DISMISSED FROM SHIP

Southland Times, Issue 22157, 27 October 1933, Page 7

DISMISSED FROM SHIP

COMMANDER OF SUBMARINE. SEQUEL TO EXPLOSION. (United Press Assn.—Telegraph Copyright.) London, October 25. Lieutenant-Commander John Hugh Lewis, who commanded submarine L 26, was court-martialled and charged with stranding the submarine and neglecting, after grounding, to ensure that a sufficient examination of the batteries was made before charging. Expert evidence was given that there was nothing to explain the explosion. The Court found that the charges had been proved and dismissed Lieuten-ant-Commander Lewis from his ship and severely reprimanded him. A message published on October 10 stated: Three ratings were fatally injured, fourteen seriously injured and five gassed as a result of a mysterious explosion on submarine L 26 at Campbelltown Harbour while the men were at dinner. Tire officers were unhurt. L 26, when proceeding to manoeuvres, ran aground at Kintyre, but was successfully refloated and proceeded to Campbelltown. The fishing fleet rushed to give assistance and lifted the injured from the submarine, which remained afloat after the explosion, and took them to the quayside where they were rushed to hospital in lorries. A doctor declared that one was dead before he reached shore, while the other two were terribly injured and died in hospital. Most of the injuries were serious, including fractured spines and legs, while the faces were black with smoke. Eye-witnesses say the explosion was heard a mile away. It left a huge hole in the submarine’s side. L 26 was damaged in the Mediterranean in 1924, while a sister ship, L 24, was rammed at Portland in 1924 with a loss of 43 lives. L 29 also grounded at Kintyre, but was refloated. It is considered that L 26 was slightly holed when she grounded and that water reached the cells of batteries which were being recharged at the time of the explosion. Hie crew, including many slightly injured, fought the flames with the aid of gas masks. One survivor said. “We were all laughing and joking in the mess room when suddenly there was a terrific explosion and a jet of orange coloured flame shot from the battery room. We were scattered in all directions and flung on top of each other. I was trapped in the wreckage with two seamen lying unconscious on me. Smoke and fumes filled the ship, rendering it necessary for the rescuers from the destroyer Mackay to wear gas masks. Tire fire was soon extinguished.”