Submarine Dangers.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 7 April 1911, Page 4

Submarine Dangers.

Twenty-seven men made a remarkable escape from their submarine I" I?, which suddenly .sank in ITeikeudorf Bay, ICeil. The vessel wa.-> being driven at full speed when for some reason unknown one or more compartments filled with water, and the submarine went .swiftly to the bottom. Its disappearance was noticed by another submarine, Y 8, which reported to the port authorities, and the depot ship Vulcan which had no tires alight at the time, ■was at once towed to the spot where the vessel was seen to go down. Within thirty minutes of their disappearance the imprisoned sailors had released a telephone buoy, which rose to the surface, and established communication with the rescue party. The officer in command reported that no one on hoard had been injured by the accident, and the crew were perfectly calm. Ffe added, that they were all in good spirits, as they Ivad enough oxygen on board to last tliirty-i'ight hours. After a hasty examination of the. .situation, the Admiral of the port gave orders to the men to come to the surface. They thereupon donned their life-saving helmets and suits, with which all submarines are equipped, and one by one entered the torpedo tube and shot up to the surface. The youngest member of tho crow left first, and then the next according to age, until all had been rescued Prince Henry of Prussia remained on the scene watching the operations for .some hours. U 8 was built at Danzig, and was commissioned in 1.909. In November of' Miat year.with a sister boat. T 4, she performed a noteworthy voyage from Cuxhaven to Kiel via the Skaw in a little over forty hours at a speed of twelve and a half knots. I The- displacement of German subj marines is kept secret, hut it is stati ed that the later ones arc between ■100 and 500 tons, with speeed submerged of eight and half to eleven kpot.s, and above water of thirteen to rifte.cn knots. Their radius of action submerged is from forty to fifty knots.