Two detachments of the reserve torpedo flotilla, U. S. Atlantic fleet, sailed from New Orleans, La., for Garden Key, in the Dry Tortugas Islands, in the early morning of March 14, 1914, and arrived at their destination on the afternoon of the following day. The vessels in these detachments were parts of the first and second divisions of the reserve torpedo flotilla, and contained the following vessels: First Division, Flusser (flagboat), Preston, Reid; Second Division, Monaghan (flagboat), Walke, Sterett, Terry.
The passage was made in good shape and the vessels arrived at Garden Key apparently in good condition, taking berths by divisions; the second division at the North Dock; the first division at the South Dock.
Some hours after anchoring it was discovered on board the Walke that the after trimming tank, known as D-8, was carrying a heavy pressure of air. This was first noticed by the leakage of air around some rivets in the deck of that compartment. An examination of this tank which, with D-7, had been full of water for washing purposes, when leaving New Orleans, showed it to be partially filled with salt water, and that water was entering D-8 through the sluice from D-7. On attempting to open the manhole to D-7 it was found that D-7 was carrying a head of water. A suction was put on D-8, the sluice valve closed to D-7, and D-8 pumped out. This compartment showed itself to be tight. The sluice valve to D-7 was then opened and it was attempted to reduce the water head on this compartment, but without success, thus showing a serious underwater damage to D-7.
It then being too late in the day to send over a diver, D-7 and D-8 were secured, decks and manholes shored up, and the water tight door leading to the after .store-room, into which compartments. D-7 and D-8 open, was carefully dogged.
There was no evidence available that the ship had struck any object or the bottom and it was supposed that the forward starboard propeller strut, due to continued, though slight, vibration had pulled itself loose from the plating of D-7, to which compartment the forward struts are riveted.
On the morning of the 16th, the next day, a diver was sent down and he reported a jagged hole in the bottom, reporting that the hole was about a foot and a half long by about a foot wide, situated abaft the forward strut and between the legs thereof, and that the palms and riveting of the struts were solid.
When this condition was revealed it was decided to cover the hole, pump out D-7, drill the hull around the hole and bolt on a patch. In order to pump out D-7, an attempt was made to place a collision mat over the hole, but this failed, because the hole was situated so close to the struts that a good placement of the collision mat was not possible, even though the mat was set "diamond" fashion.
It was then decided to close the hole temporarily by using a padded wooden patch, bolt, and buckler bar. Accordingly, a wooden patch was made, twenty-four by thirty-three inches, of double-crossed inch boards; this was padded on its bearing surface with several thicknesses of fear-naught, which in turn was covered with two thicknesses of number eight duck. The duck was tacked to the edges of the wooden patch. A bolt hole was bored through the whole, one inch in diameter and in the fore and aft center of the patch, but, due to contour of the hole in the bottom, was placed ten inches from the top of the patch. A piece of scrap iron from the wreck of the coaling plant, eighteen by three by one inches, was used for the buckler bar, through which was screwed an inch brass bolt, twelve inches long. Lock nuts were put on the bolt on the non-bearing side of the buckler bar to prevent the bolt turning. (See Fig. 1.)
While the wooden patch, buckler bar and bolt were being prepared, ammunition and other weights in the ship were shifted forward; the fore paint locker, quartermaster's store room and lamp room were broken out and filled with salt water. This resulted in lifting the stern some three feet, thus raising the deck over D-7 and D-8 about one foot above the water line. D-7 was then opened and the hole could be plainly seen froth the manhole.
In the meantime, a diving. platform was constructed by decking over two whaleboats which were secured catamaran fashion with three four-by-four inch white pine timbers. The decking was seven-eighths inch white pine. This material was carried in the flotilla for a diving platform for use if required during torpedo practice. The four-by-fours were too light and broke during the first day's use. This was before the pump and chests had been placed on the float. Repairs were effected by replacing the four-by-fours with twelve-by-threes of yellow pine from the wreck of the coaling plant.
On the morning of the 17th the diver went down and placed the buckler bar. The wooden patch was then sent down to him, being handled by hogging and hauling lines. The diver soon had the patch in place and bolted tight with the buckler bolt.
As soon as the wooden patch was in place the compartment was pumped out and the patch, except for slight seepage around the buckler bolt, was found tight.
Drilling was commenced immediately. Thirty-five half-inch holes were drilled around the puncture with a pitch of about two inches. Ten of those holes were tapped and bolts three inches long were screwed through the bottom, three on top, three on the bottom and two on each end. The modus operandi was to drill through until the wooden patch was well cut, then withdraw the drill and plug the hole with a soft wood plug. Due to the buckler bar, some of the holes could not be drilled.
While the drilling was progressing, a quarter-inch mild-steel plate was cut from one of the coal pockets at the wreck of the coaling plant. This was made twenty-four by thirty-three inches.
When the drilling was finished and the stud-bolts were in place D-7 was flooded and the diver removed the wooden patch, buckler bar and drove out the wooden plugs. The fear-naught and canvas were cut from the patch, exposing the drill holes in the wood, from which a template for drilling the steel patch was made.
The stud bolt centers were then center-punched on the steel plate and the steel plate was drilled to receive the ten stud bolts; the holes were drilled three-quarters of an inch in diameter, thus leaving a quarter of an inch leeway to fit the plate over the stud bolts.
When the plate had been drilled it was red-leaded and a gasket made of eight thicknesses of Raven's duck; heavily red-leaded, was secured to its bearing surface. This plate was then lowered to the diver, who placed it over the hole and bolted up the nuts on the ten stud, bolts.
After the studs were bolted up D-7 was pumped out and drilling began again. The drift holes which could not be drilled before on account of the buckler bar were put in and the remaining drift holes were drilled, on through the plate. As soon as each hole was drilled a wooden plug was driven in.
It became evident, as the work progressed, that it would be impossible to bolt up from the inside, because of the restricted space; consequently it was decided to stick the bolts from the inside, hold the bolts from the inside and have the diver bolt up, which procedure was followed. The bolts had washers and red-lead grommets under both heads and nuts, so that watertightness might be assured. The work of bolting up progressed rapidly—the diver would drive back a wooden plug and the men inside would insert a bolt, hold on and the diver would bolt up.
The time for actual repairs was about thirty-one hours, but further time was expended to allow the diver to burr the threads on all bolts and to trim up the edges of the gasket. Upon completion of bolting up, the patch showed absolutely no seepage and every bolt was tight.
Close examination of D-7 showed that the object which caused the damage penetrated some three feet, or at least far enough to buckle the amidship bulkhead, which showed clearly the point of impact.
Subsequent examination of a submerged and damaged steel shaft beacon in the West Channel to Garden Key led to the conclusion that in swinging the turn in the channel with left rudder, the Walke's stern swung into the beacon and thus sustained the damage, although no one on board felt any shock of impact.
This beacon, the fifth right-hand beacon in the West Channel, was pulled out into the channel in 1913 and was a dangerous unreported menace to navigation. It projected well out into the channel; was about six feet under water where the chart shows some thirty feet.
There are no points of particular interest in the foregoing and nothing was done beyond the scope of the resourcefulness of a seaman, but the facts are given as a guide to some unfortunate sea-faring brother, who may some day be placed in a like predicament.