1939-06-20 — Page 14

Tuesday,

HONGKONG TELEGRAPH

June 20, 1939.

Survivors Tell of Thetis' Last Plunge

'WATER ROSE OVER MY HEAD. MY MIND

WAS GOING

By

7 Haw

IN A COPYRIGHT INTERVIEW WITH THE LONDON "DAILY EXPRESS”, MR. FRANK SHAW GAVE A DRAMATIC STORY OF HIS RESCUE FROM THE THETIS. IN THE COURSE OF THE INTERVIEW, HE SAID:

It was a fine morning when we left Cammell Laird's at Birkenhead in the Thotis for the sub- marine to do her acceptance trials in Liverpool Bay. The soa was very smooth.

I was in the contral room when the order was given to dive. I didn't think much about it: the ship had been down before,

But I did have an idea she began to dip a bit steeply, and soon the angle was very steep. Then we hit the bottom. There was a heavy jolt-not a crash or any- We thing-but it sent every one flying off his feet. fell against the forward bulkhead and had to catch hold of something to try to stand up.

The deck was cocked at about 45 degs. Tools and binoculars and all sorts of loose gear came crashing down. Orders were given by shouts and by phone through the ship to shut all the watertight doors. We had to clamber about like monkeys because of the angle of the ship.

There was suddenly silence. All the machinery stopped-not because of the bump, but no orders from the control room. It was so quiet that you could hear men moving about. I looked at the men near me, and they looked at me. I suppose they realised, too, that

something had gone wrong.

I helped to close our watertight doors. Though we were locked up in compartments the officers, using the phone, were able to speak at once to almost all parts of the ship.

We soon realised the forward compartments were flooded, but we discovered the men had managed to escape and close the watertight doors behind them.

So far as I can remember the lights were still on. Reports came to the control room from other parts of the Thetis that nothing had apparently been broken when we hit the bottom. We opened our watertight door leading to the next compartment, us because of the ship's which was then almost underneath angle.

This was the wardroom, where a couple of fellows had caught when the orders-were given to shut the doors.. We shouted down to ask if they were all right.

They got into the escape been chamber and disappeared. You can imagine what it was like then. We could only wait, and the air was bad. There did not seem much we could do. Some of them were still joking about the farewell party.

Ropes were lowered, and Lieu tenant Chapman and Commander Engineer Glenn climbed down to make an inspection. When they found everybody in the ship was O.K. they held a conference.

So far as I know, no one had then thought about using the Davis uppuratus. The idea was to set about getting the ship back to the surface, Ordered To Pump

Out All The Fuel

I was not very cold, because it kept your blood going having to climb about the submarine. But it was getting colder. I be gan to feel bad.

I can't remember much after

that till we heard tapping. It was very clear. I don't know what the messuge. was.

We tapped back. It was a great re- lief.

We were told the message was” No one thought about leaving from Captain Oram, saying to her. We were all joking. There begin sending the rest of us up was to be a farewell party when with the Davis outfit.

we got back to Birkenhead after the acceptance trial. They made a lot of jokes about that.

The first move to try to sur- face the submarine was an order

Even then not many of us knew how many destroyers and tugs were overhead.

you

The outer hatch that lets set into the sea was closed soon after they had gone from the to get out fuel pipes, and pump submarine, so the chamber was out all fuel to make her lighter all ready for the next couple.. That was how people came to sen There was no picking or choosing patches of oil on the sea.

There was no panic. All the who it was to be. machinery was under control.

Having To Climb

her up.

some chicken.

There was another escapt jchamber, but it was in the flood-

ed forward compartment.

that open.

180 WATER E

65FT MUD

-

Stern of the Thetis was at ong time above water; This diagram completes the picture; shows how the submarine was stuck in the

mud. Here is the key to the diagram: A-Oll fuel storage tanks. H-Batteries.. B—Engines. "

C--Water release valves.

D-Air bottles.

E-Control room.

F-Conning tower. G-Periscopes.

ת

'Alive, Kicking' Wired Survivor

LEADING stoker. W. C, Arnold sent two telegrams to his wife as soon as he escaped from the Thetis and was picked up by the destroyer Brazen,

One read: "Am alive and kicking." The other, addressed to "Maisle and Mackle" (his nlclorame for his year- old baby), said: "Am Okc. Will see you soon-Mac."

