THE LOST SUBMARINE

Hokitika Guardian, 14 January 1924, Page 1

THE LOST SUBMARINE

CREW .MAY BE ALIVE. AUSTRALIAN’ AND N.Z. C’A-iILK ASSOCIATION. LONDON. January 11. Mrs AV allace, the wife of Chief Engine Room Artificer of L 24 lost her first husband in the A 3. The wife 'of Artificer Matthews relates that her husband had premonition of the disaster, and described in detail, prior to taking farewell preciso- !’. what happened to the vessel. LONDON, January 11.

It is learned that tlve difficulty of locating .submarine L2I is increased by the fact that the shock felt by the Resolution was so slight that it was nor realised that a collision had occurred until the conclusion of the exorcises. when the submarine failed to appear, but the slightness of the impact is the principal reason for hoping that the crew may be alive. WRECK LOCATED. LONDON, January 11. Toe Admiralty announces that, minesweepers have located the wreck, which is believed to be that of the submarine 1.2 L It as ten miles south-westward of Portland Bill, and is lying in thirty fathoms of water. The sea there is tempestuous. Divers and salvagers are unable to leave port and are impatiently awaiting an opportunity to attempt to release the vessel. According to naval authorities, a great deal depends upon how the' submarine was struck. FAINT HOPES YET. LONDON. January 12. An examination of the Resolution showed marks of a slight collision. It is regarded as possible, in view of the lightness of the blow, and the absence of oil on the surface, that the submarine is not seriously damaged, thus encouraging the faintest hopes of the crew’s rescue, provided that the seas ab«L

On the other hand, it is pointed out that the submarine is lying in the worst spot on the Coast. It is on a rocky bottom, ill a five-knot current, capable of bashing the vessel to pieces. The submarine has apparatus for signalling thirty miles under water, but boats fitted with dydrophones have not received anv messages. 'fhc “Star” states thM a naval officer explains that the vessel could not be raised in 30 fathoms, and will have to he dragged into shallower water. SUBMARINE LOSS. LONDON, Jan. 11. li is believed that the submarine 1.24 was engaged in a dummy attack on the battleship at the time of the disaster. The Vickor* Company htidi the submarine in JIB!'. She carried a complement of 38, and was equipped with three periscopes, one of which v.as specially adapted for night work. The submarine was 231 feet long, had a speed of 17{ knots on the surface, and 10{- knots under the water. Lieut Commander Eddis. commanding the submarine, served in the El 3, when the latter grounded at Saltlioim on August 10, 1015. He was later interned at Copenhagen. Lieut Donald Howell Barton, second in command, was a- a midshipman commended far bravery at the landing on Gallipoli on April 25, 1015.

According to the naval authorities, a great deal depends upon Low the 1.21 was struck.

A Flotilla- continues sweeping the whole area. It- is the usual practice when the licet is leaving or entering tbe channel for an aerial or submarine attack to take place from Portsmouth or Devonport. It was during such a dummy attack that the Resolution rammed the 1.21. The disaster followed a collision between submariner! K2 and Ivl2, in which the K2’s boa was smashed in. LONDON, Jan. ]l. It is officially estimated that the L2 I is lying in thirty fathoms, eleven miles southward of Portland Bill. Little hope is entertained for the crew. Apparently the submarine was rammed by t!ie Resolution in a mist during a very heavy swell. A diving party will descend in the morning. A lighter, specially adapted for raising submarines, is being rushed to the sjiol to try salvage. The disaster occurred during a fog after the voxels of the Atlantic Fleet opened a course into the Channel, at the’ beginning of the spring cruise.