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IN DEPTH
Official Newsletter of the Submariners Association
Patron: Admiral of the Fleet Lord Boyce KG GCB OBE DL
Issue No: 47
www.submarinersassociation.co.uk
Inside this Issue (A Selection of the Items)
Pages 2, 3 & 4
Chairman’s Report
Pages 4, 5 & 6
New & Re-joining Members
Pages 6 & 7
Christmas Messages
Pages 7 to 17
Articles
Pages 17
Letters & E Mails
Pages 19 & 20
Book Reviews
Pages 20 to 22
Henry Kinder diary (cont.)
Pages 22 to 24
Obituaries
Pages 25 & 26
Crossed the Bar
December 2014
PRESIDENT
Admiral Sir James
Perowne K.B.E.
COMMITTEE
Chairman:
Jim McMaster
1, Blantyre Court
Bargarran, Erskine
Renfrewshire PA8 6BN
Tel: 0141 571 4094
[email protected]
Vice Chairman:
John Wood, Esq.
48, Ullswater Avenue
West Auckland, Bishop Auckland
Co. Durham DL14 9LS
01388 835 457
[email protected]
Secretary:
David Watts, Esq.
19, Christal Terrace
Fulwell, Sunderland
Tyne & Wear SR6 9HW
Tel: 0191 5480971
[email protected]
Treasurer:
Ian Atkinson
48, Craggyknowe
Hawthorn Park, Washington
Tyne & Wear NE37 1JZ
Tel: 0191 416 7996
[email protected]
Membership Secretary:
Keith Bishop
26, Bouverie Road
Hardingstone
Northants NN40EL
Tel: 01604 767308
[email protected]
Editor:
Barrie Downer
37, James Watt Terrace
Barrow in Furness
Cumbria LA14 2TS
Tel: 01229 820963
[email protected]
___________________________
Editorial
Welcome to the December
2014 Edition of ‘In Depth’ – a
bit bigger than usual but it is
nearly Christmas! I would like
to take the opportunity to wish
all our readers a very Merry
Christmas and a Happy and
Prosperous New Year in 2015.
As usual you will find the ‘New
Joiners’ (38 this time) towards
the
front
and
the
‘Obituaries/Crossed the Bar’
lists (23 Members and 14 other
submariners) towards the end.
The ‘Crossed the Bar’ Lists this
time includes another two
Submarine COs – one was our
recent Rear Admiral Submarines
– David John Cooke - the other
was Con Thode – a New
Zealander who commanded a
Submarine in WWII.
For those planning to attend the
2015 S.A. National Council
Conference
and
Reunion
information and booking forms
were included in Issue 46. If
you haven’t booked yet please
contact Dave Barlow as soon as
possible.
In this Issue are the Christmas
greetings from the Branches,
some information of the
development of the Barrow
Shipyard for the VANGUARD
Replacement programme (taken
from a BAE publicity release), a
report from the Hull Branch, an
item about proposed new
Australian
Submarines, an
article about a new Russian
Submarine, a report about the
new Chairman of the Trustees
at the Submarine Museum, a
report from Ted Hogben about
the recent RN Submarine
Advisory Panel Meeting and, in
the
Chaiman’s
Report,
information
about
the
management of the Submarine
Memorial Fund under the
umbrella of the Royal Naval
Benevolent Trust.
Another article reports on the
US Navy’s research into a new
material to remove CO2 from
the submarine atmosphere – a
possible replacement for the
amine used in scrubbers! There
is also a Message from the HMS
OTUS Foundation.
There is a further instalment of
Henry Kinder’s Diary - which
will be appreciated by Keith
Willifer who has written to me.
I have included an article about
the loss of two RN Submarines
and their crew members in
November 1914 and a follow
up article from last Issue’s
Holbrook ‘Blue Plaque’ story.
Steve Palmer has sent in a
report of the Memorial Service
for the late Captain Thomas
Noel Catlow to which I have
added his naval career details.
The Books Section includes
three recent publications which
you might want to buy to use up
all those Book Tokens you get
for Christmas.
Not too many letters and E
Mails this issue – I guess people
are still getting used to the new
Guestbook on the Website but
thank you to all those who have
sent in contributions to this
issue of ‘In Depth’. Please keep
those stories coming. I do keep
all the items sent to me so they
will get printed but not
necessarily in the next issue
after receipt.
Regards, Barrie Downer
________________________
Cover Picture: THE BAE BARROW SHIPYARD OF THE FUTURE
Chairman’s Report
Friends and fellow Submariners
Well, here it is, Christmas again!! Every year I
promise myself that I will make things easier by
preparing well in advance and not putting myself
through the annual 'last minute rush' which seems to
prevail every year. Having said that I have to
confess that I really do love this time of the year.
Since last writing in the In Depth we have held the
annual Embankment Remembrance Service and
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Parade and this year as with previous years it just
gets bigger and bigger.
There was a larger
contingent of Serving Submariners than previously
with almost 300 mustering. The turn-out from the
Submariners Association was very good too and I
am proud of the number of veterans who make the
effort every year to travel to London to pay their
respects at this prestigious event to our colleagues
who have Crossed the Bar. Well done to all who
managed to be there.
Unfortunately the weather took a turn for the worse
and we all got absolutely soaked. As Chairman it is
my responsibility to decide whether to work the Dry
or Wet Weather routine and there is a cut-off time in
the morning of the Parade when that decision has to
be made. At the time of the decision the weather
was 'good' and I made my choice!! How was I to
know it would pour as soon as we fell in?? My
thanks go to everyone for not blaming me! Overall
it was a successful event. See you all next year on
Sunday 1st November.
