 The Leonardo da Vinci in 1911. It would take two years to refloat her after the fatal explosion. |
 The overturned hull, seen in a photo taken August 3, 1916. She has not et begun to sink into the mud. |
 After refloating, the overturned hull is pushed into drydock in September 18, 1919. |
 By the next day the hull is properly braced, and the pontoons are being removed to drain the dock. |
 September 21th: the drydock is drained, and the ship rests on timber framework. |
 Repairs are well under way in this undated photo, taken from an airship. |
 The upside-down ship is towed out to be righted after repairs to the hull, January 22, 1921. |
 A large basin was dredged out to give the ship room to roll over without hitting the bottom. |
 With 400 tons of solid ballast to make her keel-heavy, water is let in to start her rolling over. |
 As the water weighs down the starboard side, the ship suddenly rolls herself upright. |
 "Every wrong rights itself," The ship is upright, with a list from the ballast water. |
 After pumping out the water, the ship will sit on an even keel, ready for a refit and a return to service. |
 The hull is level, being attended by a floating crane and an old sailing vessel turned barge. |
Unfortunately, the decission was made to halt repairs at this point. As the economic conditions continued to deteriorate, there were no funds available to rebuild the ship. In May of 1923 the Leonardo da Vinci was stricken from the navy list and sold for scrap. > |
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