HC Deb 11 July 1881 vol 263 cc498-9
MR. O'SULLIVAN

asked the Secretary to the Admiralty, Why it was that the Admiralty refused to give Captain Coppin (the contractor for the raising of H.M.S. "Vanguard ") an extension of time for so doing, notwithstanding the fact that he wrote to say he would pay all expenses which may be incurred in accordance with the 16th clause of his contract; and, if they were aware at the time that the contractor had laid out over fifteen hundred pounds in preparing for this work?

MR. TREVELYAN

Sir, my hon. Friend will be aware that this is rather an old story, the responsibility for which rests with the late Board. In May, 1877, Captain Coppin contracted to raise the Vanguard by the 31st of October, 1878. It was a matter of importance that the work should be done quickly, since the masts were a great danger to navigation, and a lightship had to be kept on the spot at the expense of the Admiralty. On the 25th of August, 1878, Captain Coppin applied for an extension of time, and their Lordships declined, on the ground that— There is no evidence whatever to prove that progress has been made in providing the necessary plant for raising the ship. In September Captain Coppin applied again, and was told that he still "refrained from giving any evidence of preparations made during the past two years." Then, on the 10th of October, Captain Coppin sent in a detail of alleged expenditure amounting to nearly £20,000; but of this over £18,000 was for the steamer Sherbro and its fittings. Now, it so happened that on this very 10th of October the Sherbro was ordered to be sold by the liquidators of the Salvage Steamship Company; and the balance of Captain Coppin's account was of a nature which did not bear serious examination. Five hundred pounds of it was for Captain Coppin's own time and expenses. The fact is, that no solid and real work had been done towards raising the ship, and the Admiralty had no choice but to allow the contract to expire, in order that the masts might be blown up with gun-cotton, and the navigation once more rendered safe, which service was carried out without delay.