The Submarine Memorial Fund
Hardly a week goes by without someone shaking a
can in your face or asking you to subscribe to one
charity or another, there is always a 'good cause' just
waiting for you to donate your money to or to raise
funds on their behalf. Sadly in the world we live in
there is no end of people and causes in need of our
help and donations no matter how large or small.
Now that Christmas is almost upon us
EVERYONE wants your money!! I would never
dream of asking you not to contribute to the worthy
cause(s) of your choice but there are so many and so
varied that it is difficult to decide where to donate. I
am proud to know that Submariners have an
excellent record of raising funds for a great number
of charities and good causes.
However there is one Fund which deals exclusively
with Submariners and their dependants and
would be very grateful for any donations (large or
small) throughout the year. That is The Submarine
Memorial Fund (S/M Fund).
The Submarine Memorial Fund is administered as a
restricted fund by the Royal Naval Benevolent Trust
(RNBT). The S/M Fund is used to support current
and former rating submariners and their dependants
and is augmented from the RNBT's general fund for
supporting submariner members of the RNBT
Family when required; there is seldom sufficient
money in the S/M Fund to meet demand.
There is no endowment associated with the S/M
Fund, it is a case of money in - money out in
support of requests for assistance. Grants made are
subject to the same criteria as all individual grants
made by the RNBT.
How is the Fund administered?
The S/M Fund is administered by the RNBT with
grants approved by the RNBT's Grants Committee
who are themselves serving or former sailors and
marines who served as Warrant Officers and below.
The Grant Committee meets every Monday and
Thursday (other than Bank Holidays) to deal with 60
or so requests for assistance received by the RNBT
every week.
How can members of the Submariners
Association benefit from it?
Those who are serving or have served as ratings in
HM Submarines and the widows, orphans and
dependants of such men can make application to the
RNBT for assistance from this fund (and others held
by the Trust). Each application needs to be referred
via a case-working organisation the main ones being
SSAFA or The Royal British Legion (TRBL) who's
local phone numbers can be found in the directory.
A case-worker would visit the applicant and raise an
application on our members behalf.
How can members or their relatives make
donations or bequests to the Fund?
The S/M Fund is always grateful for donations and
bequests which will aid their work and such monies
can be gifted in various ways. Cheques can be
forwarded to the Trust at any time and the donor
can specify which fund they wish to support. The
Trust is able to provide a direct debit form on
application or a form can be downloaded from their
website. Donations by credit/debit card can also be
made via the website - www.rnbt.org.uk They are
also able to provide Gift Aid declarations to make
the most cost effective donations. Each donation is
recorded monthly on their website and in their
Annual Review which is published in October.
Legacies are also an important source of income for
the RNBT. If any of our members wish to
remember the RNBT in their Wills, advice can be
given on the appropriate wording by either reference
to the website - www.rnbt.org.uk - or by calling
02390 690112 and asking to speak to the Financial
Controller.
How can members make requests for a grant
and is there any criteria laid down to receive that
assistance?
As indicated above, applications are made via
SSAFA or TRBL with the Grant Administrators
always available for advice by e-mail or telephone.
There are no fixed criteria to receive specific
assistance as each case is considered on its merit; if
one of our members has a need or is in distress,
refer them to the RNBT and they will advise on the
way ahead.
When contacting the RNBT with regard to any
aspect of the Submariners Memorial Fund who
is the first point of contact?
The Trust can be contacted by e-mail at:
[email protected], by phone on 02392 660296, or by
mail at "The Royal Naval Benevolent Trust,
Castaway House, 311 Twyford Avenue, Portsmouth,
www.submarinersassociation.co.uk
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PO2 8RN". Welfare queries will normally be
Information Circular as well as the Accommodation
actioned within the Grants department, but the
requirements and Menu Choices. If you need
Chief Executive will be kept informed of any
another copy of any of these documents I can
contact where appropriate.
supply them - just let me know.
So whenever you are able to donate some cash to a
The Blue Plaque Initiative.
worthy cause why not give it to the fund which you
For a number of reasons we have had to make a
know will be dealing exclusively with submariners
slight change to our schedule and we will now be
and their dependants - The Submarine Memorial
erecting the Plaque dedicated to Lt Cdr Naismith
Fund.
VC as our next event. The building on which it will
If you have any questions regarding this Fund please
be fixed is a private house but the owners/residents
just let me know and I will get the answer to you.
are totally thrilled at the prospect and have been very
Please remember to pass the information to friends
supportive of the project.
and families - all donations welcome!
The house is in Barnes, London and the owners
Annual Reunion and NCC
have kindly agree to allow a Blue Plaque to be
The Annual Reunion and National Council
mounted on their property on the Saturday 11th
Conference (NCC) will take place over the weekend
April 2015 the birth place of Lt. Cdr. Naismith
of Friday 27th to Sunday 29th March 2015 at the
VC. As always, everyone is welcome to attend this
Holiday Inn Leicester. The actual Conference will
event but I must stress that this is a private house
take place on the Saturday forenoon and will be for
and therefore access is very limited so we must
Full Members only - as in previous years. Make sure
respect the wishes of the owners and their
that your branch has a Delegate present at this
neighbours. If you or your Standard, would like to
event.
attend please contact me and discuss the matter. It
Every year there are two places on the National
is just a matter of common sense and logistics! I
Management Committee (NMC) available. Would
look forward to seeing you there
you like an opportunity to have a say in how the
As I said at the beginning, it’s almost Christmas so I
Association is run? Your Association!! You really
had better get back to the task of enjoying myself!!
can make a difference. If you feel that you would
When you are out there having a great time please
like to put your name forward please contact your
remember that there may well be someone you
Branch Secretary, he will know how to proceed.
know who is not quite as fortunate as yourself! An
Please consider this opportunity. Similarly if you
elderly neighbour or a friend on his/her own, give
feel that the Rules and Constitution need amending
them a wee call, check that they are OK. It will only
or changing please put your ideas in writing and
take a minute and you will feel better afterwards!!
submit then to your Secretary. All applications and
I would like to wish you, your family and friends
submissions have to be with the National Secretary
a very Merry Christmas and a safe, happy and
David Watts by 31st December. This really is a
prosperous New Year.
great chance for you to be in a position to make
changes and improve things. Why not grab it?
