Port Sudan entrance light. ship's speed at the time was 8½ knots. Engines were immediately stopped and, after the position on the reef and the damage to the ship had been examined as far as was possible in the dark, they were put to full speed astern, but without result.

.The ship had slid quite gently on to the reef and hardly any jar had felt been by anybody on board, Like others in the neighbourhood the reef was formed in the shape of a huge mushroom with the crown awash and the extreme edge some 25 feet under water.

Hastings came to rest with a slight list to starboard, her stern overhanging the edge of the reef and the ship being aground from the mainmast forward stem in a depth decreasing from 12 to 7 feet. The depth of water over the edge of the reef was about 200 fathoms.

The night was fine with a slight swell from the northward; and as soon as it was clear that the ship could not be freed by her engines all the boats were lowered and a start was made with pumping out oil. Both anchors were lowered until the crowns just rested on the reef. Meanwhile help had been summoned. H.M.S. Penzance was at the time about 135 miles to the northward; she had been carrying out a cruise on the Sudanese coast and was making a night passage from Mahomed Gul to Mersa Haleib. At 0230 a signal was received stating what had happened, and she turned south and proceeded with the utmost despatch to the assistance of her sister ship.

The Harbourmaster, Port Sudan, received a message at about the same time and came out himself in the small tug El Kebir to seee if he could be of any help. He arrived on the scene about 1230, and passing a hawser into the stern of Hastings endeavoured to free her by towing in various directions.

Penzance arrived about 1345, passed her 3½-inch hawser without delay, and both ships then commenced towing in a S.S.E. direction Penzance working up to full power in a few minutes. No result was obtained, and after half an hour the attempt was stopped and the commanding officers met on board Hastings to discuss the situation. The weather was then fine with little swell, and boat work presented no difficulties. It was decided to assist the trim of the ship by flooding the after ballast tank, which was overhanging the edge of the reef, and to make another attempt at towing at 1630, by which time further progress would have been made in pumping out oil fuel. Penzance was then to take the unfortunate cat into Port Sudan and send it off to Khartoum for examination. In order to prevent another accident it seemed desirable that Penzance should leave the reef area before dark.

The attempt at towing at 1630 was not successful, as after some difficulty in reconnecting the towing wire it parted when the strain was brought on it. The 3½ inch wire from Hastings was then run across;< but by that time the light was going, and in any case it was thought that more profitable results might be hoped for on the following day, the remaining oil fuel would have been pumped out except for an emergency supply of 30 tons, which it was proposed to retain. The cable locker, provision room, and certain double bottom compartment were known to be flooded, and it seemed desirable in any case to investigate the damage below water more carefully before further towing operations.

Pennzance therefore proceeded to Port Sudan, arriving there at 2300 when ,the Acting Commissioner, the Port Superintendent and other officials immediately came on board with offers of whatever assistance required. It was arranged that a larger tug and a lighter for re-moving stores should be sent out at once; and these left at 0130 on the following day in charge of the chief pilot. Penzance left Port Sudan again at 0300.

During the forenoon of the 12th all ammunition and valuable stores were disembarked into the lighter, while confidential books, ledgers, money, officers' private gear, etc., etc., were ferried across to Penzance. Fortunately the weather remained fine with a slight breeze from the north west, and Penzance and both tugs lay astern of Hastings connected by hawsers, which greatly facilitated the day's work. As it was impossible to anchor anywhere in the vicinity an easterly wind would have increased the difficulties very much.

At about 1100 the ship's company of Hastings were ferried across to Penzance where dinner was provided for them; the towing wire was then run across and the strain taken gradually; both tugs were steaming ahead at the same time and full horse power was available. Great hopes were entertained at first, as it was thought that the ship was moving­, but this subsequently appeared to have been a slight swing rather than a direct movement astern, and the forenoon ended without effectual results.

On discussing the situation it seemed clear that nothing more could be done with the resources available. Oil fuel (120 tons), ammunition (12 tons) and some major stores (10 tons) had been removed, but the lightening effect was insufficient. Under normal circumstances this should have raised the ship 10 inches, but by this time several compartments were flooded and others were leaking from grinding on the coral.

Penzance (2,000 h.p.), the large tug EI Shadeed (1,100 h.p.), and the small tug EI Kebir (500 h.p.) had definitely failed to move the ship after a prolonged attempt. It was therefore decided that salvage opera­tions on a larger scale would be necessary, and, in view of the possibility of bad weather, preparations would have to be made for abandoning the ship or in any case for reducing the number of personnel on board.

