TRAGIC DELAYS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 6 April 1940, Page 5

TRAGIC DELAYS

REPORT ON THE THETIS DISASTER PERSISTENT ILL-FORTUNE. RELIANCE ON ESCAPE APPARATUS. By Telegraph—Press Association— Copyright. LONDON. April 4. Dealing, in his report on the Thetis disaster, with the failure of assistance from outside. Mr Justice Bucknill says that such failure was contributed to by the fact that observers in the tug Grebecock had no sufficient reason for thinking that there had been a serious accident and because when they anchored they were four miles from where the Thetis sank and so were unable to see the smoke candle or indicator lights on the buoys released from the submarine. The position of the tug misled H.M.S. Brazen and the steamer Vigilant, and by some persistent ill-fortune, they were misled by a report from an aeroplane of a buoy miles from the actual position of the Thetis. The tribunal came to the conclusion that there was delay in organising the search for the submarine by sea and air, but the delay was. not caused by lack of vigilance or attention by the responsible shore staffs. Those ashore, the report adds, had no reason to know that the Thetis was unable to use her underwater signalling apparatus and so get in touch with the Brazen.

Referring to the failure of those on board to escape by the Davis apparatus, the report finds that there were only 93 Davis escape sets available, 29 others being stowed in the forward compartment, which was flooded. The tribunal is of the opinion that more lives would have been saved if efforts had been concentrated on keeping the submarine's stern out of the water, and cutting a hole, and suggested that this was not done because those responsible expected most of the crew to escape by the Davis apparatus.