The Reunion will be, for the very first time, the new
format as voted for by the Association membership,
that is, wives and partners as well as Associate
members can attend. The Saturday evening Dinner
will be mixed. No more of the two Dinners running
Keep on keeping on.
at the same time!! With you in one room and your
wife/family in another!
JMcM
These weekends are always enjoyable and the
_________________________________________
chances of NOT meeting a long lost oppo are
remote! Come along, bring your partner and enjoy
the whole event. Everyone has been sent the
________________________________________________________________________________________
NEW & RE-JOINING MEMBERS – 1st October 2014 TO 20th DECEMBER 2014
(**** Serving Member) (** WWII Service)
BRANCH
SM
SERVICE
NAME
RANK/RATE
John H Bartlett
Stewart J Cox
EM
Petty Officer RS
(SM)
North East
Plymouth
1967-1970
1986-2012
Frank Nelson
Acting Leading
Seaman TS (SM)
Nottingham
1978-1993
www.submarinersassociation.co.uk
SUBMARINES
ASTUTE (68) OSIRIS (68) ORACLE (68-70)
SUPERB (86) SOVEREIGN (86-89)
TRAFALGAR (90-92) VANGUARD (94-97)
VIGILANT (00-01) VICTORIOUS (01-03)
DREADNOUGHT (79-80) CONQUEROR (8081) CHURCHILL (83-85) WARSPITE (85-88)
5
IN DEPTH
Allan S Goodyear
Petty Officer (S)
Norfolk
Frederick W
Hilson
Andrew W M Reid
Chief Petty Officer
(MEM)
Chief Petty Officer
ET(WESM)(TWS)(A)
West of Scotland
Nigel D Kew
Lieutenant
Portsmouth
1998-20**
Michael A Scott
ET (WESM)
Gosport
Scott Taylor
Peter F Wright
Brian Calder
Able Seaman TS SM
Chief Electrician
Petty Officer MEM
Manchester
Dolphin
East Kent
Apr 200620**
1984-1990
1969-1978
1968-1982
Eric W Parker
RO2(G)
Barrow in Furness
1962-1966
George Prior
Charge Chief
MEA(ML)
Exeter
1973-2001
Andrew W
Freeman
Alan ( Joe)
Stafford
Chief Petty Officer
MEA
Mechanician 1
Cheltenham & West
Midlands
Norfolk
1988-2000
Steven Andrews
Roger C Bishop
Able Seaman
Able Seaman UC3
1976-1981
1956-1964
Harry S Cherry
ME1
Morecambe Bay
Leicestershire &
Rutland
Sussex
Owen Jones
MEM1
1982-1986
Brian L Norris
Petty Officer Steward
Leicestershire &
Rutland
Sussex
Peter Brennand
Leading Seaman TS
Dolphin
1976-1985
David A
Stewartson
Petty Officer (SM)
Morecambe Bay
1977-2000
Barry J Alford
Chief MEM(L)
Espana Levante
1966-1990
WEMN1(ADC)(SM)
Espana Levante
1979-1983
Steward
West of Scotland
1988-1996
Chief Petty Officer
WEA
Chief Petty Officer
MEM(M)
LMEM(M)
Chief Petty Officer
Coxswain
Espana Levante
1986-2014
Scottish
1974-1994
Scottish
West of Scotland
1997-2005
1987-2014
Malcolm
Blenkinsop
Darryl Clark
Paul W Lock
David J Macleod
Andrew J Stewart
Warren J Crew
Gosport
1963-1981
Feb 1971Nov 1989
May 1985Mar 2012
1956-1975
1959-1966
1953-1961
Tim B Moran
David Ash
Lieutenant
Chief Radio
Superviser
Dolphin
Exeter
1984-1990
1954-1972
Philip F Carey
LMEM(M)
Taunton
1986-2001
Bruce I Bodio
Clive A (Perry)
Mason
Able Seaman SSM
WO1 WEM(R) (SM)
Bath
West of Scotland
1974-1980
1985-****
www.submarinersassociation.co.uk
COURAGEOUS (90-91) RENOWN (92)
OTUS (63-66) TABARD (66-67) GRAMPUS
(68-69) CACHALOT (70-71) OCELOT (75-78)
VALIANT (79-80)
RESOLUTION (71-79) RENOWN (81-83)
SEALION (85-88) SCEPTRE (95-96)
SOVEREIGN (96-99) TORBAY (01-04)
TRENCHNT (08-11)
TRAFALGAR (98-98) TIRELESS (98-01)
SPLENDID (02) TURBULENT (02-05) (09-11)
TRAFALGAR (07-11) TURBULENT (11-13)
TRENCHANT (14-**)
RENOWN (S)(85-90) TURBULENT (90)
OTUS (69-70) ODIN (71-74)
DREADNOUGHT (68-69) OLYMPUS (69-70)
AURIGA (70-71) AENEAS (72) OCELOT (7374) NARWHAL (74-75) SEALION (79-82)
ANDREW (62-64) OBERON (64-65) ARTFUL
NARWHAL FINWHALE
REPULSE (73-77) RESOLUTION (77)
CHURCHILL (81-87) WARSPITE (89)
VALIANT (89) COURAGEOUS (90-93)
TRIUMPH (95-98)
TRENCHANT (89-94) SPLENDID (96-98)
SEASCOUT (56) AENEAS (56-57)
ALDERNEY (57-60) TRENCHANT (60-61)
AURIGA (65-68) OPPORTUNE (68-70)
ALLIANCE (71) CACHALOT (72-74)
OTUS (77-78) SEALION (78-79) ONYX (79-81)
ALLIANCE TURPIN ORPHEUS TAPIR
ACHERON (60) OBERON (60-63) TABARD
TACITURN (63-66)
SWIFTSURE (83-86)
