Author: JOHN STANDFIELD
Title: Raising the S.S. "Austral."
Description: Institution of Civil Engineers, 1883. 8vo. pp. 8> large folding plate. Separately printed offprint from the Minutes of The Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers, Vol. lxxiv. part iv. Launched in 1881, the "Austral" sank at her moorings in Sydney Harbour in 1882 caused by inadequate water ballast whilst taking on coal with the loss of 5 crew members. Due to its size it was thought that the ship would be a total loss, but the owners were determined otherwise and sought the advice of John Standfield, an experienced marine engineer. Standfield devised a system whereby the vessel could be made watertight by building up sides above the decks using timber, sealed with canvas and then pumping out the water. This paper describes the technical details of the operation which employed 85 men and 16 divers.

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