The Rainbow. A World War One on Canada's West Coast Timeline
- Thread starter YYJ
- Start date
Belongs in ASB, as it requires time travel.
Do you mean rapeseed oil?
Canola, the variety that humans can consume, wasn't developed until 1974
There was actually a booming business salvaging ships in BC and Alaska OTL. Mostly it was getting ships that were aground back into the water, rather than ships up from the depths. Ships that appear in this story that were involved in the salvage business were SS Salvor, from the submarine acquisition chapters, and the Algerine, which was converted to a salvage ship after being sold by the navy. Algerine was once involved in salvaging Prince Rupert. Most of the civilian ships from the BC coast in this story were salvaged at least once. The Prince Rupert was quite prolific at needing to be salvaged.
The "non radioactive" bit isn't really important anymore. These days they can control the manufacturing conditions enough to produce laboratory grade steel that isn't contaminated by the radioactive particles.
Right, getting ships off of the shore or rocks is a fair bit different then pulling them off of the harbor bottom.
Patg hnj is correct, all the Scapa wrecks are protected these days. Vanguard and Royal Oak more so than the others, as War Graves.
I learned something new today then.
On another note I would think the ships fuel oil(oil sprayed boilers) at the very least would be salvaged to prevent potential environmental problems.
In 1914? I doubt anyone ( apart from a few local fishermen) would give two shits about oil leakage.
I'm talking about today not 1914, and more precisely the remaining ships that aren't war graves in Scapa Flow
marathag
Banned
Studies were looked at to pump Arizona and Utah tanks of oil before the tanks lost all integrity and dumped all remaining oil at once into the Harbor.
Scapa Flow scrappers in the '20s used the recovered coal from Hindenburg(I think) first ship salvaged to fuel the ongoing operations
In fairness the waters of Scapa Flow are a much better when it comes to preserving the hulls of sunken ships as compared to Pearl Harbor being much deeper and colder.
Is it possible for the oil tanks to even retain their integrity until they could be a threat to the present day?
I'm curious.
When did this happen. I have read credible accounts of recreational dives on the German ships a few decades ago.
You can still dive on the German ships today (I have, and despite the awesome feeling of being next to a sunken battleship, there's relatively little to see and it's 'a bit chilly').
However, they can't be salvaged for scrap or 'souvenirs'. That changed about 20 years ago; salvage licences having previously been granted.
Access to the two British ships is restricted by the MoD to legitimate academic study and monitoring, and the RN used to 'hoist' a white ensign (underwater) from Royal Oak's stern once a year.
Yes, the trouble comes when the ships start to fall apart 30-60 years later. There was a significant operation to drain many of Royal Oak's tanks a few years back
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Aug 17, 1935 hours. SMS Prince Rupert, Prince Rupert Harbour.
The sounds from the city that carried out over the water had become more frantic. Racing engines of automobiles and motorcycles, the bells of fire equipment, and voices shouting orders, faint and indistinct.
In the last few minutes, the Prince Rupert had encountered two full lifeboats, carrying the crews from abandoned prizes. One had sped up to disappear back into the fog, the other had approached shouting for help, then turned sharply away when they recognized the ship.
“Ship!” called a lookout. Indeed there was the sound of a steamship, and a blurry silhouette out in the fog off Price Rupert’s port bow, moving slowly. A bow appeared, and then a mast, a boxy bridge structure, and single funnel. The ship was half as long as the Prince Rupert, and a fraction of her displacement. “Looks to be a naval patrol vessel, armed forward with a light gun.”
“Prepare to fire,” ordered Von Spee.
“That is the CGS Galiano, a fisheries protection vessel,” said Radl sadly. “I know those men. If they get to practice fire that gun twice a year they are doing well.”
“Well, they are manning the gun now, and they would find it hard to miss at this range. Aim for the gun and the bridge,” ordered Von Spee.
DO YOUR REQUIRE ASSISTANCE, queried the Galiano by Morse light.
“They are coming to save us, the lambs,” said Radl.
“Is our Ensign flying?” asked Von Spee.
“High and proud,” replied Radl. With no wind or headway, the flag hung limp against the mast. “They are seeing what they expect to see. The Grand Trunk Pacific steamer Prince Rupert, in distress. I expect it looks like we are launching our lifeboats.”