TAPIR SUBTLE TABARD OBERON TALLY
HO
WALRUS (77-79) PORPOISE (79-81) OCELOT
(82) OTUS (83-84) ORACLE (84-85)
ORPHEUS (78-79) OSIRIS (79-81) SUPERB
(85-86) TRAFALGAR (88-92) (94-97)
SOVEREIGN (93)
THERMOPYLAE (67) OLYMPUS (67-69) (7578 ODIN (72-73) OBERON (73-75)
OPPORTUNE (80-82)
SPLENDID (79-82)
RENOWN (89) REPULSE (89-93)
VICTORIOUS (93-96)
REVENGE (87-91) VICTORIOUS (95-98)
VENGEANCE (01-05) VIGILANT (05-09)
RENOWN (74-77) (85-91) REPULSE (78-81)
SOVEREIGN (98-01) SPARTAN (01-05)
OTUS (89-91) OPOSSUM (91-93) SPARTAN
(95-03) SCEPTRE (06-11) AMBUSH/ASTUTE
(11-14)
SEALION (84-85) OTUS (85-88)
ALDERNEY (54) AURIGA (55) (64)
SCYTHIAN (55-56) SUBTLE (56) GRAMPUS
(57-61) ANDREW (61-63) ARTEMIS (65-66)
AMBUSH (66) OPOSSUM (69-70)
COURAGEOUS (87-89) RESOLUTION (S)(8992) SPARTAN (92-95) SCEPTRE (96-98)
TIRELESS (99-01)
REPULSE (74-80)
REVENGE (P)(87-89) SPLENDID (96)
VENGEANCE (S)(04-06)
6
IN DEPTH
Michael A Allen
LET
Grangemouth
Feb 00-2010
Henry F Colville
CMEM(M)(SM)
Exeter
1974-1991
John D Cumming
Lieutenant
Commander RNR
Hull
1953-1971
Paul A Newcombe
Lieutenant
Dolphin
1988-1996
Harry Hilton
LMEM
Essex
1942-1946
SOVEREIGN (00-03) SCEPTRE (03-07)
ASTUTE (07-10)
GRAMPUS (May 74-Apr 75) ORPHEUS (Apr
75-Jul 77)(Jan 78-May 80)(Jan 83-Aug 83) OSIRIS
(Jun 84-Feb 90)
ANCHORITE (May 53-May 54) UNTIRING
(May 54-Aug 54) (ALCIDE TRUNCHEON
TERRDO ORACLE ARTFUL OTUS
TALENT)(1955-1970)
ONYX (89-90) OSIRIS (91-92) TURBULENT
(92) REPULSE (94-95) RENOWN (95)
ULTOR TAPIR TRUNCHEON
Christmas Greetings 2014
"Seasonal Greetings"
We at the Plymouth Branch of the Submariners Association would like to wish ALL
SUBMARINERS past and present and their families a Happy Christmas and a Prosperous New
Year.
WISHING A VERY HAPPY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY AND HEALTHY NEW YEAR TO ALL SUBMARINERS
ASSOCIATION MEMBERS AND THEIR FAMILIES FROM ALL AT NORFOLK BRANCH SUBMARINERS
ASSOCIATION
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL MEMBERS FROM GRANGEMOUTH BRANCH
“AS THEY SAY IN FIFE LANG MAE YER LUM REEK”
BEDS AND HERTS SUBMARINERS
WISH ALL BRANCHES A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS
AND ALL BEST WISHES FOR THE NEW YEAR.
Christmas Greetings to All
From the Gatwick Branch
The Medway Towns Branch wishes All Submariners and their Families
A VERY HAPPY CHRISTMAS & A PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR
The BURTON UPON TRENT BRANCH would like to wish all members
And Branches of the Submariners Association
A very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
Merry Christmas and
A very Happy New Year
From all members of the Submariners Association
West of Scotland Branch
www.submarinersassociation.co.uk
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IN DEPTH
WISHING A VERY HAPPY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY AND HEALTHY NEW YEAR TO ALL SUBMARINERS
ASSOCIATION MEMBERS AND THEIR FAMILIES FROM ALL AT THE NORTH STAFFORDSHIE BRANCH
SUBMARINERS ASSOCIATION
THE ROYAL BERKSHIRE BRANCH
WISH ALL BRANCHES A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS
AND ALL BEST WISHES FOR THE NEW YEAR.
We at the HULL Branch of the Submariners Association would like to wish ALL SUBMARINERS
past and present and their families a Happy Christmas and GOOD FORTUNE FOR THE New Year
The SUNDERLAND Branch wishes All Submariners and THEIR Families
A VERY HAPPY CHRISTMAS as well as a PEACEFUL & PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR
The EXETER BRANCH would like to wish all members
And Branches of the Submariners Association
A very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
ALL OF US at the BARROW IN FURNESS Branch of the Submariners Association wish ALL
SUBMARINERS (past and present) and their families a VERY MERRy Christmas and THE BEST OF
GOOD FORTUNE FOR 2015
Seasonal Greetings"
We at the SHEFFIELD Branch of the Submariners Association would like to wish ALL
SUBMARINERS past and present and their families a Happy Christmas and a Prosperous New
Year.
