LOSS OF THETIS

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 3, 4 July 1939, Page 9

LOSS OF THETIS

OFFICIAL INQUIRY

SURVIVOR'S ASSUMPTION

DISASTER ON BOARD

AFTER MEN HAD ESCAPED

f»» TyleeravM—Pees*. AasoPJaUini—CoinTislu.) (Received July 4, 10 : 50 a.m.) LONDON, July 3, Opening t_he inquiry into the loss of the submarine. Thetis, the Attox> ney-General, Sir Donald Somervell, said that before the Thetis sub-J merged Lfeutepant Woods policed that a doGumepr known as a trim ehjl infetei thai tprped© lubes § and 6 were full. If this was so, the bow caps should hgve been closed before, the submarine left t|j_} hai> hour, Lieutenant Woods noticed that the submarine was slow in submerging mi decided tq gee, if the tlibes y/ere full. The test cock? mdigate^ that the Nq, 6 torpedo tube? was haif full of water, the No. 5' tube showed no sign of water but when tht; doer was opened water poured int§ the compartment. The men with difficulty esegped from the compartment and shut the water.-tight door, bat water gtill canae into th© Ws\ compartment, with the result that tho ship hit the bottom. TJie Attorney-Geperal described dramatic- efiwfe by Lieutenant§ Woods asd Chapman to close the doors, but said they were unable to Stand the presevire. The food was in the ftOOdgd compartment. The air started to become foui at midnight, producing physical distress. ■ Cammel Lairds' men pumped out ten t§ns~ef fresh water during the night, bringing the submarine to th@ surface at 7 a.m. Realising that nothing could be dpne without outside assistance., it was agreed to man the

Pavis Q_cape apparatus. Captain. Oram volunteered to go up with salvage instructions in. a ' watertight qaji, TWO §tokeyg and. twp of the Cammel Lairg men were also put into the escape chamber, but three of them died. The other mm was unable to explain what happened- Arngid. and Shaw escaped later, but it was impossible to say whether weakness' or accident prevented the others emerging. The Attorney-General then gave an outline of tb<* salvage attempts. CAPTAIN ORAM'S EVIDENCE. Captain Oram stated in evidence that the submarine struck the bottom at an angle of 40 degrees and settled down half an hour later, 150 tons ol water having flooded the compartments, He described the heroic and unsuccessful attempts by lieutenants Chapman and! Woods and ratings to close the rear) door of the No. 5 tube to enable the, water to be pumped out, By 7 a.m.; many of the men were retching and! yawning, and, therefore, to avoid the danger of the men not having energy to escape, jt was decided to use the Pavis apparatus. - Captain Oram siad that when he came to the surface he was entirely hopeful of the others escaping, as escape had presented no difficulty to him. The three men who • were drowned must have operated the sets incorrectly. He said: "J can only assume that a major disaster occurred insida the submarine after the escape Of Shaw and Arnold." Captain Oram expressed the opinion that cutting a hole in the submarine would have been most dangerous, as it might mean complete flooding. He added that the men talked and joked until the foul air imposed silence. They showed quiet bravery. It was not unusual for a submarine to.divo with its torpedo tubes flooded when they were not carrying torpedoes. The witness said he did not think the number on board interfered with the efforts to . bring up the Thetis, except that they were breathing the air. Captain Oram said that the corn.pressed air in the submarine could not be used because the men were suffering from carbon dioxide poisoning, which causes lassitude and eventually death, but which becomes much more lethal if breathed under pressure, There was already 3i inches of pressure, and if air had been released from the high pressure bottles, although it would have given more oxygen, it would have made the carbon dioxide more fatal. "We discussed it," he said, The inquiry was adjourned.