“Well, it will be their deaths. The Geneva and Hague Conventions are clear that this Galiano is a warship,” said Von Spee, “whether or not you are friends with the crew.”
“They are coming to help us,” said Radl.
The Galiano repeated her query, and continued to approach.
“Should we be sporting and let them fire the first shot?” Von Spee snapped. He was becoming irritated. Radl was on the edge of insubordination, but he was a civilian. Von Spee could not order him to do anything, except leave the bridge, and he was too valuable.
“I think there is another way,” said Radl. “If you will indulge me, my captain. Let them help us. Let Hauptbootsmann Krüger know he has another prize to take. We still have time to discretely cover our guns.”
“Very well,” said Von Spee, relenting. “Gun crews, cover the guns. Remain at your stations but keep a low profile.”
WE HAVE WOUNDED AND NO PROPULSION, signaled the Prince Rupert. She certainly looked the part, with a black smudge of soot and blistered paint up her side from the galley fire, and sundry other damage.
Radl waved at the Galiano from the port bridge wing. “Come alongside!” he yelled. To Von Spee he said, “you will have to give me a Kaiserliche Marine hat before action commences. So I will be in a national uniform.” The cargo door in the side of the hull was opened. The Galiano, coming alongside, aligned herself such that it was a short step up from her main deck through the side door onto Prince Rupert’s main deck. A rescue party of a dozen officers and men, including Galiano’s captain, climbed aboard, bringing two stretchers with them. They were immediately captured at gunpoint by armed sailors. The captain was relieved of his revolver. The shocked men were lead away deeper into the ship.
Once these men were safely locked up, Hauptbootsmann Krüger and his party rushed aboard the Galiano. Twenty men appeared from Prince Rupert’s side cargo door, and stormed the fisheries ship’s main deck fore and aft. Another twenty burst out of the Second Class smoking room on the Shelter Deck where they had been concealed, and jumped over to Galiano’s foredeck. The tarp was yanked off the Spandau gun on the port open bridge wing and it was swung to command Galiano’s decks. First, with a great deal of shouting, the boarding party laid out the gun crew on the deck at bayonet point, with their hands behind their heads. Then they stormed up the ladder to the bridge. A shot was fired. The Spandau gun crew took aim at the opposing bridge, and prepared to fire.
Krüger poked his head out the bridge door. “It is alright!” he yelled. “We have their bridge.” The Officer of the Watch had drawn his revolver, but too late, and it discharged into the bridge ceiling in the resulting scuffle. More men were marched up from below decks at rifle point, their hands on their heads.
The fisheries officers were unhappy. Their war had just started, and their opponent had cheated them on the first move. As they were being led aboard Prince Rupert, some looked up and noticed Radl looking down on them from the bridge wing, wearing a Kaiserliche Marine officer’s cap. Rude catcalls were made in his direction.
“At least they are still alive,” said Radl.
“Such ingrates,” said Von Spee. “Keep a minimal crew on the Galiano. No more than 20. Just enough to operate the ship and fire the gun if needs be. Bring the rest back aboard. We are stretched thin. And have Galiano stay close.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMCS_Galiano
The sounds from the city that carried out over the water had become more frantic. Racing engines of automobiles and motorcycles, the bells of fire equipment, and voices shouting orders, faint and indistinct.
In the last few minutes, the Prince Rupert had encountered two full lifeboats, carrying the crews from abandoned prizes. One had sped up to disappear back into the fog, the other had approached shouting for help, then turned sharply away when they recognized the ship.
“Ship!” called a lookout. Indeed there was the sound of a steamship, and a blurry silhouette out in the fog off Price Rupert’s port bow, moving slowly. A bow appeared, and then a mast, a boxy bridge structure, and single funnel. The ship was half as long as the Prince Rupert, and a fraction of her displacement. “Looks to be a naval patrol vessel, armed forward with a light gun.”
“Prepare to fire,” ordered Von Spee.
“That is the CGS Galiano, a fisheries protection vessel,” said Radl sadly. “I know those men. If they get to practice fire that gun twice a year they are doing well.”
“Well, they are manning the gun now, and they would find it hard to miss at this range. Aim for the gun and the bridge,” ordered Von Spee.