The position was that the ship had been driven up on the reef until her bow was in only 7 feet of water, whereas the normal draught forward was 11 feet. Calculating by the immersion figure of 14 tons per inch it seemed that some 600 tons would require to be removed in order to float the ship off. As the stern was afloat this figure could be reduced by , perhaps, but even so it left a considerable dead weight, the friction of which on the coral was more than the horse power available could overcome. It seemed unlikely that the few tons of removable stores left on board would make any difference.

About 1500 EI Kebir took the lighter in tow and returned to Port Sudan. Penzance embarked an advance party of one officer and twelve men from Hastings to make preliminary arrangements for accomodation ashore and proceeded to Port Sudan with them. EI Shaded remained with Hastings for the night.

Meanwhile the state of affairs had been reported to the Admiralty and authority was received to summon the salvage vessel Preserver stationed at Perim. H.M.A.S. Brisbane, which was then approaching Aden from the east on her way to England ,to payoff and prepare for sale, was also ordered to proceed to the assistance of Hastings with all despatch.

The port authorities at Port Sudan arranged for a gang of labourers to work all night to clear the lighter; and at 0600 on the following morning, 13th, Penzance took it in tow and returned with it to Shab Kutb.

The night on the reef had been very uncomfortable. A considerable swell had got up from the south-west, and the ship had moved and worked about to an unbelievable extent; at one time she had swung round nearly sixty degrees to starboard. It was most exasperating for those on board to feel her so lively and to know that they were helpless get her off. In the morning she settled with her head pointing north east, whereas on the previous night she had been pointing north west.

Penzance arrived about 1230 and the lighter was immediately manoeuvred alongside Hastings. The swell was still dangerous, and the loading of the lighter and boat work generally were carried out under precarious conditions. Fortunately no serious accidents occurred. Quantities of stores and the ship's company's gear had been collected on the quarterdeck of Hastings, and this was all transferred to the lighter by 1545. The two whalers and skiffs were hoisted in Penzance, which had purposely left her own boats in Port Sudan ,in the early morning in order to keep the davits free.

EI Shadeed set off back to Port Sudan with the loaded lighter in tow, while the ship's company were transferred to Penzance by motor boats. The decision to disembark the personnel had been strengthened by the unpleasant experiences of the previous night, and two officers and six men only were left in Hastings.

Penzance left the reef at 1700 and arrived at Port Sudan at 2200 when the shipwrecked mariners were landed. Fortunately some suitable barracks were available; these were placed at their disposal by the local authorities, who were most kind in making all possible arrangements for their comfort. Penzance remained in Port Sudan during the fore­noon of 14th in order to inspect the accommodation arrangements, etc. She sailed at noon to rendezvous with Brisbane at Shab Kutb at 1730. Both ships arrived punctually, Brisbane having steamed at full speed from Aden, which had given her engine-room complement an unpleasant taste of Red Sea conditions in the summer months.

After investigation the engineer officer of Brisbane reported that in his opinion Hastings would float and would still be seaworthy, if she could be towed off at once without further extensive damage. Since the night of the 12th there had been some doubt on this point, as it was difficult to estimate the damage done by the sea and swell. It was there­fore decided that Brisbane should make an attempt at towing Hastings off the reef as soon as it was light on the following morning, the 15th.

Meanwhile the weather had much improved; and advantage was taken of the superior boat facilities of Brisbane to run an all night ferry service from Hastings to Penzance. In this way a large amount of spare parts, air bottles and heavy stores of every description were taken across. Brisbane provided two cutters, a motor cutter and a motor-boat; also working parties in Hastings. The weight of these stores was probably of little definite moment at the time, but it was evident that the more fittings that could be removed the better, and it was important to lose no opportunity of weather and resources.

At 0500 on the 15th Brisbane closed Hastings and took her in tow with a 5½-inch wire and two shackles of cable stern to stern. Penzance I and El, Kebir stood clear. Brisbane .went ahead, and had been doing revolutions for 16 knots for some minutes when the tow parted. No movement could be detected in Hastings. At 0600 the salvage tug Preserver arrived from Perim. Her captain had definitely been placed in charge of the salvage operations by the terms of his contract; he therefore spent some time in examining the position and deciding on his course of action. It was disappointing that the first effort by Brisbane had failed, but it was decided to make every possible prepara­tion for another attempt on the following day. Meanwhile a petrol driven air compressor was transferred from Preserver to Hastings and connected up so that air could be forced into some of the flooded com­partments when required. The water in other compartments could still be kept under control by the ship's pumps.

