- HMS K13
HMS "K13" was a steam-propelled
First World War K classsubmarine of the BritishRoyal Navy . She sunk in a fatal accident during sea trials in early 1917 and wassalvage d and recommissioned as HMS "K22".She had previously suffered another accident when heavy seas had damaged one of the funnels and water had nearly flooded her
engine room . The damage had been repaired but the next one was far more serious.The accident
She sank in
Gareloch on 29 January 1917 just after noon, having signalled to HMS "E50" that she was about to dive. She had 80 people onboard - 53 crew, 14 employees of the shipbuilders, five sub-contractors, five Admiralty officials, aRiver Clyde pilot, and the captain and engineering officer from the still-completing "K14".As she dived, seawater entered her engine room through openings which failed to close properly and flooded it along with the after
torpedo room . As the submarine sunk, a 10 ton ballast weight was dropped, but this did not arrest the descent. Two men were seen on the surface by amaid in ahotel a mile or so away but her report was ignored. The crew of "E50" became concerned when the submarine did not surface again, and found traces of oil on the surface.The first rescue vessel, "Gossamer", arrived at around 22:00 and divers were sent down at daybreak. The divers were delayed since "Gossamer" had a diver but no suit, and the first diver to attempt to contact the submarine had a damaged suit which nearly flooded.
Morse code signals were exchanged between them and the trapped crew of the submarine. Despite the lack of proper escape apparatus, the captain Lieutenant-Commander Godfrey Herbert, and the captain of "K14", Captain Goodhart attempted an escape to the surface by using the space between the inner and outer hatches of theconning tower as anairlock . Herbert reached the surface alive, but Goodhart's body was later found trapped in the superstructure.Later that afternoon an airline was connected which allowed the
ballast tank s to be blown and with the aid of a hawser and by midday on 21 January the bows had been brought to just above the surface and supported by abarge on each side. A hole was cut through her pressure hull and at 22:00 the final survivor was rescued from the submarine, 57 hours after the accident. 32 crew died in the accident and 48 were rescued. 31 were expected to be still on the submarine, but only 29 were found and it was concluded that the maid had indeed seen two people escaping from the engine room. One of their bodies was recovered from the Clyde two months later.At 6 p.m. the following day, K13 tore the bollards out of the barges and sank again, flooding through the hole. The submarine was finally salvaged on 15 March, repaired and recommissioned as HMS "K22".
The court of enquiry found that four of the 37 inch (940 mm) diameter ventilators had been left open during the dive, and that indicator lights in the control room had actually showed them as open. The engine room hatch was also found to be open.
The HMS "K5" was lost with all hands in January 1921, also due to problems with the air intakes that ventilate the boiler rooms.
There is a memorial to the disaster in
Carlingford, New South Wales ,Australia , paid for by the widow of Charles Freestone, aleading telegraphist on "K13" who survived the accident to later emigrate and prosper in Australia. The memorial was unveiled on 10 September 1961 and has the inscription "This memorial has been created in memory of those officers and men of the Commonwealth who gave their lives in submarines while serving the cause of freedom. It is called the "K13" memorial in particular memory of those lost in HM Submarine K13."HMS "K22"
A year after the accident, as part of the 13th Submarine Flotilla, "K13", now renamed "K22" was involved in the "Battle" of May Island on 31 January 1918. This was during a night exercise in the
Firth of Forth involving the flotilla, 8capital ship s and numerouscruiser s anddestroyer s, and was a series of collisions which led to the loss of two K boats, serious damage to three others (including "K22") and the deaths of a further 105 submariners.References
* [http://www.rnsubmus.co.uk/general/losses.htm#k13 RN Submarine museum]
* [http://members.lycos.co.uk/brisray/misc/mkclass1.htm "K13" accident]
* [http://submarinesaustralia.com/log_archives/log_21_Oct_03.html Submarines Association of Australia]
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