DO YOUR REQUIRE ASSISTANCE, queried the Galiano by Morse light.
“They are coming to save us, the lambs,” said Radl.
“Is our Ensign flying?” asked Von Spee.
“High and proud,” replied Radl. With no wind or headway, the flag hung limp against the mast. “They are seeing what they expect to see. The Grand Trunk Pacific steamer Prince Rupert, in distress. I expect it looks like we are launching our lifeboats.”
“Well, it will be their deaths. The Geneva and Hague Conventions are clear that this Galiano is a warship,” said Von Spee, “whether or not you are friends with the crew.”
“They are coming to help us,” said Radl.
The Galiano repeated her query, and continued to approach.
“Should we be sporting and let them fire the first shot?” Von Spee snapped. He was becoming irritated. Radl was on the edge of insubordination, but he was a civilian. Von Spee could not order him to do anything, except leave the bridge, and he was too valuable.
“I think there is another way,” said Radl. “If you will indulge me, my captain. Let them help us. Let Hauptbootsmann Krüger know he has another prize to take. We still have time to discretely cover our guns.”
“Very well,” said Von Spee, relenting. “Gun crews, cover the guns. Remain at your stations but keep a low profile.”
WE HAVE WOUNDED AND NO PROPULSION, signaled the Prince Rupert. She certainly looked the part, with a black smudge of soot and blistered paint up her side from the galley fire, and sundry other damage.
Radl waved at the Galiano from the port bridge wing. “Come alongside!” he yelled. To Von Spee he said, “you will have to give me a Kaiserliche Marine hat before action commences. So I will be in a national uniform.” The cargo door in the side of the hull was opened. The Galiano, coming alongside, aligned herself such that it was a short step up from her main deck through the side door onto Prince Rupert’s main deck. A rescue party of a dozen officers and men, including Galiano’s captain, climbed aboard, bringing two stretchers with them. They were immediately captured at gunpoint by armed sailors. The captain was relieved of his revolver. The shocked men were lead away deeper into the ship.
Once these men were safely locked up, Hauptbootsmann Krüger and his party rushed aboard the Galiano. Twenty men appeared from Prince Rupert’s side cargo door, and stormed the fisheries ship’s main deck fore and aft. Another twenty burst out of the Second Class smoking room on the Shelter Deck where they had been concealed, and jumped over to Galiano’s foredeck. The tarp was yanked off the Spandau gun on the port open bridge wing and it was swung to command Galiano’s decks. First, with a great deal of shouting, the boarding party laid out the gun crew on the deck at bayonet point, with their hands behind their heads. Then they stormed up the ladder to the bridge. A shot was fired. The Spandau gun crew took aim at the opposing bridge, and prepared to fire.
Krüger poked his head out the bridge door. “It is alright!” he yelled. “We have their bridge.” The Officer of the Watch had drawn his revolver, but too late, and it discharged into the bridge ceiling in the resulting scuffle. More men were marched up from below decks at rifle point, their hands on their heads.
The fisheries officers were unhappy. Their war had just started, and their opponent had cheated them on the first move. As they were being led aboard Prince Rupert, some looked up and noticed Radl looking down on them from the bridge wing, wearing a Kaiserliche Marine officer’s cap. Rude catcalls were made in his direction.
“At least they are still alive,” said Radl.
“Such ingrates,” said Von Spee. “Keep a minimal crew on the Galiano. No more than 20. Just enough to operate the ship and fire the gun if needs be. Bring the rest back aboard. We are stretched thin. And have Galiano stay close.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMCS_Galiano
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Galiano would be a fine little vessel to have, unfortunately it's a little small for their purposes.
Dave Shoup
Banned
Nice chapter. Not quite the bloodthirsty hun... well done.
"Car" and "medical team" read anachronistically. In the 'teens - I think - the phrasing would be "automobiles" or "motor trucks" rather than "cars" and "rescue party" rather than "medical team."
Nothing I can point to exactly, it just reads a little too modern to me.
And it's borderline, but I think Radl might have called Galiano a "fisheries vessel" or "patrol ship" or something similar. CGS was "Canadian Government Ship" I believe; the Canadian Coast Guard as an agency was not formed until after WW II.
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