At 0900 Penzance returned to Port Sudan to disembark the stores which had been received on board during the night and to bring out two dockyard officials, who were on their way from Malta by air and were expected to arrive at Port Sudan that afternoon. The shore party from Hastings took charge of the stores and the two officials, an assistant constructor and a foreman of the yard, arrived at 1600, having completed the journey of 1,700 miles from Malta in the total time of 33 hours. They came on board immediately, and Penzance sailed again for Shab Kutb at midnight. 15th/16th.

While at Port Sudan a reassuring message was received from Khartoum that the post mortem examination of the suspected cat had been completed and that it had been proved definitely not to have be suffering from rabies. Incidentally the cat episode, which really had nothing to do with the ship grounding, was naturally seized upon by the press as an interesting tit-bit, and garnished versions of the story appeared in most newspapers. Fortunately there are no reporters' Port Sudan, and after a day or two the incident lost its news value so that nothing further appeared; but even after weeks on the reef Hastingsl officers and ship's company were still receiving letters from their friends with semi-humorous references to the mad cat. .Any humour connected with the episode was worn very bare after a time.

In collaboration with Preserver's officers a great deal of work done on the 15th in shoring up compartments, pumping out, testing with air pressure, etc.; the skeleton ship's company of Hastings being assisted by parties of artificers and artisans from Brisbane. A second attempt at towing was made during the forenoon of the 16th, Brisbane using the remains of her 5½-inch wire, which fortunately had parted the previous day in the fairlead of Hastings, and so had only lost a few fathoms. Penzance assisted in the operation by keeping Brisbane bows up to windward with a 6” manilla hawser. The manoeuvre was not entirely satisfactory; Brisbane worked up to about three quarters power, but could not maintain her position and drifted down to leeward Penzance being of little help. The pull was therefore not quite in the desired direction, and nothing was achieved.

At noon Brisbane proceeded to Port Sudan for fuel, leaving some of her boats and a strong working party to continue the work of transferring stores to Penzance. The situation was considered so desperate that it was decided to jettison a certain amount of gear, including the two 4-inch guns, which were beyond the capacity of the boats available Shipwrights unbolted a lot of upperdeck gear such as davits and life-belt racks, and whatever was worth salving was taken over to Penzance the work continuing all night. By this time Preserver had run a hawser from her stern into Hastings and found that she could lie comfortably to the south east of the reef, moving her engines as necessary. As she was fitted as a tug with her towing hook amidships, her captain had no difficulty in keeping this position in any reasonable weather. Penzance accordingly ran a 6-inch manilla from her own stern to the bows of Preserver and hung on the end, being practically helpless as regards control but lying comfortably to leeward in any wind except south­easterly. Thus was instituted what became known as " the cab rank" during the weeks that followed.

Brisbane returned at 0500 on 17th; and as a preliminary she steamed to and fro once or twice at high speed to the north west of the reef in order to create a wash, while Preserver kept the maximum strain on her tow rope. No effect was produced, and preparations were then made for 'Brisbane to pass her 5½-inch wire into Hastings for another attempt at towing. Penzance passed her sweep wires into Brisbane, where they were secured on the forecastle in order to assist her to remain pointing in the right direction; the method proved more successful than that used on the previous day. Brisbane worked up to revolutions for 14 knots and maintained them for a quarter of an hour, when the tow parted. There was no movement by Hastings; and it was then quite clear that no result could be hoped for until her buoyancy had been considerably increased, or until a northerly swell occurred, which by making the ship more lively would increase the chances of success.

The operation of connecting up the tow had now been carried out by Brisbane three times, but it was by no means an easy one. It entailed keeping the ship in an awkward position with the reef on each quarter, while a 5½-inch wire and two shackles of cable were paid over the stern. When the strain was taken the slightest wind or current tended to drive the ship down on to the reef on one side or the other. Finally, when the tow parted, it took two or three hours for the diminutive after capstan to recover the wire and cable and get it in board again. It was found that with the whole wire and cable hanging vertically over the stern the links of the cable fouled the fairlead and could not be pulled through by direct means.

