Based on the ship's inclination, the above photo could be accurately dated to approx 11:00am 5th June 1958 when she was towed by two tugs from the rocks near Lei Yue Mun Pass where she was grounded, to a beach on the opposite side of Junk Bay where she was beached before being towed at a later date of 20th June 1958 to the Kowloon Docks.
“TJIBANTJET
In our December issue we made mention of a start having been made with preliminary proceedings towards refloating the TJIBANTJET.
Since then a great deal of work was carried out by the Hong Kong and Whampoa Dock Co. Ltd., and the Taikoo Dockyard & Engineering Company of Hong Kong Ltd., assisted by the Universal Engineering Company who at the time were responsible for salvaging the cargo with their divers, labourers and equipment.
On 17th March the total quantity of cargo salvaged was 3285 kilo tons, it was then decided to leave the remainder of 132 K/T on board.
After that date an average of 90 men have been working on board daily to prepare the vessel for the salvage operation.
Debris and broken cargo had to be removed, shell plating and bulkheads were repaired where possible, cement boxes fitted, winches, windlasses, anchors, chains, lifeboats (3), heavy derrick, ventilator motors, ventilators, slab hatches and derricks were removed as far as possible in order to lighten the ship of its topweight.
Three hatches were made airtight, so that by pumping in compressed air the water level in those holds could be brought down at least as far as where the hull was still intact.
Salvage operations, set for May 31st, had to be postponed due to a tropical storm. They were started again on June 2nd, but unfortunately in the early hours of 3rd June part of the cement boxes in hold IV cracked and started leaking so badly that salvage had to be postponed again for at least 24 hours.
On 5th June final operations were begun; tweendecks of holds I and IV, the tunnel and hold VI were pumped empty, the remaining holds were blown with compressed air.
The large 10” pump on hold IV caused some anxious moments when its suction choked, but this was soon cleared.
Slowly the vessel’s increased buoyancy brought her list from 33° back to 29°, and started moving on the rising tide without any scraping noises from rocks or other obstacles.
When the main deck was completely above water level, the cabins on the portside alleyway were pumped dry which reduced the list to 28°. With the aid of 4 tugboats the ship was towed smoothly off the rocks at 10.40 a.m., whence two tugs started towing her to a beach on the opposite side of Junk Bay, approx.. 2 miles from where she was first grounded.
She was beached at noon, and when settling on the sandy bottom her list was further reduced to 15°.
Four “camels” (large tanks for compressed air) were installed on the portside, amidship, to further reduce the list, and on June 20th the vessel was towed to Kowloon Docks and with an 8° inclination.
She was first brought alongside at 11:00 a.m. and, with the aid of the dockyard’s enormous crane, 88 tons ballast (large iron and steel chunks) were put on the starboard side near hatch 5, reducing the list to 5½°.
At 12.30 the TJIBANTJET was safely in drydock, and the door was closed behind her stern.
She is not expected to be dry before 25th June as during the pumping of the dock large amounts of oil will come up; these have to be separated before the water can be pumped out into the harbour, harbour regulations forbid to pollute the harbour with oil.”
Comments
5th June 1958 - towed to a beach on opposite side of Junk Bay
Based on the ship's inclination, the above photo could be accurately dated to approx 11:00am 5th June 1958 when she was towed by two tugs from the rocks near Lei Yue Mun Pass where she was grounded, to a beach on the opposite side of Junk Bay where she was beached before being towed at a later date of 20th June 1958 to the Kowloon Docks.
“TJIBANTJET
In our December issue we made mention of a start having been made with preliminary proceedings towards refloating the TJIBANTJET.
Since then a great deal of work was carried out by the Hong Kong and Whampoa Dock Co. Ltd., and the Taikoo Dockyard & Engineering Company of Hong Kong Ltd., assisted by the Universal Engineering Company who at the time were responsible for salvaging the cargo with their divers, labourers and equipment.
On 17th March the total quantity of cargo salvaged was 3285 kilo tons, it was then decided to leave the remainder of 132 K/T on board.
After that date an average of 90 men have been working on board daily to prepare the vessel for the salvage operation.
Debris and broken cargo had to be removed, shell plating and bulkheads were repaired where possible, cement boxes fitted, winches, windlasses, anchors, chains, lifeboats (3), heavy derrick, ventilator motors, ventilators, slab hatches and derricks were removed as far as possible in order to lighten the ship of its topweight.
Three hatches were made airtight, so that by pumping in compressed air the water level in those holds could be brought down at least as far as where the hull was still intact.
Salvage operations, set for May 31st, had to be postponed due to a tropical storm. They were started again on June 2nd, but unfortunately in the early hours of 3rd June part of the cement boxes in hold IV cracked and started leaking so badly that salvage had to be postponed again for at least 24 hours.
On 5th June final operations were begun; tweendecks of holds I and IV, the tunnel and hold VI were pumped empty, the remaining holds were blown with compressed air.
The large 10” pump on hold IV caused some anxious moments when its suction choked, but this was soon cleared.
Slowly the vessel’s increased buoyancy brought her list from 33° back to 29°, and started moving on the rising tide without any scraping noises from rocks or other obstacles.
When the main deck was completely above water level, the cabins on the portside alleyway were pumped dry which reduced the list to 28°. With the aid of 4 tugboats the ship was towed smoothly off the rocks at 10.40 a.m., whence two tugs started towing her to a beach on the opposite side of Junk Bay, approx.. 2 miles from where she was first grounded.
She was beached at noon, and when settling on the sandy bottom her list was further reduced to 15°.
Four “camels” (large tanks for compressed air) were installed on the portside, amidship, to further reduce the list, and on June 20th the vessel was towed to Kowloon Docks and with an 8° inclination.
She was first brought alongside at 11:00 a.m. and, with the aid of the dockyard’s enormous crane, 88 tons ballast (large iron and steel chunks) were put on the starboard side near hatch 5, reducing the list to 5½°.
At 12.30 the TJIBANTJET was safely in drydock, and the door was closed behind her stern.
She is not expected to be dry before 25th June as during the pumping of the dock large amounts of oil will come up; these have to be separated before the water can be pumped out into the harbour, harbour regulations forbid to pollute the harbour with oil.”
Source: Royal Interocean Lines Post Vol. V. No. 9. July 1958 pages 102-103