BRITISH SUBMARINE MISSING IN DEEP WATERS OF CHANNEL

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVI, Issue 19093, 28 January 1932, Page 7

BRITISH SUBMARINE MISSING IN DEEP WATERS OF CHANNEL

MANY WAR VESSELS ENGAGED IN WIDESPREAD SEARCH VESSEL BELIEVED LOCATED BUT NO NEWS OF MEN. United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright LONDON, January 26. The Admiralty states that news was received this evening that Submarine M2 dived in 1030 feet of water off Portland, and since then there has been no further communication from her. Destroyers and submarines from Portland are searching the area where she was last known to be, and every endeavour is being made to establish communication. A whole mine-sweeping flotilla has been ordered to assist in the search, the men being hastily recalled from shore leave and theatres and kinemas at Weymouth and Portland to rejoin their vessels. Other warships from Portland have sailed to aid in the search.

REPORT FROM ADMIRALTY. VESSEL BELIEVED SUNK IN SEVENTEEN FATHOMS. United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright (Received January 27, 9.55 p.m.) LONDON, January 26. The Admiralty announced at 4 p.m. that an object, presumed to be M2, had been located three miles west of Portland Bill, in seventeen fathoms, on a sandy bottom. Salvage craft and divers had been sent from Portsmouth with the utmost despatch. Lifting lighters and the best divers of the Navy are being rushed to West Bay, where a circle of flickering lights two and a half miles off Chesil beach, indicates where M2 is lying. The sea is moderate. Naval Expert’s Views. "The Daily Telegraph’s” naval expert says: It is ominous that M2 vanished under circumstances recalling the loss of Ml in 1925. It is surmised that Ml got out of control during the dive, and was crushed by the pressure of the water on passing the limit of safe submergence. Salving a wrecked submarine is a long and tedi- j ous process. To indicate there would j' be a possibility of raising the boat in time to save the men, would be encouraging false hopes. NAVAL EXPERT FEARS THE WORST. DOUBTS EXPRESSED THAT VESSEL HAS BEEN LOCATED. United Press Association—Ay Electric Telegraph—Copyright (Received, January 27, 11.10 p.m.) LONDON, January 27. Warships are grouped in a wide circle around M 2, to the scene whither the destroyer Sabre, with specially trained deep sea divers and two Admiralty salvage ships, with special lifting apparatus, are rushing to get the operations started by daylight., when according to the “Daily Mail,” the divers will first attempt to discover whether anybody is alive by tapping the hull and listening for a reply. The submarine is provided with valves, enabling the divers to pump fresh air to any compartment. It is stated that it is possible for a man to live for eighty hours, if there is no extensive leakage, but in naval circles in Portland the worst fears are entertained. One theory is that the submarine dived with an open hatch, and the inrush of water prevented the inmates reaching the Davis apparatus. Minesweepers continued the search all night and as a known wartime wreck is within the vicintiy it is now doubted whether the object found over night is M2. Many ships assembled this morning, but the use of instruments capable of hearing under water signals over a wide area was fruitless. The weather is threatening and the sea is rising. HOPES OF RESCUE. VIEWS OF NAVAL AND CONSTRUCTION EXPERTS. United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright LONDON, January 26. M2 was exercising alone five miles west of Portland and dived in about 8 fathoms. A Portsmouth headquarters official stated that the last message was received at 10.11 a.m., saying she was about to commence exercise. “We are anxiously awaiting news. M2 could

remain submerged in an emergency for 48 hours. She is equipped with the latest life saving devices. When fully manned she carries six officers and a crew of forty-eight, but she may not have had the full complement.” “There is no need to abandon hope,” said Mr R. H. Davies, the inventor of the escape apparatus, used on the Poseidon. “M2 might remain below even longer than 48 hours and then rise to the surface. The officers won’t abandon the ship until all hope of raising her has passed. Then means of escape would be available to every man aboard, also enabling them to float for a considerable period.” M2 belongs to the fifth submarine flotilla. The chief officers are:—Lieut.Commander J. D. M. Leathes, Lieutenants C. R. Townsend, H. C. Toppin, S. MacDonald, H. C. W. Head: Warrant Engineer, E. P. Birkett. A sister ship, Ml, was lost off Start Point on November 12, 1925, with a loss of 68 lives. Submarines of this class are stated to be very handy both in the dive and general control. M2 was extensively refitted at Portsmouth late in 1931, and latterly used in trials in the carriage of a small aeroplane. TYPE OF VESSEL. SUMBARINE EQUIPPED TO CARRY SEAPLANE. Submarine M2 was formerly Kl 9, and was completed in 1920. She has a complement of 60 officers and men, and is armed with a 3in. gun, two Lewis guns, and four torpedo-tubes. Her surface displacement is 1600 tons, her submerged displacement 1950 tons, and her length 296 feet. The principal feature of interest about M2 is that she is the only submarine in the Royal Navy so constructed as to be able to carry a small seaplane for scouting work. The submarines of this class were originally intended to mount heavy guns, but were found to be not a success in practice owing to the effect of the discharge. M2 was therefore recently modified, being provided with a watertight hangar to contain a small ’plane with folding wings and a catapult platform from which the machine could be launched. Loss of Poseidon. It is only seven months since the last submarine disaster, when as the result of the ramming by a Chinese steamer of the submarine Poseidon on the China Station, 21 miles north of Weihaiwei, at 12.45 p.m. on June 9 of last year, about 20 men losing their lives. There was a thick fog at the time, and the Poseidon was operating on the surface. She was holed on the starboard side forward of the conning tower and sank in 20 fathoms of water in about two minutes. Six men had extremely lucky escapes by the use of the new type of submarine escape apparatus, the efficiency with which it worked being indicated by the fact that two of the men came to the surface 2i hours and 42 hours respectively after the collision. These two died later, however. All the survivors were picked up by a Chinese steamer shortly after the collision, with the exception of the six rating who escaped by means of the apparatus, and they were all in the fore part of the submarine when she sank.

The Poseidon was one of the six P class submarines authorised in 1927 and completed in 1930. She was 1475 tons surface displacements, and 2040 tons submerged displacement. She was capable of 15.9 knots on the surface and 9 knots submerged, and was armed with one 4in and two lighter guns, and eight 21in. torpedo tubes.