WISHING A VERY HAPPY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY AND HEALTHY NEW YEAR TO ALL SUBMARINERS
ASSOCIATION MEMBERS AND THEIR FAMILIES FROM ALL AT THE NORTH EAST BRANCH SUBMARINERS
ASSOCIATION
We wish all members of the Submariners Association and all Submariners
where-ever they may be a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Indalo in Spain Branch SA
THE NOTTINGHAM BRANCH SUBMARINERS ASSOCIATION
WISH ALL BRANCHES A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS
AND BEST WISHES TO ALL FOR THE NEW YEAR.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
DEVELOPMENTS AT THE BARROW
SHIPYARD
21st CENTURY FACILITIES TO RETAIN
BARROW'S WORLD-CLASS SUBMARINE
BUILDING STATUS
At the end of the VANGUARD programme there
was a reduction in the footprint of the Barrow
Shipyard site. Now, because the VANGUARD
replacement Submarine will be larger than the
ASTUTE submarines, there is a requirement to add
to, and refurbish, existing facilities.
www.submarinersassociation.co.uk
8
IN DEPTH
There are to be a number of new facilities which are
identified on the Front Cover picture. These include
1.
A new Central Yard Complex (CYC)
(shaded in yellow on the cover picture) for the
integration of Submarine Equipment Modules,
combination of Pressure Hull Units, Testing and
Commissioning. The size of the proposed building
is 170m x 90m x 45m high, at the roof apex.
Maximum staff numbers are anticipated to be 570
with the facility operating 24-hours a day. It will
include a large Assembly Hall, Workshop, Store &
Offices. Construction is due to start in the 3rd
Quarter of 2015 and to complete in the 4th Quarter
of 2016.
2.
An Extension to the Devonshire Dock Hall
(DDH) with two buildings to include a new ‘Stateof-the-Art’ manufacturing and installation facility
(shaded in green by the number 2 on the picture).
Construction of the extension is due to start in the
2nd Quarter of 2016 and is scheduled to finish in the
2nd Quarter of 2019. The first facility will be located
on the north-west corner of the DDH, adjacent to
North Road and the proposed structure would be
approximately 40m x 30m x 35m in height. This
facility would be linked to the second of the new
buildings which will allow completion of Submarine
Units and Module insertion into the Submarine.
This second facility would be located a short
distance to the north of the first building and on an
existing car park. The proposed building would be
approximately 90m by 65m x 25m in height
3.
Barrow Borough Council has already
granted outline planning permission for an off-site
28,000 square metre, 16m-high Logistics Store on
land at Ramsden Dock (shaded in red as shown on
the cover picture). Pre-construction enabling works
for this Store are ongoing and construction is
scheduled to begin in the 1st Quarter of 2015.
Separate applications for Planning Permissions will
be submitted to Barrow Borough Council for each
building. The next applications to be submitted are
expected to be for the Central Yard Complex (CYC)
before Christmas 2014, for a Central Yard Paint
Facility in mid-January 2015, for an Extension to
DDH-in January 2015 and for a Shore Integration
Facility (SIF) in February 2015.
To make room for the Central Yard Complex
demolition activity in the Central Yard off Bridge
Road is nearing completion. Specialists began work
earlier this year, flattening disused buildings in what
was the first significant activity. It is anticipated
more than 90 per cent of materials from this
demolition work will be recycled.
There will also be a programme of refurbishment to
a number of existing facilities (shaded in light blue in
the picture) including the New Assembly Buildings
in the Top Yard and the Devonshire Dock Hall in
the Main Shipyard.
Additionally the existing Wet Dock Facility (where
‘in water’ outfitting and testing is carried out) is
nearly beyond its ‘Sell By Date’. As a result a new
‘Dockside Test Facility’ will be constructed on the
same side of Devonshire Dock (shaded in green on
the side of the Dock in the cover picture).
The First Phase of major construction activity is
planned to commence in the 2nd Quarter of 2015,
while the Overall Programme is scheduled to finish
in 2021 in good time to meet the VANGUARD
Replacement Build Programme
_____________________________________
THE ROYAL NAVAL SUBMARINE
MUSEUM NEWS
New Chairman of the Board of Trustees
After seven years involvement with the Royal Naval
Submarine Museum, with the ALLIANCE project
very successfully completed and the Royal Navy
Submarine Museum fully integrated into the
National Museum of the Royal Navy, Vice Admiral
Sir Tim McClement has decided to step down as
Chairman of Trustees. He has handed over to
Captain Dan Conley.
Thanks to Sir Tim’s tremendous commitment and
drive together with his very successful fundraising
efforts, ALLIANCE is in excellent shape and
proving a first rate visitor attraction reflected by
visitor numbers which since April have approached
the 100,000 total.
_______________________________________
QinetiQ to Undertake Acceptance Trials for
UK Navy’s ARTFUL Submarine
QinetiQ has secured a contract to provide support
for the testing and acceptance trials for Artful, the
third and latest Astute-class nuclear-powered
submarine of the Royal Navy. QinetiQ will support
four separate work packages addressing a variety of
trials to support Acoustic, Magnetic signatures,
weapon discharge and electronic warfare calibration
which will be conducted on QinetiQ managed
ranges and in the open sea. QinetiQ has a long and
successful history of providing extensive test and
evaluation services for ships and submarines
including the previous two Astute class and the Type
45 Destroyers.
Gary Dunn, Requirements Manager Sea Trials,
Submarine Production Team, MoD, said:
“In awarding this contract we were looking for more
efficient and effective ways of delivering the trials
programme with a strong emphasis on improving
value for money. In addition due to the nature of
acceptance and testing programmes we need to work
with a supplier capable of dealing with short term
changes of plan. We selected QinetiQ because they
have delivered a significant reduction in the defined
programme costs, underpinned by their ability to
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9
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manage a complex programme in a highly flexible
and responsive manner.”
The acceptance and testing trials will cover static and
underway acoustic signature measurements,
magnetic signature measurements and optimisation,
weapon discharge and electronic warfare calibration.
