THETIS INQUIRY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 4 July 1939, Page 6

THETIS INQUIRY

OPENED IN LONDON Attorney-General Tells Story of Tragedy STATE OF THE FORWARD COMPARTMENTS SUBMARINE SLOW IN SUBMERGING By Telegraph.—Press Association.—Copyright. (Received This Dav .10.55 a.m.) LONDON, July 3. Opening the Thetis inquiry, the Attorney-General (Sir Donald Bradley Somervell) said that before the Thetis "submerged Lieutenant Woods noticed that a document, known as the trim chit, indicated that torpedo tubes Nos. 5 and 6 were full, and if this were so the bowcaps should have been closed before the submarine left the harbour. Lieutenant Woods noticed that the submarine was slow in submerging, and decided to see if the tubes were full. The test cocks indicated that No. 6 was half full and No. 5 showed no sign of water, but when the door was opened water poured into the compartment. The men with difficulty escaped from the compartment and shut the watertight door, but water still came in to the next compartment, with the result that the ship hit the bottom.

The Attorney-General described dramatic efforts by Lieutenants Woods and Chapman to close the doors, but they were unable to stand the pressure. Food was in the flooded compartment. The air started to become foul at midnight, producing physical distress.

Messrs Cammell Laird’s men pumped out ten tons of fresh water during the night, bringing the stern to the surface at 7 a.m. Realising that nothing could be done without outside assistance, it was agreed that a man should escape by means of the Davis apparatus. Captain Oram volunteered to go up, with salvage instructions in a watertight can. Two stokers and Iwo of Cammell Laird’s men were also put in the escape chamber, but three of them died. ■ The other man was unable to explain what happened. Leading-Stoker Arnold and Shaw escaped later, but it was impossible to say whether weakness or accident prevented the others emerging. The Attorney-General then outlined the salvage attempts.

CAPTAIN ORAM’S EVIDENCE.

Captain Oram gave evidence that the submarine struck the bottom, at an angle of forty degrees, and settled down half an hour later, 150 tons of water having flooded the cofripartments. He described the heroic, but unsuccessful attempts of Lieutenants Chapman and Woods and ratings to close the rear door of No. 5 tube to enable the 'water to be pumped out. By 7 a.m. many of those in the submarine were retching and yawning. Consequently, to avoid the danger of the men' not having the energy to escape, it was decided to use the Davis apparatus. When he came to the surface he was entirely hopeful that others were escaping, as the escape presented no difficulty to him. The three men drowned must have operated the sets incorrectly. He added that he could only assume that a major disaster had occurred in the submarine after his escape and those of Shaw and Arnold.

Captain Oram expressed the opinion that cutting a hole in the submarine would have been' most dangerous as it might mean complete flooding.- He added that the men talked and joked until the foul air imposed silence, when they showed quiet bravery. It was not unusual for a submarine to dive with its torpedo tubes flooded when they were not carrying torpedoes. , Captain Oram said the compressed air in the submarine could not be used, because the men were suffering from carbon dioxide poisoning, which causes lassitude and eventually death, but which becomes much more lethal if breathed under pressure. There was

Captain Oram said he did not think the number aboard interfered with efforts to bring up the Thetis, except that they were breathing air.

already a pressure of 31 inches and if air had been released from the high pressure bottles, although it would have given more oxygen it would have made the carbon dioxide more fatal. “We discussed it,” he said. The inquiry was adjourned.