Tragic Tale at Thetis Inquiry

Northern Advocate, 5 July 1939, Page 7

Tragic Tale at Thetis Inquiry

, (Received 12.30 p.m.) LONDON, July 4. ■ On the resumption of the inquiry into the sinking of the British sub--1 marine Thetis in Liverpool Bay, off the Mersey, Captain H. B. Oram, one of the four who escaped, was examined by Mr R, Paget, representing relatives of an apprentice in the employ of Cammell Laird, named William Smith. Dilatoriness Alleged. Mr Paget suggested that the possibility of saving the submarine and the near certainty of saving the crew was lost by dilatoriness in sending ships to the scene. Captain Oram: I would not say diI'atoriness. Mr Paget emphasised that instead of every ship being rushed to the scene by 5.40 p.m. the first ship asked was the destroyer Brazen, which was 55 miles away, at 6.45. “I suggest,” he said, “that the real cause of the disaster was dilatoriness in sending vessels to the rescue. Another cause was the excessive number of the crew aboard the submarine. Overcrowding Discussed. Captain Oram agreed that the effect of overcrowding was that, instead of having 48 hours’ *air supply, the crew had only 24. He admitted that each time the Davis apparatus was used air escaped. Mr Paget; Did carbon dioxide poisoning became quicker than you expected, and would that not account for the failure of toy more to escape? Captain Orom: It might have been a contributory cause. The number of the contractors’ men was normal for the surface trial, but it is a fact that nobody disembarked prior to submerging, according to customary procedure. Witness added that it was mexplicsible that the tug did not see the markr buoy. It was always a matter for immediate attention if a submarine did not send a surfacing signal within a specified period. Ships ought to have been in the vicinity by 8.30 p.m., in which event Captain Oram had no doubt that the men could have escaped throughout the night. Sparks And Smoke.

Lieutenant Woods, who esc'aped with Captain Oram, describing his escape in the Davis jacket, said that Stoker Arnold, who followed him, thought he saw sparks and smoke through the escape chamber scuttle. When no others followed, witness suggested tapping the hull to let those imprisoned know that help was at hand. This was at 10.15 the following day. There was no answer. Presumably the occupants were dead. Lieutenant Woods added that when he escaped the distress of the others was very bad. Many of them were too weak to make an escape. The hearing was again adjourned.