Propeller Blade

The propeller blade from the wreck of the container ship the Cita which was salvaged from 80 feet deep has been outside the Bell Rock Hotel for years but today we've repositioned it to a more prominent spot at the top of the steps. We had to get Richard Hand Haulage to lift it with a crane as the solid phosphor bronze weighs about half a ton.

The propeller blade was in the ship's locker as a spare and never touched water until the ship sank off the east coast of St Mary's in 1997. 

The blade was lifted by diver Mac Mace from Bryher with help from Tim Allsop from St Martins. As we manoeuvred the blade today Tim just happened to be passing and he told us of the trouble they had salvaging the blade as it got stuck on the way up and it took several days to get it out!