THETIS DISAPPEARS IN DIVING TRIALS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 128, 2 June 1939, Page 7

THETIS DISAPPEARS IN DIVING TRIALS.

VO SIGNAL RECEIVED

Officers, Crew And Builders'

Staff Aboard.

BELIEVED 100 IN VESSEL.

Unitn.l prf.s AnsriflHtion.—Cui.yrlght

(KccPlveil 11.r.0 a.m.)

London. .ri,,, 0 i

The new Mibinarine, H..M.S. Thetis, after diviii- I rials ~rr Birketihrnd, ua- m< • I >(~.(! The Arliiii rally a mii..iiiiccs thai it i> takingall >tep>. The full ciMiipUrnrnl "I Ihe ciatl is reported |~ | )( . ,vi. Kcpre-entalive-, ~f the tiuilders, ('tuiiinell Luird and Co., wen; ~n boa I'll. Tlip Tlirti- mn Hiul.'|--..iii._r acceptance trials niul left ( auunell Vsl ,-,| in the "i. Mil in-_' t.,r Liverpool Ha v. bcynnfl the liar li'jlit-liip at the tiiimth of Hip Mi'r-ey. She ,|i\e,| at |.:ill at a point .".II mil."-, .ill , Hii kenliea.l ami «,,,

PXpe.-tcrl In I iM- In the —lit filer. „ t Mill. but no -iwnal received. All worships in I lie vicinity were ordered to -eiiicli

Tin- vessel's complement is ( >nicinllv stMled to he live ofliccrs ~,„, , s |I|( , M «i'li the I,nil.lets , representatives in iirldit mil.

Chmiiiicll Laird i--ned a statement sin in-; "We arc ab-olutclv in the daik ''' pies,.|it. | - | 1( , submarine. which curried 20 of our staff, in clnirge of Mr. (rnut. also carried a number of Admiralty experts. it | P ft our yard iihont 1(1 a.m.. accompanied bv a t ii'_r. Wp understand it is from the tug fha"t the Adniiralty received a message that something whs amiss.'•

'Die Ilietis win completed and commissioned for duty on March 1. It cost f.1.-.lUloO and was commanded by bieiilenant ( oiiinni iiiler (i. H. Holus.

The I , less Association naval correspondent -a.vs it is belie\ed there is a total of HMI men aboard the Thetis.

Ki|ui|i|iP(l with olio tin gun and si\ L'lin torpedo tubes, tin- Thetis was in tctidpd Cor general service and lon-j distance work, lint. i,i considerablv smaller tlinn previous submarines ii<ci! for thnt. purpose, measuring 2i>"> feet in length with ii beam of •_'!>. l< feet.

Accidents to HritUh submarines sinc< the \\ a r limp hern: —

1!*21.--January 20. l< ."> -link in English Chunricl; .57 dead. June 2t>: K l"> sunk in Portsmouth Harbour; no lives lost. 1922.—March 2.1: fT 12 rammed by war ship off (iibrnltar; 2(> dead. IK2.l.—August IS: L 0 sunk in typhoon; no live* lo«t. December ■">: F.xploni'on in L 11 at Nheerness; one dead. 1024. —January 10: L 24 rammed by warship off Portland; 4.'s dead. lf»2.">.—November 12: M I sunk off Start Point ; (18 dead.

lf>2«.—August !>: H 29 sunk in c"t<.<k at De\ onport ; six dead. I!>2l>.— Inly !•: H 47 sunk in collision witti L l'J off Pembrokeshire <-<>h->t : '24 dead.

1031. June 9: Poseidon sunk in collision off Chinese coast ; 20 lives lost. 1032.—January 2(1: M 2 sank off Portland Bill;" »'.<> lives lost. 1933.— October H: Kx plosion on L2O; three ratings dead.

103").—laniiary II: Thames damaged periscope in exercises at Malta; no lives lost.

IW9.—February 2.T: Sunfish and Sterlet ajrround off Isle of Wight; both refloated later; no casualties.