THE HELM STAND FROM THE STEAMER “SOLVANG” On July 4th 1979, the well known diver Gary Gentile, recovered the helm-stand from the wreck of the steamer “Solvang”, known locally as the Terror Wreck. The steamer “Solvang” was originally built for Brødrene Olsen in Stavanger, the founder of Solvang ASA in 1936. On January 24th 1926, the “Solvang” was on the sugar run from Cienfuegos, Cuba to New York when she collided with the 7.000-ton tanker “Vacuum” near the Winter Quarter lightship. The night was dark, the sea was rough, and the water was cold. The “Solvang” was hit hard. She sank almost immediately. The time was 10 p.m. The lucky survivors were those who leaped onto the deck of the larger ship before the two vessels parted. Others were forced into the sea as the freighter sank from under them. Lifeboats quickly lowered from the “Vacuum”s davits rescued all but fireman Fritz Tybing. Captain Vedø, master of the “Solvang”, was happy to be alive. “It was terrible, but it was wonderful the way the men behaved. It was cold. The poor boys lost everything. We didn’t even have time to use the wireless, but the “Vacuum” did. It was a gallant fight that crew made, pulling at the lifeboats in the open sea until every man but Tybing was picked up. Poor fellow! He was a good fireman”, captain Vedø said. The wreck of “Solvang” is located off the coast of Maryland in 170 feet of water. The hull is broken down amidships, exposing the engine and boilers, but is contiguous and visually impressive. The stern vaults dramatically 30 feet above the bottom, and lists to starboard somewhat less than 45º. This section is largely intact and makes for some interesting penetration. The top of the deck is graced with a steering post that points to starboard, and a metal wheel, indicating that the upper decks have sloughed off to the sand. A row of portholes stretches from side to side on the upper, forward-facing bulkhead. Penetration into the large interior compartments below is deceptively easy and straightforward, offering little chance of getting lost. Two blades of the iron propeller are exposed beneath the sharp counter stern. Part of the rudder post is exposed, but not the rudder. A spare iron propeller lies to starboard in the breakdown area immediately forward of the intact stern. Along the centerline the shaft alley leads the way through indiscriminate debris to the engine, which is tilted to starboard more than 30º from vertical. The engine is thickly encrusted but appears to be a triple expansion reciprocating steam engine. Forward of the engine are two boilers lying side by side. The approximate height of the engine and boilers is 15 feet. Forward of the boilers lies a section of decking. Forward of that the wreck is relatively flat until the bow section is reached. The bow points up toward the surface and is twisted slightly sideways with respect to the alignment of the wreck. A windlass clings precariously to the deck on the bow. This fine vintage nautical artifact is a unique item of maritime history, has now been bought by Solvang ASA and brought to Stavanger. It can now been seen displayed in the reception area in the Solvang Offices.
Posted on: Fri, 04 Jul 2014 05:47:37 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015