QinetiQ will manage the range infrastructures and all
aspects of range safety whilst coordinating the
required skilled personnel and facilities including
those of its subcontractors. QinetiQ will also gather
information throughout the programme to produce
comprehensive reports at the end of each trial to
support both the acceptance and the operational
handover of the submarine to the Royal Navy. The
company will work closely with the submarine and
provide specific knowledge and expertise in areas
such as acoustics and magnetics as necessary.
_____________________________________
Australia to buy Japanese Submarines?
Reuters Sydney, Thu, Nov 06 2014 By Matt Siegel
Australian government under pressure to hold
submarine tender after eyeing Japan deal
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott is under
pressure from regional officials, labour unions and
members of his own party to have an open tender to
build Australia's next-generation submarine, which
would be a blow to Japan and the United States.
Reuters reported in September that Australia was
leaning towards buying as many as 12 off-the-shelf
stealth submarines from Japan in a deal that would
net it a major portion of Australia's overall A$40
billion (21.63 billion pounds) submarine programme.
Senior U.S. naval officers have been enthusiastic
about the possibility of Australia partnering with
Japan, which would give the three navies increased
interoperability at a time of greater American
strategic focus on Asia and as China's navy grows
rapidly.
But strong interest from European manufacturers
willing to build submarines in Australia, a scenario
that would bolster the country's anaemic
manufacturing sector and mollify the government's
blue collar critics, is making an overseas purchase a
hard sell.
Buying the vessels from Japan could threaten
Abbott's hold on power at the next election, said
Martin Hamilton-Smith, the defence and trade
minister for the state of South Australia, which is
home to 27,000 defence-related jobs including 3,000
in shipbuilding.
"It would be a very brave government that went to a
federal election in around eighteen months time
arguing that it was a good thing to export this
amount of work overseas while the other side of
politics was arguing that it was a good idea to spend
that money in Australia," Hamilton-Smith, who
defected from Abbott's Liberal Party this year to
become an independent, told Reuters.
Two sources with knowledge of Japan's discussions
with Australia said Tokyo might not take part in a
tender if it meant getting embroiled in a bidding war,
adding that Japan's diesel-electric submarines were
the only ones big enough to fit Australia's needs.
If Australia wanted those vessels, Japan was ready to
cooperate, said the sources, who declined to be
identified because they were not authorised to speak
to the media.
A separate senior Japanese source said if Australia
held a tender, Tokyo would see what kind of vessel
it wanted before deciding whether to bid.
Sources have previously said Australia was
considering replacing its six ageing Collins-class
submarines with vessels based on the 4,000-tonne
Soryu-class ships built by Mitsubishi Heavy
Industries and Kawasaki Heavy Industries.
Such a deal would mark Japan's re-entry into the
global arms market, just months after Prime Minister
Shinzo Abe ended a ban on weapons exports as part
of his efforts to steer Japan away from decades of
pacifism.
For Abbott, the deal would avoid the costs and risks
of developing a home grown champion from
scratch, after the locally made Collins-class
submarines were panned for being noisy and easily
detected.
EUROPEANS EYE AN OPENING
Australia says it is mulling several options for the
submarine programme, including building the
vessels at home or overseas, and will make a final
decision in a broad defence review expected early
next year.
Defence Minister David Johnston said last month
there was no time for an open tender, and that
Australia faced a "capability gap" if it did not get
new submarines in the water quickly.
A spokesman for Johnston said the cabinet would
use a "two pass" process to decide the project's
future, in which cabinet discusses the matter twice
before reaching a decision based on advice from
defence chiefs and procurement experts.
Abbott had previously pledged the submarines
would be built in South Australia, where
unemployment exceeds the national average, but his
government began back-pedalling in July, signalling
cost and schedule were paramount.
That shift coincided with a flurry of ministerial
exchanges with Japan and an agreement on military
equipment and technology transfers.
Manufacturers from Germany, Sweden and France
have since intensified their interest.
ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems, which last month
sent a team to Canberra, hoped to build submarines
in Australia based on its HDW Class 216 vessel, a
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10
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spokesman said, adding the German company would
take part in any tender.
Swedish defence firm Saab said there was no word
yet on a tender but that it was ready for any work.
France's state-controlled naval contractor DCNS
confirmed its interest in building a version of its
Barracuda nuclear-powered submarine in Australia.
"We have done it that way in Brazil and in India,"
spokesman Emmanuel Gaudez said.
An Australian naval source said the government was
under enormous pressure to explore every option.
"My feeling is that everything is still under very close
and tight consideration," said the source, who
declined to be identified because he was not
authorised to speak to the media.
DISAGREEMENT IN ABBOTT'S PARTY
Australia's manufacturing sector is still reeling from
the decision by Ford Motor Co, Toyota Motor Corp
and General Motors Co to stop production in
Australia by 2016.
Buying the submarines overseas would have a
disastrous impact on the shipbuilding industry and
manufacturing more broadly, said Andrew Davies,
senior analyst and director of research at the
Australian Strategic Policy Institute.
"Obviously the impact would be negative in terms of
workflow in Australian shipyards and it would make
an already marginal enterprise more marginal," he
said.
Those losses would hit major employers such as the
Williamstown Shipyard in the state of Victoria,
owned by British defence contractor BAE Systems
Plc, and the Forgacs shipyard in New South Wales,
said Glenn Thompson, assistant national secretary of
the powerful Australian Manufacturing Workers
Union.
Three South Australian senators from Abbott's
party, Sean Edwards, Anne Ruston and David
Fawcett, last month demanded an open tender,
breaking with their party over the issue. The
senators could not be reached for comment.
Nick Xenophon, an independent senator from
South Australia, said the stance of Fawcett, a
respected lieutenant-colonel and army test pilot
before entering politics, underscored the pressure on
Abbott.