*

Mrs. Arnold sald; "This Is his second submarine accident-but, al- Uhough he is due to retire, he said he'd sign on for another twelve years, and I don't suppose this will make♦♦ him change his mind."

Leading Telegraphist W. E. Allen, One of the men in the Thetia, is the tallest man in the submarine service. He is eft. 3ins. His father is boxing editor of the South Wales Echo..

Lending Seaman A. H. Smith has been seventeen years in submarines. His wife said: "I have always been afraid something like this would hop- pen. For years I've begged him to give up submarines and six weeks ngo he said he would consider it."

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Tearful young sweethearts, waiting! for news at Cammell Laird's Birken- 9533. head yard, said that shortly the crew of the submarine were to have held 9530. their farewell dauce before leaving for Falmouth.

Tomato Argument Rises

SAN JOSE, Cal. As a result of sudden interest by the United States Department of Agriculture in the development of white tomatoes being rafsed here,

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Stoker Arnold was picked. They all call him "Mac." Some one pushed me to the hatch and said, "You-go."-

I just happened to be near by, that's all. Thad to go or I could not have Inated out.

Mac helped me fix my Davis and we got in. He opened the cocks and the water started com- ing in. It's a dreadful feeling -a feeling that you're trapped.

You can please yourself how fast it comes, because you can regulate it. He let it come in pretty fast. You can't imagine what I thought. It did not help seeing the others die. Water Over My Eyes

I Could Hardly See But some one had to go. When the water got to my neck I whipped on the mouthpiece and waited.

The water got higher and J-Forward escape chamber higher till it was over my eyes in mud. Men using Davis and I could not Bee properly, escape apparatus emerged My mind was going fast. I from after chamber (not wondered if the hatch was jam- visible in diagram). med..

K-Torpedoes.

You don't know what it felt like. But you have got to keep

creep up from their ankles to

They were both civilians. cool till the pressure inside is their waists, their chests, their Others waited their turn, althe same as outside. Kept Us Warmer

The first pair to follow Cap-

necks. tain Oram and Lieut. Woods 'in-

though it was not known for Ho

Mac caught my arm and made But everything was

saw them slip on the certain whether or not the outer oddly to the escapo chamber were quiet, except for the pumps. drowned.

mouthpieces of the Davis arti-hatch had jammed. Two naval some signals. He pointed to the That would be what was heard Poor chaps, they lost their ficial lungs. When the water men who knew the gear volun- outside hatch and made as if to by some of the destroyers, nerve, and tried to open the reached their checks I'm told he teered to be locked in to see if push it. I knew what he meant.

and nodded. Every one was working to get outer hatch before the pressure saw them banging their hands they could make it work?

inside was equal to the weight against the outer hatch through

Commander Glen went to the both strained against tho hatch. He moved the catch and we There was still a little food of the water outside. They which they were to escape, left biscuits and cheese and were not strong enough to push them to shoot out and up to the flooded again. But he soon had

But the regulation time for window, and the chamber was He opened it very easily. ¡ surface came to an end still to give the order to pump it dry. It seemed quite a while when * We could not Use the radio

Commander Glen was peering they were there, and the outer When they opened the inner was in the chamber, but it did under the water, and it seems through a small, thick glass win-hatch was still closed,

hatch they found another dead not take long to reach the sur- the machinery for making dow, about the size of a post- underwater signals had been put card, through which he could see start the pumps to empty the ing on his chest,

The only thing to do was to man with the mouthpiece hang- face. I flew up like a rocket but out of action as soon as we hit into the escape chamber, which chamber. Then to open the in-

never saw Mac. is big enough only for two men. ner hatch and lift them out.

They were deadpan ba Woods, we heard, wore going to Water Crept Up ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

To Their Necks Two Volunteered He watched those two, when PA

To Be Locked In they were locked in and the -Both had taken off the mouth- cocks were turned to flood the pieces. They must have panick chamber. Ho saw, the water ed at the last momont.

bottom."

Captain Oram and Lieutenant

take the risk of finding some body on the surface... Some cry. rangomont was made that Cap- tain Oram was to signal us in apme way if he was saved,

2.

his mouthpiece in position, but light up at the surface? When The second man was still alive, God, was I glad to ges the ho was only semi-conscious. Ho I broke through, the first thing whispered that the hatch would I saw was a small boat from one not open.

of the destroyers, the Brazen. I

don't think I would have lasted Now I keep remembering the

The air was very thick. I came up right under it.

much longer down there. They men I was the last to see alive.

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