A conference was held on the afternoon of the 17th to review the position and decide on the next course of action. Hastings had now been ashore for more than six days; she was not badly damaged, and on the last occasion of towing the air compressor and the ship's pumps had kept all leaks in check without difficulty; no more stores remained to 'disembarked and no weight of any consequence could be removed, less it was decided to dismantle cabin fittings or remove auxiliary machinery. Unfortunately the level of the Red Sea varies between summer and winter, being at a minimum in July and August and rising about 2 feet by January. According to the data at Port Sudan the level had dropped five inches since the ship went ashore, and no perma­nent rise could be expected until September. This in itself required an additional buoyancy of 70 tons to refloat the ship. All that could be hoped for was a northerly swell sufficient to move her without damaging her too much-admittedly a faint hope in this area in the summer months.

Meanwhile it was decided to retain a skeleton crew of three officers and thirty men on board and to keep the diesel engine going for lighting, fans, sanitary arrangements, pumps and W/T, but as the meat room was leaking badly the refrigerator was stopped. Penzance returned to Port Sudan with the stores, etc., which had accumulated on board. Brisbane stood off as usual for the night. Actually there was little more that Brisbane could do; her help had been invaluable for the first few days, but after it was clear that Hastings could not be towed off her presence was superfluous, and she sailed for Suez on the 22nd of June.

Penzance discharged the stores, etc., in Port Sudan during the fore­noon of the 18th and embarked mails, meat, ice and other requirements for Hastings. From this date Penzance slipped into a regular ferry service routine, going out to the reef on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays every week with hardly a break. At first some natural nervous­ness about the reef area caused every passage to be made north of Hindi Gider Light and north of Peshwa Shoal; but familiarity soon led to setting a straight course from Port Sudan entrance, and later on an opportunity was taken to carry out a running survey of the whole area. On Mondays ,it was customary to leave after the arrival of the mail at 1000, getting to the reef about 1500 and leaving again about 1800 to get back to Port Sudan at 2300. On Wednesdays the ship left at 0600, and most of the day was spent at Shab Kutb transferring oil fuel in drums to Hastings. On Fridays, if no more oil fuel was required, the return trip was made earlier, and Penzance would be in Port Sudan by 2000. The supply of meat and provisions, the periodical exchange of ratings, the daily signal for special requirements, and the all-important matter of ice soon dropped into a regular routine. On arrival at the reef Penzance's super-reliable motor-boat was always lowered (in the open sea !), and the stores and necessaries were ferried to and fro.

By the 19th the internal situation in Hastings was definitely under control. A diver had been down and plugged a number of leaks on the port side. Great progress had been made in isolating compartments, proving them to be reasonably tight, and then flooding again to keep the ship steady. It was estimated that all tanks and compartments could be blown or pumped out in just over an hour, if there was any promise of sufficient swell to make the attempt worth while.

On the 24th the other salvage vessel Protector arrived from Suez. The opinion at this time was that, with the rise in the sea level that might be expected in September or October and the northerly winds that should come at the same time, the ship could then be floated off without diffi­culty, provided she could be maintained in a seaworthy condition during the intervening months. Meanwhile such steps as seemed practicable were taken to float her off earlier and to avoid the irksome and dangerous waiting time. In the course of July and August the following measures were taken :-

Ground tackle. Two anchors were laid out an the edge of the reef, one an each quarter in the most advantageous position for pulling the ship astern. Preserver also managed to find a patch to the south-east with a sounding of something over 100 fathoms. A 5-ton anchor was accordingly placed there and connected by 700 fathoms of 5½-inch wire to a large fourfold deck tackle on Hastings boat deck. This was led to the after winch. Owing to its weight it was impossible to lower this mooring, and to prevent damage to the anchor when being dropped in such a depth a wooden and canvas parachute was attached to it, which ensured a gradual descent. In order to make use of these ground tackles it was of course necessary to raise steam, which was only done when a serious attempt at refloating was being made, owing to the difficulties of refuelling.

Pontoons. The small depth of water over the reef on each side of the ship precluded the use of steel pontoons or camels of the type which are often valuable for salvage work. Two steel pontoons in Port Sudan were examined, but found to be too large far this reason. Smaller pontoons would have given insufficient lift; and in any case there was the danger that they might have been damaged and sunk while along­side, which would have been an additional embarrassment to further operations.

Canvas pontoons. From the outset it was considered that an arrangement of canvas pontoons an each side of the ship, lowered into position on a suitably calm day and inflated by air compressors, might prove successful. The pontoons were made in Malta to a design which had proved serviceable when tried on a tug in the harbour. They were made cylindrical, 6 feet in diameter and 20 feet long. The proposal was that they should be lowered horizontally with two 6-inch spars, 20 feet long, lashed to them. Three bottom lines for each pontoon were secured to the lower spar, passed under the ship by divers, and brought up to the upper deck on the other side; three similar lowering lines were secured to the other spar. When the pontoon was under water and the lower spar within a few inches of the keel, the lines were to be made fast inboard and the pontoon inflated by a flexible connection to one of the air compressors.

