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Lost & Found

What happens if a Submarine goes missingRead
By its underwater nature, the submarine service remains one of the more perilous jobs in the Royal Navy. Advanced technology means that today's nuclear-powered vessels can now remain 120 days without surfacing and deliver a cruise missile with pinpoint accuracy to a target 400 miles away. There are also hundreds of checks constantly carried out on board and improved training for modern submariners. But there is always the potential for disaster

The First British Sub Ever To Be Lost At SeaRead
A1 was completed in 1902 and was destined to have a brief life. She carried aboard during that life, King Edward VII and HRH the Prince of Wales. Then, during manoeuvres on March 18, 1904, she became the first British Submarine to be lost at sea

The Loss of Submarine A3Read
Submarine A3 was sunk as a result of a collision with HMS Hazard on 2nd Feb 1912 during trials in the Solent. All members of the crew were lost. The Submarine was raised and the bodies of the crew recovered. They were buried, later, in the Haslar Royal Naval Cemetery.

HM Submarine A5 (Forgotten Submariners)Read
A5's refueling was completed at 0805. Approximately two hours later an explosion occurred inside A5 toward the stern, a second explosion some thirty minutes later followed this. The second explosion was located in the conning tower area. So great was the force of the explosions that members of the crew were actually blown out of the boat through the main hatch into the water. Subsequently two crew members were picked up by a tug.

The Loss of HMS D3Read
The loss of the D3 was a tragedy in itself, due to the circumstances and the fact that it was close to the end of WW1.

G9 - A Peculiar TragedyRead
These three medals are from the most peculiar of Barrow tragedies and are a reminder of how dangerous the life of a submariner can be.

The Sinking of Submarine H29Read
Having reported on the sinking of Submarine H29 in Devonport Dockyard in 1926 with several fatalities, on the causes of the accident and the subsequent Courts Martial of the Commanding Officer and the First Lieutenant where both were found guilty of the charges and the First Lieutenant was 'dismissed his ship'.

Supergun Submarine located 74 years after tragic lossRead
The British submarine, M1 which uniquely carried the firepower of a battleship was discovered 35 miles south-east of Plymouth at a depth of 81 metres by diver and submarine expert, Innes McCartney and boat skipper Grahame Knott.

HMS Oswald lost in 1940Read
This is an account of the events leading to the loss of HMS Oswald in 1940 and the court martial of her Captain in 1946, put together from the copies of archived evidence given at the Inquiries and finally the five charges brought by the Court Martial.

HMS Oxley sunk by HMS TritonRead
Lieutenant-Commander H P de C Steel, Royal Navy, HMS Triton testimony given at the Board of Inquiry into the circumstances of the loss of HMS Oxley

Unlucky ThirteenRead
K13 was carrying out her final acceptance trials prior to the Admiralty officially taking her over from her Clydeside builders. She had already covered the measured mile at a record 23" knots to gain the honour of the world's fastest submarine and there was a festive air about the pre-diving lunch which continued to 3:15 pm. And as she glided slowly down to the diving area in Gareloch she was carrying not only her regular crew of 53 officers and men but also 14 directors and employees of Fairfield, 13 other civilians, and two Royal Navy submarine officers acting as observers. When she arrived at the loch she picked up two more civilian experts. She dived smoothly enough but to Lt-Cdr Herbert's consternation she refused to trim level at 20 feet and continued plunging toward the bottom.

The Sinking of the TruculentRead
On the 12th January 1950, HM Submarine Truculent spent the day at sea off the Thames Estuary carrying out trials, following a long refit. Apart from the full crew, there were 18 civilian dockyard officials on board to make any last minute adjustments, as she was due to sail for Scotland the next day. As she made her way up to the Medway Approaches, the Officer of the Watch conned the submarine on the surface. Traffic in the river was heavy and the steaming lights of many ships on their way into and out of the Port of London were clearly visible on all sides.

The Loss of HMS ThetisRead
On Thursday 1st June 1939 the brand new submarine HMS Thetis (Lieutenant Commander Guy H Bolus) sailed from the Birkenhead Yard of Cammell Laird into Liverpool Bay to carry out diving trials. In addition to the normal crew of fifty five Officers and Ratings there were a large number of passengers both uniformed personnel and civilians on board for Trials purposes. This took the total number of personnel onboard the Submarine up to one hundred and one. During the dive difficulties were encountered with the trim of the submarine.

Israeli sub wreck found 31 years onRead
More than 30 years after her mysterious disappearance, the wreck of the former HM Submarine Totem had been found - by the same US organisation that found the Titanic

P311 FoundRead
In November 1942 His Majesty's Submarine P311 slipped quietly from her moorings in Malta. She was never to return. Now, 73 years after her disappearance en-route to Sardinia, the vessel and her entombed 71 man crew have apparently been found gently resting on the seabed, off the Italian island of Tavolara

AE1 - Missing SubRead
The whereabouts of a Barrow built submarine sunk during the First World War has remained a mystery for nine decades. The AE1 submarine, built by Vickers Armstrong for the Royal Australian Navy, disappeared on September 14, 1914, just three months into the war, with the loss of 35 crew members. The tragedy came the day after the submarine had helped to capture what was then German New Guinea, now Papua New Guinea

Affray RiddleRead
Sports divers using new deep water techniques have reached the wreck of the Affray, the Royal Navy submarine in which 75 sailors lost their lives almost 50 years ago in a disaster that remains shrouded in mystery.

Chief Stoker Mechanics theory about the loss of the AffrayRead
This is a recollection of a conversation with the Chief Stoker Mechanic of HMS Amphion in 1954.

Affray - Subsmash CommentaryRead
The relatives and the author are not the only ones who would like this mystery solved and I am sure so would the many who served at the time or later, on the sister ships of the Affray, but I don't want to know at the cost of bringing indignity to the remains of these men have no doubt that others with better technical qualifications and easy access to the archives would be able to more comprehensively review the loss of the Affray , but this is simply a commentary by a former submariner of the time on a recently published book about the loss

RN Submarines scuttled or captured in WWIIRead
Descriptions of the events in WWII that led to the loss of Royal Navy Submarines in actions where the submarines were sunk, usually by scuttling, with the captains and crew taken prisoner. Included are two variations - in one case the submarine was captured and in another the captain was killed in action.

Disaster Beneath the WavesRead
HMS Affray was the last RN submarine to be lost at sea. At the time of her sinking, rumours about the cause of her loss circulated widely. Many were discounted once her final resting place had been found and the Official Inquiry's report had been published. However, speculation persists to this day as to the reasons why she sank.

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