STOKER'S EVIDENCE

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 5, 6 July 1939, Page 9

STOKER'S EVIDENCE

THE THETIS INQUIRY

DEATHS IN ESCAPE CHAMBER

OFFICER'S OPINION

DELAY IN DIVING TRIALS

(By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright.)

(Received July 6, 10 a.m.)

LONDON, July 5

Giving evidence at the inquiry into the loss of the submarine Thetis, Leading Stoker Arnold, one of the survivors, said that before the Thetis dived he noticed a small but not serious leak in the dehumidifier pipe. There was a terrible rush of air from the foremost compartments, and he heard shouts from the control tower to "surface." "I realised that the torpedo tube was open," he said, "and saw several people, including Cammell Laird men, trying to shut the port door. The water was rushing into the second compartment, and I helped them to shut the bulkhead ventilator shafts. The bulkhead was shut later. "Forty-five minutes later the Thetis settled down on an even keel. The air began to get bad at 11 p.m., and the next morning the air was very bad, causing headache and difficulty in breathing. I saw Captain Oram and Lieutenant Woods go out. Little water came in. Smoke came from a short circuit. I shut the bulkhead and several of us put on our gas masks or Davis equipment. "I flooded the escape chamber for four men to escape, but nothing happened in twenty minutes so I drained the chamber. Three of the men were dead, and the other was shaky and could not last long. The mouthpieces of their Davis equipment had been torn off. and they were foaming at the mouth. All were very weak before they entered the chamber. Later Shaw and I escaped. My feet became caught in some clips, but I kicked myself free." He could not explain why four - men were sent into the escape chamber, except that some were showing acute distress, and that it was de- j sired to get them up as quickly as possible. He was unable to explain «vhy nobody followed him and Shaw. There were at least half a dozen who i.vere fit to try to escape. Describing the struggle to shut the door of the No. 25 bulkhead as water rushed in from the open torpedo tube, threatening to flood the submarine, Arnold said: "Four of us had nearly eucceeded, when somebody came and pushed to get 55 through. It was a race whether they succeeded or whether we got the door : shut They got through and we got the door shut. If we had not it would have been the end of the ship." Earlier Lieutenant Woods expressed the opinion that diving trials were not held before the fatal dive on the acceptance trial because of a fault in the hydroplane pressure controls. Cross-examined by Mr. Miller, counsel for Cammell Laird and Co., Lieutenant Woods said it had not occurred to him to look at tas pressure gauge at the top of the No. 5 tube. Mr. Miller: Nor at the drain cock? Lieutenant Woods: No. Mr. Miller: I am afraid we have to face the fact that had you done any of these tilings you would have found that the tube was not empty but full, and under pressure. Lieutenant Woods: "Yes." He added that when no water came out of the test cock of the No. 5 tube he reported that it was not full. Mr. Miller: Did it occur to you that the hole might have been chocked? Lieutenant Woods: No.