WHY A3 WAS LOST.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLVI, Issue 115, 13 May 1912, Page 6

WHY A3 WAS LOST.

BLOCK OF WOOD IN* THE PRO PELrLER.

DYING EFFORTS OF HER COMMANDER,.

LONDON; March: 16

■■'■ Evidence given, at the inquost included some 'remarkable new facts concerning the sinking of th© submarine A3, with the loss of 14 lives m collision with the gunboat Hazard off ' the Isle of Wight on Februaay 2. Hie jury returned & verdict of accidental collision, and attached no blam© to anyone. . , But for the fact that a large blocic of wood caught in the submarine's propeller at the critical moment, lier commander, the late Lieutenant (»r----mand, would probably hare been able to avoid the collision. Lieutenant Charles Worthington Craven, continuing his evidence, Maid it Wi-s not necessary for a, submarine to. be close for an attack, the practical range being between, 400 and 900 yards. Evolutions carried out on ,the <k.y of the disaster, were of the usual character, an<l Lieutenant Ormaud had had good experience of submarines during "two years. Witness thought, having regard to the injury of tha boai,, that she must have lillod in ia very few. seconds and that no salvage a.pplianoes would have been cf avail to aa,ve human life. The conning tower, he found, w*:s floodied, and Lieutenant Orma-nd was standing by to fire a port torpod"), which was ready. Water wa/s being blown from the ballast-.tanks at i-hs time of the collision, and the electric motors were switched) on to go astern, and there wore indications that the propeller had actually moved astern. PREPARING TO RISE. He formed the opinion that the si.hmariiie was not aware of the close proximity of the Hazard until a »*ew seconds before the collision, and it was evident that means wore being taken to come rapidly to the surface and woid colhsion. The captain hud either seen the Hazard through the periscope while submerged or. kl •hoardl the gunboat's propeller, f.nd the course he took to come to ti-e surf^iice -was the proper one in the circumgkrnees. 'i' -?y-A- ■■■>.,■■ ■ v./.-y;'/---The submarine must have been co!nfsiderafcly Qut pf ;Jier po®rti6?Ji biit he would rather snotexpi'ossi an opinion as to why this was;. It might Waive been due to oy.er-trimming. ; ' Wlien he examined the submarine' in dock he found a krge block .;f woodl jamming the propeller. Had' it not been there the- submarine would have been siblo to go astern and cloar the Hazard. He did not think the block of wood was there before *>lie , aubmaa-ine started to go astern because there -w.ws only one big cut in it. The timber was v big submerg".-! block. I GUNBOAT CAPTAIN'S ACCOUNT. ! Lieuiteniant-Commander Little, v. ho wns in charge of the Hazard, said Jm>

A3 was the only submarine engaged at the time. He expected an attack on the starboard side. It was impossible for him to follow A3's course accurately. Submarines have to lock ■after themselves. Witness was with Lieutenant Craven when he examined the boat in d<>ck, and agreed with liis> conclusions. He thought the rea.so'l why the submarine c;..me too cloi-3 would never be found out.

The Hazard's port propeller shaft wias bent, and both propellers badly damaged. The spindle of the foremost rudder was fractured and' tho rudder lost. The submarine first struck the Hazard on the port propeller shaft, her forepart then passing under the stem of the Hazard, and she received a, very severe bl-w ifrom y the Hazard's rudders', which ■caused the large rent. A matter <>f a very few seconds would h:wc avoided the collifiion.

The coroner produced a wrist watch i foundl on one of the deceased oftKxvs. { It had stopped o,t 10.53, the exact • time mentioned by the Hazard's iog us that of the collision. < \