SUBMARINE DISASTER

Shannon News, 24 September 1926, Page 3

SUBMARINE DISASTER

LOSS OF SIX LIVES

CALAMITY IN A HARBOUR. VESSEL HEELS OVER SUDDENLY. ✓ _ rT - - _ A HERO'S GALLANT SACRIFICE. The British submarine H 29 sank suddenly in the Devonport Basin on August 9 as she was drawing - alongside her moorings. Six men, four of them civilians, were carried down v. itli the vessel ( and drowned, the others leaping on to the wall of the basin or else diving into (lie water. In addition to her erew of 22 officers and men the 1129 had on board a number of dockyard workers. As the vessel came alongside the wall of the basin the commander noticed that something was wrong and immediately shouted to the lieuten-. ant to close the water-tight doors. Her second officer, Lieutenant M. E. We•vell, dashed belo*. - to close the doors, but apparently was too late, and the water .pouring into the submarine, forced him through the conning-tower to the surface .where he was rescued unconscious. He revived after arti-. ticial respiration. An Admiralty announcement gave the names of the missing as: Chief Engineroom Artificer R. W. Dalton; E. Hosking, married, cliargeman of fittters; A. Truscott, married, fitter; H. Hill, engine fitter; J. Fletcher, married, labourer; G. Elliott, single, aged 25, ship fitter. An eye-witness • states that the submarine suddenly heeled over to starboard and sank , dthin two minutes. i Men Dive Over the Side. . Most of the men had been standing on the deck, and immediately the svarning was given many of them dived into the basin and swam about until rescuing / boats took them aboard. After a diver had closed all the apertures in the submarine, power cranes got into touch with the craft and powerful pumps, including those of the -Dockyard Fire Salvage Corps, were ! requisitioned, but it was seen from the 1 start that several hours must elapse before the ship could be raised. I A dockyard worker aboard the vessel gave the following graphic account of the accident; —“We had been out on. trials,” he said, "and Were alongside the whgrf. Suddenly an officer walked quietly toward, us and in a mdtter of fact tone announced that there was ‘something 'wrong.' He told us not to get in a panic, but to get out as quickly and as calmly as possible. Most of us then walked over the gangway on to the wharf, but a number of men were thrown into the basin through the submarine tilting. They had been unable to get asl\ore oefore the calamity; While we were" on the quay we saw a man struggling out. of the hatch. He was under water, and immediately five men who, had themselves been out of the water only "a few minutes, dived in again -And rescued - him;”

The mishap occurred shortly aftci Lhe resumption of work. Dockyard employees had just commenced their tasks when an alarm was raised that H 29 whs sinking. Immediately large crowds of workmen ran to the quayside of No. 2 basin and to rescue some of their comrades. Two or three of the dockyard workmen on board were able to releast themselves from the shell of the submarine and dive overboard. Within a few minutes these men were got, ashore and removed to a surgery.

According to eye-witnesses the submarine hatches were open at the time of the foundering. The submarine’s propeller had not stopped when she came alongside. Hero of the Disaster. The heroes of the H 29 are L,ieut. Malcolm E. Wievell and Chief Engineroom Artificer Dalton, who made a gallant attempt to save the submarine by blowing out the tanks when disaster was impending. There is no doubt from statements made by members of the that Dalton would be among the survivors had he not persisted in his attempt to. blow out the tanks.

“I was up to my chest in water,” said a member of the crew, “and I saw Bob Dalton standing by pressing on, one of the handles for bloAving out the tanks. Jt Avas not his job, and In- could have got clear, but he did it in the attempt to save the ship and tile men on board. .Lieut.. Wevell also was there, and both Avere standing by the tanks.”

Another member of the crew said Dalton Avas actually on deck Avlien the accident occurred, and rushed down below to attend to the tanks. Chief Artificer Dalton Avas hoping soon to be transferred to the general side of the navy after ten years in the submarine service. He had tAvice been saved from submarine disasters. In 1921 he escaped from the Kl 5 when she sank in the tidal basin of Portsmouth Dockyard in circumstances A r ery similar to the end of H 29. . Mr. Hill, another victim, was to haA T e gone on leave on the follOAving Saturday, but as he had been on all the trials previous to refitting he volunteered to remain until they Avere over. He had sent his wife and child to St. Ives, hoping to join them later. Experts agree that in case death must have been instantaneous. A Misinterpreted Order . At the inquest on the victims of the disaster tAVo officers stated that an order Avas given to take in water to trim the vessel. The chief stoker misinterpreted this order and flooded the tanks.

The jury found that the men died of suffocation due to the foundering of the ship. Avhich Avas the result of a misconception of an order. The coroner said it Avas impossible to blame anyone for the mistake.