"The government keeps saying that building
submarines is not industry policy. I agree. But it
should be based on the national interest, and the
national interest includes strategic interests and
economic interests," he told Reuters.
Senior U.S. naval officers have gone out of their way
to voice support for Australia buying Soryu-class
submarines from Japan. Washington has close but
separate security pacts with both countries.
Australia would be comfortable operating such
submarines, Vice Admiral Robert Thomas,
commander of the U.S. Navy's Seventh Fleet, said in
Tokyo on Oct. 24, describing them as the best
diesel-electric submarines in the world. The United
States operates nuclear-powered vessels.
"Any time you can have this common equipment
spread amongst your allies, your partners, your
friends, it just makes it so much easier than having
to have to say we are going to have to make this
modification to this system so that system can talk
to this system," said Thomas.
But Xenophon said striking a deal with Japan on
sensitive military technology could anger China,
Australia's biggest trade partner.
"It looks as though a decision is being made for
alliance reasons in terms of the United States, Japan
and Australia, which I think are narrowly focused
and would not be in Australia's national interests,"
he said.
_________________________________________
U.S. Navy Impressed with New Russian
Attack Boat
By: Dave Majumdar
October 28, 2014 4:24 PM
One of the U.S. Navy’s top submarine officers was
so impressed with Russia’s new Project 885 nuclear
attack boats that he had a model of K-329
Severodvinsk built for his office.
Rear Adm. Dave Johnson, Naval Sea Systems
Command’s (NAVSEA) program executive officer
(PEO) submarines said he had the model of
Severodvinsk placed outside his office in a common
area so that he could look at it every day on his way
to his office.
“We’ll be facing tough potential opponents. One
only has to look at the Severodvinsk, Russia’s
version of a [nuclear guided missile submarine]
(SSGN). I am so impressed with this ship that I had
Carderock build a model from unclassified data.”
Johnson said last week during the Naval Submarine
League’s symposium in Falls Church, Va.
“The rest of the world’s undersea capability never
stands still.”
Russian Project 885 submarine during sea trials
The Russian attack boat had been in construction
since 1993 and only entered sea trials late in 2011.
The boat finally became operational earlier this year.
A cash-strapped Russian Federation had to
repeatedly delay completion of the submarine in the
chaos that followed the collapse of the Soviet
Union.
Severodvinsk is the most capable Russian attack
submarine ever built and leverages many of the
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technologies the Soviet Union invested in during the
1970s and 1980s.
Model of Russian submarine Severodvinsk built for
NAVSEA. US Naval Institute Photo
The 13,800-ton, 390-foot long, submarine is highly
automated vessel with a crew of only 32 officers and
58 enlisted submariners.
It is far quieter than previous Russian submarines
and has a maximum “silent” speed of about 20
knots.
The U.S. Naval Institute’s Combat Fleets of the
World said some reports suggest the vessel might
have a maximum speed of between 35 and 40 knots.
However, most Russian reports state a maximum
speed of 35
_________________________________________
HULL BRANCH AT THE NORTHERN
DTS
Some of the Hull & East Yorkshire Branch attended
the Northern Diesel Boats Reunion at Gateshead on
the weekend of the 10th/11th October 2014. In the
picture are from left to right are Ron Thundercliff,
Lenny Norton, Pony Moore, Garry Winterbottom,
Kevin Pengelly & Ron Simpson & Keith Woods
(both Associate Members). It was a very good
weekend with a lot of Alcohol consumed and a good
time was had by all.
Cyril Raines Branch Secretary
________________________________________
SUBMARINE LOSSES OF WWI
This is the second article in a series listing
Submarine losses during WWI and the Crew
Members lost. In Issue 46 we heard about the loss
of Submarine E3 with all hands in October 1914.
Two Submarines - the Barrow built D5 and the
Chatham built D8 - were lost in November 1914.
The first of the ‘D’ Class to be lost was D5
(Lieutenant Commander Godfrey Herbert, RN). He
had survived a near fatal accident to A4 in 1907 and
had, in 1912, taken one of the 'C' Class submarines
to Hong Kong. On 3rd November 1914 Submarine
D5 was on the surface, at night, off the East Coast
hastening to sea to intercept a German Raiding
Force. Herbert, a short while previously, had
relieved his Second Captain as 'Officer of the Watch'
and was on the bridge when the submarine struck a
mine and was sunk. Herbert found himself in the
water and after a while he was rescued with his 3rd
Hand and three of the crew. His Second Captain
and twenty others of his crew were not so lucky.
The survivors were:
Officers:
Lt Cdr Godfrey Herbert, RN
Sub Lt Ian Agnew Patterson MacIntyre, RN
Ratings:
Chief Petty Officer Robert Spiers O/N 154380
Ldg Seaman Alfred Dearlove Suttill O/N J7463
Able Seaman Charles Henry Sexton O/N J23950
Those lost were:
Officers:
Lt Donald Francis O’Callaghan Brodie, RN
Ratings:
PO Frederick Drury Blunsdon O/N 203087
Ldg Seaman Wright Boardman O/N 239913
Ldg Seaman George W Crimp O/N 217450
Ldg Seaman Albert Norris O/N 187835
AB Joseph Dunn O/N J14000
AB Ernest Wilcox O/N 222115
Sig William Rider Cass Dowsett O/N J8219
Tel George Clarence King O/N J5894
CERA Arthur Cecil Smith DSM O/N 270627
ERA William John Copland O/N 271454
ERA Edward Houlcroft O/N M2924
ERA John Thomas Percival Tilley O/N 272256
SPO Timothy Smith O/N 344519
Ldg Stoker Frederick Bradley O/N 302220
A/Ldg Stoker John Robert Leake O/N 304084
Stoker Thomas Ingham O/N K7494
Stoker Richard Penhaligon O/N 223326
Stoker Sidney Simmons O/N K1975
Stoker Henry (Harry) Whiting O/N K7502
Stoker Ernest Worth O/N K2292
The second Submarine lost was Submarine D2 but
there was another unfortunate event a day
previously. On the night of 22nd/23rd November
1914 the Commanding Officer – Lieutenant
Commander Arthur George Jameson, RN – was
washed overboard in rough weather and drowned.
