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DIARIES By Des Williams |
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Harold F. Chadwick passed away in late 2000. He was a salvage diver during and after the second world war, working with the Commonwealth Salvage Board and later, the famous Melbourne salvage company United Salvage, headed up by Captain Sir John Williams. Harry was a master standard dress diver and highly skilled boiler-maker/welder. He has left behind a most magnificently detailed set of work diaries and photographs covering about 20 years of his remarkable career. A rich vein indeed of our maritime heritage. His daughter Gail, has approved snippets of those diaries being published in serial form, for the MAAV. It is eventually hoped to produce a book on the life of Harry Chadwick as a fitting tribute, but this is going to take some time as there is a great deal of information to sift through first.
To avoid any confusion, the reader should be aware that there were two salvage divers, known as Harry Chadwick, operating in Australia in the same era. Firstly, there was Harold Chadwick, who lived at McMahons Point in Sydney who was responsible for some great salvage work. One of his most famous jobs being as part of the diving team, which recovered the remains of two Japanese midget submarines in Sydney Harbour, early during World War Two. The excerpts on this website, from the diaries of Harry Chadwick, are from the Melbourne-based Henry Francis Chadwick, known to those who worked with him as, Harry. He was younger than his namesake in Sydney and they did once work together on a salvage job in Sydney Harbour and kept in contact with each other over many years.
I Hope you enjoy this fourth in the series diary entry and I must point out that none of the following material is to be re-published without the consent of Des Williams or Gail Chadwick. MAAV members are indeed very lucky to be the first to read these private diary entries and therefore observance of Chadwick Family copyright is expected by this reporter.
Harry Chadwick writes . . . . . .
Tuesday 23rd August 1949
"10.00AM - Received call to prepare and proceed to S. S. Time aground on Corsair Rock with other members of salvage party. Took taxi home to pick up warm clothing and gear returning at once to Fleet Forge works. Arrangements made to board tug Eagle at 5 North Wharf at 1.30PM with diving gear and salvage pumps.
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| The S.S. Time in Port Phillip Bay prior to her total loss on 23rd August, 1949 LaTrobe Picture Collection, State Library of Victoria. |
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Steering failure in the early hours of 23rd August 1949 resulted in the S.S. Time running aground on Corsair Rock off Point Nepean. All attempts to save the vessel were abandoned and she was subsequently sold. Salvage attempts were financially more succesful.
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Left Williamstown and proceeded to Queenscliff, arriving there and anchoring at 6.00PM. Wreck visible on reef and lifeboat just putting crew off wreck ashore as we arrived. Called lifeboat to tug to see if they could put us aboard wreck, lifeboat informed us they were out to save lives, not endanger them, so they took us ashore instead. Managed to procure services of shark boat James William complete with crew and skippered by Doug Warren.
Left Queenscliff in shark boat at 8.15PM for wreck, hove to off wreck in heavy swell and managed to board it in dinghy with aid of spotlight. Put chief officer and 3rd engineer aboard with us in case their services were required. Wreck with slight list to starboard and rolling slightly. Examined engine and boiler rooms, water just starting to show above floor plates, water also entering engine room through jammed tunnel door. Cleared and closed WT door.
Decided to get steam up again on boilers to operate ER bilge pumps and keep down water if possible, to keep dry generator also and start up same for lights and power. Went into shaft tunnel before closing WT door to determine where water was coming from; No: 4 hold was flooded and water leaking through into tunnel and out into engine and boiler rooms. Closed WT door and sealed with packing. Checked forward boiler room, which was still showing 90lbs of steam, although fires had been pulled when crew abandoned ship.
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| The S.S.Time aground on Corsair Rock, Port Phillip Heads, 1949. Photo courtesy Gail Chadwick. |
Fired boiler all night, eventually getting full 21lbs head of steam up. 3rd engineer got bilge pumps going and managed to keep water level with floor plates. Started generator. Tug Terawhiti from Melbourne arrived at Queenscliff during the night with diver J. Edwards, a mechanic and Captains Wynn and McDonald aboard.
Wednesday 24th August
Finished firing boiler and handed over to other diver who had come aboard from Terawhiti . Had breakfast 9.00AM and turned in for few hours sleep. Turned to after lunch and went aboard shark boat alongside, returning in it to tug Terawhiti laying off Queenscliff alongside tug Eagle . Trans shipped diving gear, 8 " salvage pump and pipes from Eagle to Terawhiti . Tug Eagle having been ordered back to Melbourne. While trans-shipping salvage gear, shark boat returned to wreck with Capt. J. P. Williams, who had left wreck in morning, came aboard Terawhiti to send messages to Melbourne.
Shark boat returned from wreck and we loaded aboard it diving gear and 8" pump from Terawhiti . Proceeded to wreck and hove to just off No: 1 hatch, by using wreck's winches and derricks got 8" pump aboard at No:1 hatch and diving gear aft at No:4 hatch. After unloading shark boat went aboard wreck. The position aboard wreck at this stage was as follows: No's: 1,2 & 4 holds flooded, with bagged sugar cargo dissolving fast. Fore-peak tank holed and flooded. Water starting to gain on ship's pumps in engine room and stoke-hold.
Shifted 8" salvage pump from No:1 hatch and set up on deck over stoke-hold. Burnt hole in steel deck over stoke-hold to take pump suction; lowered pump suctions into stoke-hold getting foot valve into stoke-hold bilge. Connected up suction pipes and started pump taking water down in engine and boiler rooms to below floor plates. Stopped pump when water level dropped to foot valve. Water making again very slowly. Finished work and turned in at 3AM on 25th.
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| The steam tugs, Eagle (left) alongside the Aroona and the Terawhiti (right). Photos LaTrobe Picture Collection, State Library of Victoria. |
Thursday 25th August
Turned to 8AM, gave engine room and stoke-hold another pump out, then shifted 8" salvage pump back to No: 1 hatch. Set up pump on hatch, the timber cargo in 'tween decks being cleared away to get pump suction into lower hold and connected to pump. Started pump, but could not reduce water in hold which was apparently common to sea and badly holed. Disconnected pump suctions and shifted pump back to stoke-hold to pump out and keep water from rising and putting out boiler fires, connected pump suctions and pumped out stoke-hold.
Received instructions to remove all salvage equipment off wreck and abandon same as cost of salvage and repairs as estimated far exceeded value of ship and cargo. Disconnected salvage pump and loaded aboard shark boat with rest of equipment. Shark boat James Williams still not able to get alongside, gear being loaded aboard her with wreck's derrick swung well outboard, keeping shark boat clear of wreck's hull. Lowered one of wreck's lifeboats, all getting aboard and abandoning wreck 6PM. Transferred from lifeboat to shark boat and proceeded to Queenscliff arriving there at 6.45PM.
All salvage gear left aboard shark boat over night and to be taken across bay to Rye next day for unloading with crane available there at pier and shipped by truck to Melbourne. On arrival at Queenscliff Capt. J. Williams car was waiting to return him to Melbourne. The car not being large enough to carry all salvage party, I elected to remain overnight at Queenscliff with two of wreck's engineers and put up overnight at Ozone Hotel.
Friday 26th August
Booked out of hotel and took bus from Queenscliff to Geelong leaving 10.15AM. Got train from Geelong to Melbourne, arriving Melbourne 12.30PM. Reported to Fleet Forge then got car to run me home with personal gear."
