Re: [HOE] I think I might have created a monster

["Mr Leonard Zimmermann" <zimmerml@cnrf.navy.mil>]

"james wallace" <yelost1@hotmail.com> wrote:
> question: i know nothing about off shore salvage, how do you raise the
> boat, without actualy damaging it.  i think the mass would break the ship
> in half if you do it wrong.

I've never done such a thing myself, but I have seen a few documentaries involving salvage operations where that very concern is brought up. Managing stress points and where and how the ship is lifted would probably be very important. I'd say it would take at the very least a Hard (9) [or is a 9 roll Very Hard, I never can remember the names for the numbers ;)] Science: Mechanical or Structural Engineering (or perhaps a related roll on some kind of nautical or Engineering skill).  

> and from listing to a couple of people the kid has been 
> in the water for something like 18 years, so would it not be barried under 
> silt. and how do you get a the thing unearthed.

Actually we are talking about an already old ship sunk in the remnants of the Mississippi River, effectively making the area a Bayou and offshoot of the main channel of the Mississippi. Louisiana gains quite a large amount of land every year because, in effect, if you pee almost anywhere on this side of the Rocky Mountains it will end up in the Mississippi. That massive amount of water carries a massive amount of silt with it, which is why the river is so darn muddy looking down here.

At any rate the Bayous around here are just as muddy looking, but being much slower moving they start dumping a lot of that silt all over. For that reason I would say that you would be lucky if you could even FIND the Kid under all the silt that has probably been dumped on it over those 18 years. Digging it out would probably require some rolls on Profession: Salvage or maybe some kind of Science: Engineering. Although if your Marshal is nice he might allow at least a Search roll of some kind to find the wreck and a Scroungin' roll to figure out how to dig it out. 

If I were Marshalin' that game I'd certainly let my players give it a try, but I'd be sure to let them know they will be spending a lot of time on what will probably turn out to be a futile effort. Then again I always give my players a chance, no matter how extremely slim, to accomplish even the impossible, which I would definitely call this endeavor.

Just my two bullets worth,
Lenny Zimmermann