THE LOST SUBMARINE

Greymouth Evening Star, 25 March 1922, Page 5

THE LOST SUBMARINE

—————. ALL ON BOARD DROWNED. PATHETIC DOCKYARD SCENES. (Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.) LONDON, Alarch 24. The British submarine H 42 has been lost in naval manoeuvres at Gibraltar. The destroyer Versatile cut her in halves. She was rising to the surface at manoeuvres when she was telescoped by the \ ersatile, which was going at twentyseven knots. The submarine came to the surface within twenty yards of the destroyer, so a collision was inevitable, the destroyer cutting light through the tiny xessel. Ibe A ersatile stood by for some hours, but the hope of any rescue was small. The water rushed in and the submarine instantly sank in half a. mile depth of water. All on board must have been drowned within two or three minutes, as there was no chance of escaping. Ihe destroyer was not taking part in the manoeuvres, but- was under orders to return to England, and was on her way thither when the accident happened. Her bows were so damaged that she was towed to Gibraltar, stern foremost, with two of her compartments flooded. The late commander of the submarine (Lieut. Sealuy) had a distinguished war record, especially in the Baltic. Lieut. Price (second in command) won a D.S.O. as midshipman for heroic service in the Dardanelles battle. Thirty-three of the

crew belonged to Portsmouth, where they spent their Christmas leave. I Pathetic scenes were witnessed at the - dockyard gates, where mothers and wives waited all night long, hoping for details, ■ or even news of rescues. It is not certain that all the crew were on board the submarine, but some reports state that as many as forty died, as extra men were on board for training. The accident follows close upon the narrow escape of the sister ship H 24 (cabled on February 13). The destroyer belonged to the same flotilla as the Versatile. The H 42 was damaged in a- collision in 1919, and was not worth salving. Alost of the TI” class were built in Canada during the war. The Navy has now lost ten submarines in peace time and forty-seven in war time. The King sent this message to the Commander of the Atlantic Fleet:—“l am greatly shocked to hear of the disaster. I wish that- She deep sympathy of myself and Her Alajesty the Queen will be conveyed to the families of the missing.” Tn the House of Commons it was officially stated that the H 42 came to the surface thirty or forty yards from the Versatile, which was steaming at the rate of twenty knots. There was no spare crew on the submarine. CASUALTY LIST. Ib ed 9.20 a.m. LONDON, Alarch 24. The Admiralty report announces that Ihiw officers and 23 men perished in the 1T42.