War Patrol Report (Page 13)
| CONFIDENTIAL | |
| Subject: | U.S.S. BERGALL - Report of SECOND War Patrol |
| ------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| (K) | MAJOR DEFECTS AND DAMAGE - (Continued) |
| Although it was soon ascertained that there was no immediate danger of flooding it was realized diving was impossible even if flooding the forward room was feasible as the bulkhead flapper was shot away and the vent riser (#1 MBT) vented. However W.T. doors and bulkhead flappers were closed throughout the ship. | |
| The first effective repair was the crimping of the 225 lB. air and the restoring of service air forward. A bulkhead flapper was removed from the after bulkhead in the maneuvering space and installed forward restoring watertight integrity between forward room and forward battery compartment. | |
| Repairing the vent riser was more difficult. Pieces of sheet metal and rubber gasket were cut out and cinched around over the vent rider by means of nuts and long bolts. This did not hold the pressure. The patch was removed and the holes wedged up tightly with wood wedges from depth charge bags. After cutting wedge flush with riser, the brass strip and gasket were replaced. Only a small leak persisted and it permitted running with #1 main ballast tank nearly dry. Blowing up was necessary only every two hours. | |
| The main opening, because of its irregular nature defied easy and immediate solution; temporarily we stuffed it up with pillows, blankets, and matresses. Eventually we removed the upper escape trunk hatch and after installing a rubber gasket, drew it tightly on what remained of the hatch seat by means of two chain hoists from inside the compartment. Holes were burned and a plate with gasket were bolted over the small opening on the port side. The rest of the opening was patched up with pieces of compartment deck plating brazed to each other and to the hull. Needless to say, it was necessary to caulk up much open space with improvised woodden pegs and various types of packing. This rough assembly was held tightly in place with wire whips drawn up by chain falls between superstructure supports. Pitch was scaped from the hull, heated and applied. Then mattresses and pillows to absorb both water and shock was lashed tightly as possible around the hatch. Of course it leaked despite the recaulking and the relashing of mattresses, but it lasted without admitting too much water for four days and some of |
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