Salvage in Lake Attersee

Automatically saved draft

The sailing yacht was hoisted to the surface from a depth of 130 meters

(Bild: ÖWR)

The valuable wooden boat "Bibelot II", which sank during a sailing regatta on Lake Attersee on 2 August, has now been raised from a depth of 130 meters. The operation was difficult and not without danger for two divers. It is therefore all the more gratifying that the operation was ultimately successful.

Within eleven seconds, the "Bibelot II" had sunk in Lake Attersee on August 2 during a sailing regatta of vintage boats. Fortunately, the crew were able to escape unharmed. A few days later, sonar detection and the camera of an underwater diving robot revealed that the wooden yacht was at the bottom of the lake at a depth of 130 meters.

Its owners decided to salvage the noble vessel at all costs. However, this plan also presented some difficulties. After all, such depths pose a great danger, especially for divers. Normal breathing air, as is usually used in compressed air cylinders, cannot be used in such cases as it becomes toxic. Instead, special gases are used that are precisely adapted to this depth.

Thunderstorm got in the way
An initial rescue attempt had already been made last Wednesday. The plan was to dock at the sunken boat with a diving robot. Special divers were to shimmy along the robot's cable to the "Bibelot II" and attach a recovery line to which the yacht was to be pulled up.

A pontoon was towed to the sinking site

(Bild: ÖWR)

However, due to an approaching thunderstorm, the dive had to be aborted and postponed until Thursday. 
On this day, it was also possible to position the robot as required. Two specialists dived down to 130 meters and attached the recovery line. Their action was secured by two other divers, who were positioned at depths of 20 and 60 meters with reserve tanks and waited for their colleagues. 

Decompression breaks
On the surface, the recovery line was then secured to a buoy as planned. However, the divers only had a few minutes to do this, as they had to take decompression breaks at several altitude levels during the ascent. This took a lot of time.

The rescue operation was complex and lengthy.

(Bild: ÖWR)

On Saturday, the water rescue team towed a pontoon to the sinking site using a rented special cable winch. This was finally used to pull the wooden boat out of the mud and lift it to a depth of 20 meters. The whole operation also took a very long time, as there was a great risk that the water pressure would crush the yacht. 

Difficult operation in the Attersee

(Bild: ÖWR)

Lifting balloons
The pontoon with the sailboat hanging underneath was then towed to shallower waters. Divers attached lifting balloons to the wooden hull and lowered the boat to the bottom of Lake Attersee again at a depth of 20 meters so that the recovery line could be released and the pontoon taken away.

Using lifting balloons, the "Bibelot II" was finally raised to such an extent that the water could be pumped out of her hull. The yacht was then towed to the harbor and handed over to the owner by the water rescue team, apparently completely undamaged.