Strenuous exertions were made by Malta Dockyard; and 16 pontoons were completed within a few days of authority being given. These were despatched with various accessories and all the spars to Port Sudan where they arrived on the 12th of July. The air compressor sent from Malta was beyond the capacity of Hastings's derrick to hoist inboard it was left in Port Said, another and smaller machine being obtained there.

Rigging the pontoons, however, presented considerable difficulties The original idea had to be abandoned, as the friction of the bottom lines under the keel made it impossible to get the lower spars down into position. Accordingly the arrangement was altered, and the lower spars were fixed in position by divers, lashing the spars to one another under the ship. The bottom lines for each pontoon were then kept on their own side of the ship, secured to the upper spar, rove round the lower spar and led back on to the upper deck. The pontoons, being lashed to the upper spars, were thus forced under water when sufficient tension was applied to the bottom lines.

The first serious trial on a large scale was made on the 29th of July; although the weather was fine several pontoons were damaged by the slight swell and no effective lifting power was obtained. It was decided that in order to be of any use in the open sea the pontoons would have to be reduced to a more manageable size; and preparations were made to cut them up, strengthen them, and reduce them to 4-feet diameter. All was in readiness again by the 9th of August, but although a small trial was carried out the weather was never afterwards considered smooth enough for a large scale attempt. In practice the difficulties of the manip­ulation of these pontoons in a small ship proved almost insurmountable: each pontoon had at least six lines attached to it, besides its air pressure hose, and the multiplicity of ropes' ends on a deck already cluttered up with deck tackles, air compressors, diving pump, and anchor gear had to be seen to be believed.

Finally it was decided that a northerly swell offered better hopes of refloating than the mill pond day which gave the only chance for the pontoons to prove their value. This was disappointing for the sail loft staff of Malta dockyard and for the ship's company of Hastings, both of whom had expended an enormous amount of labour on rigging the pontoons.

Dynamiting away the reef. This was commenced at an early stage. Divers were sent down and placed gelignite charges in holes drilled in the coral. The results generally were disappointing, the amount of material dispersed each time being very small and the preparation work very tedious. However, early in August, when the weather conditions seemed more settled and the work on the canvas pontoons had become less pressing, further efforts were made with greater success. A timber platform was hung out on the ship's side and the diving carried out from there instead of from a boat rocking ,in the swell. The divers also supplemented the effects of the explosive charges with a good of deal work with pickaxes and with hose pressure to wash away loose material. After blasting a trench about six feet deep along the port side, they finally succeeded in driving several tunnels under the ship, removing obstructions which were sticking up through the bottom, jutting pieces of coral and small articles which had been jettisoned in the early stages and had become jammed when the ship swung round in bad weather. There was no doubt that these obstructions were having a considerable effect in anchoring the ship; and the work of the divers in removing them went a long way towards final success.

Too much praise can hardly be given to the divers, who laboured day after day for long hours in the sweltering heat. Much of the credit for final success should go to them.

So the hot months of July and August went slowly by. Some of the men were exchanged every week or two with corresponding ratings from the ship's company in barracks at Port Sudan. Some of the "key" officers and men who were needed all the time went into harbour for an occasional week end. The time passed quickly in work on the canvas pontoons and other activities with occasional trials and tests. The night 27/ 28th July was very critical. Such a large swell was running from the south that there were grave fears for the safety of the ship. The compartments were therefore pumped out and every effort made by ground tackle and the tow ropes of the two salvage vessels to move her, but the only result was that the ship pivoted about the pro­vision room, where a large lump of coral was embedded, swung from north-east through north to nearly north-west, was then dragged astern about 40 feet and swung back and settled at north by east. When success appeared ,in sight the ground tackle began to come home and nothing further was accomplished. Throughout the operation she bumped very badly and considerably more damage was done below, particularly in " B " boiler room. Here the inner bottom was lifting dangerously throughout, giving cause for grave anxiety for the safety of the men keeping steam for the winch.

The supply of fuel was a perpetual trouble. Penzance was unable to go alongside, and therefore she had borrowed some 50-gallon drums from Port Sudan. These were placed in one of the salvage vessel's large diving boats and filled by a special connection rigged up through scuttle. When they arrived alongside Hastings they were hoisted in, one by one, by the derrick -a "clear lower deck" operation with skeleton crew- emptied and returned. The maximum rate of supply over a six hour spell was 1½ tons per hour, and it was found necessary for the supply to be replenished once a week.

A certain amount of pessimism prevailed after the experiences of the 27/28th July; but within a few days the weather changed for the better the ground tackle was laid out again, the condition of the ship internally was improved by minor repairs, and Penzance obtained and brought out another air compressor from Port Sudan. Attempts to tow off were made whenever the swell was such as to cause further damage by bumping, but the fear on these occasions was that the ship might be so damaged in the process that she would sink when she got to deep water Although by the calculations of the constructor officer she should remain buoyant, one could never tell what damage might not be done at the last moment. For this reason only the minimum number of men were retained on board, although there was often pressing work for the whole crew.

On the 21st of August a very sudden sand storm sprang up in the evening from the south-east. Penzance had just left Shab Kutb reef and was able luckily to grope her way through the reefs and make Port Sudan when the storm cleared. Preserver and Protector were lying connected to Hastings, and were swung round by the wind at the full length of their tow until they found themselves north of Hastings and north of the reef, when the tow parted. Seas broke over Hastings for some hours, and it was an unpleasant experience for all concerned.

Only two accidents to personnel occurred throughout the operations.

The first was to a large Australian petty officer from Brisbane, who dropped some heavy gear on his finger on the 16th of June, causing a nasty fracture. This rating was immediately sent to Penzance for treat­ment (Brisbane being away at Port Sudan), where he had to be given the entire ship's supply of chloroform before the medical officer could set the broken bone. The second accident was to the warrant engineer of Hastings, who was unfortunate enough to crush his hand badly on the 30th of June while investigating damage in the central store room.

There was little relaxation at any time for those on board. The ship bumped and shook most alarmingly in bad weather and to quite a moderate extent on fine days. Fishing, however, was always good, as sharks and many of their smaller brethren congregated round the reef in eager anticipation of the offal and food refuse that came their way.

Mild excitement was always caused by the rise and fall of the water level. A local tide gauge was set up on the reef and was studied every day with great care. The record of the level was compared with the standard record kept at Port Sudan, and the results were of great interest, since the water level was one of the prime considerations when deciding whether an attempt to tow off should be made.

The day of triumph was Friday the 6th of September. Penzance had come out as usual, arriving about 1100 and having on board the Com­missioner of Port Sudan, who had recently returned from leave and had expressed a wish to go out and visit Hastings. For the first time for weeks a considerable northerly swell was running, and it was decided to make an attempt at refloating in the early afternoon. The water level was just above that at which the ship went ashore, the autumn rise having begun.

The procedure for refloating had long been settled and several times rehearsed. Steam was raised, tension put on the ground tackles by means of capstan and winch, pumps were started on certain compart­ments, the air compressors on others, and the two salvage vessels started about 1400 to work up to full power. Hastings appeared gradually to get more lively; and suddenly about 1600 she gave one or two rolls and slid astern clear of the reef.

Preserver then took Hastings in tow, and preceded by Penzance and followed by Protector, she left Shab Kutb at 1800, arriving safely in Port Sudan at 0245 on the 7th. No attempt was made to use the ship's own propelling machinery, as it was believed that both turbines were out of alignment. None of the officers and men concerned will care very much if they never see Shab Kutb Reef again.

Temporary repairs were carried out in Port Sudan, and the ship prepared for towing to Suez. She left Port Sudan on the 17th of September again in tow of Preserver, and arrived at Suez on the 22nd, being finally docked down on the 27th. One of the three air compressors on board was always kept going until she was safely in dock. Everyone who saw the ship in dry dock at Suez marvelled that she had ever withstood such an experience. Her outer bottom was wrinkled like a piece of corrugated iron, and over whole lengths was entirely destroyed. She was a monument to the efficiency of British ship-building and to the good design of our minesweepers.

This short account cannot be concluded without reference to the good feeling and happy relations that existed between the Danish officers and Arab-Somali crews of the salvage vessels Preserver and Protector and the British officers and men. Many delicate situations arose, and many difficult decisions had to be taken, and the Red Sea in summer is not the best place to choose for handling awkward situations. But it can certainly be said that no one could have been more tactful and careful than the Danish officers, and their ships were the epitome of efficiency. May they continue to flourish for many years, finding ships to salve on every reef within sight, but never, I trust, one in which I serving.

ZETA.