After returning to harbour Lieutenant Commander
Clement G W Head, RN was appointed as his
replacement. On the 24th November Submarine
D2 sailed again from Harwich for a patrol off the
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German Coast. The Submarine did not return from
patrol and was lost with all hands. It is believed that
D2 was trapped in shallow water off the Ems
estuary and was destroyed by German Patrol Craft.
Those lost in D2 were:
Officers:
Lt Cdr Clement George Wakefield Head, RN
Lt Francis Eckley Oakley, RN
Lt Cdr (Retd) Frederick Lewis Coplestone, RN
Ratings:
PO Frederick Hibbs O/N 212178
PO Arthur Hiscock DSM O/N 191423
Ldg Seaman Charles Henry Dawe O/N 221373
Ldg Seaman William Thomas Peters O/N 229227
Ldg Seaman Charles Burt Rolfe O/N 226345
AB Samuel Frederick Cox O/N 239274
AB Thomas Edward Kennett O/N 19592
AB Walter Henry Lock O/N 205253
AB Eli Pethick O/N J1209
Tel Joseph Wilkinson O/N J9962
ERA 2 George William Smith O/N 272616
ERA 3 Charlie Edwards Kilburn O/N M848
ERA 3 Joseph Lumb O/N M1674
ERA 4 Edgar John Killham O/N M776
SPO George Dalton O/N 291703
Ldg Stoker Frederick Fish O/N 283286
Stoker Alfred Artis O/N K3712
Stoker Alfred Barnett O/N 310969
Stoker Herbert Charles James Bird O/N K5470
Stoker George Hobson O/N K2805
Stoker Frederick James Kemp O/N K8777
Stoker Class William Harry Noyce O/N K4834
No Submarines were lost in December 1914
_________________________________________
New Nanomaterial Takes the Stink Out of
Submarine Air
By Nick Stockton 11th Nov 2014
Desperate for a breath of fresh air
David C. Duncan US Navy
On a US Navy submarine, every breath you inhale
has been repeatedly exhaled from the mouths of
about 120 other people. This isn’t as suffocating, or
gross, as it sounds, because submarines have
ventilation systems that take the CO2 out of the air,
and recirculate it with chemically catalyzed oxygen.
I take that back, the air is gross, because the
chemical used to remove CO2 smells like old diesel
mixed with a dash of sulphur, and it permeates
everything on board. This chemical, called amine, is
known by every submariner (I was one for 3 years),
as well as every submariner’s wife, husband, or
anyone else who encounters that sailor’s laundry.
However, a new CO2-capturing nanomaterial could
bring an end to this most notorious of submarine
smells (trust me, there are others).
Unlike amine, which is a liquid, the new material
looks like sand. In fact, it is sand, except it is
covered with tiny pores, each filled with molecules
that selectively pull CO2 out of the airstream.
Together, the sand grain and molecules are called
Self Assembled Monolayers on Mesoporous
Supports (SAMMS). The pores create nooks and
crannies that let even a small amount of the material
soak up an incredible amount of CO2—a teaspoon
of the material has slightly less surface area than a
football field. And it’s reversible. “With a slight
amount of heat, you can also open that molecule back up and
release the CO2, making it possible to use the same material
over and over again,” said Ken Rappe, an engineer at
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory who worked
on SAMMS.
There are many different types of SAMMS, each
designed to bind with a specific molecule. They
were originally engineered to pull mercury and other
contaminants out of industrial waste streams, Rappe
says. The CO2-binding version was identified by
accident over a decade ago, when a scientist
accidentally dropped a sample of the stuff in a glass
of water. The sample started fizzing. Some
experiments showed that this fizzing was the water
dissolving stored carbon. At the time, carbon
capture and storage wasn’t a huge research interest
(besides, SAMMS likes its CO2 cool, and coal power
emissions or automobile exhausts are too hot to
capture), and the researchers searched for an
application before a colleague pointed them to the
problem of funky sub air.
Amine doesn’t just stink, it’s also highly corrosive
and will ruin anything not made of stainless steel.
This makes it a huge maintenance burden, as it
needs to be flushed and moved into storage
whenever it gets saturated with CO2. The sandy
SAMMS would alleviate this, as it doesn’t need
special storage. “When you go from a liquid to a
solid, you’re able to get rid of all the pumps and
tanks,” said Jay Smith, an engineer at the Naval
Ships Engineering Station, Naval Surface Warfare
Center Carderock Division (NAVSSES) in
Philadelphia who has been getting the SAMMSbased replacement ready for deployment. “It’s also
safer, and more environmentally friendly to dispose
of,” she said.
Changing out life support equipment on a
submarine isn’t trivial - no matter how reviled the
piece of equipment. Rappe and his research partners
spent years improving the material before turning it
over to the Navy. Since then, Smith and her
colleagues have been testing the prototype SAMMS
ventilation system specifically for submarines. She
says the prototype is currently going through longterm testing with lab-simulated sub air. It could
then be deployed on future submarines joining the
fleet. Smith also noted that the SAMMS technology
has already been evaluated successfully at sea
through small scale test units.
_________________________________________
www.submarinersassociation.co.uk
13
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th
100 Anniversary of Australian Submarines
Freemantle
(7th – 12th November 2014)
By Ian Vickers
There were five days of celebrations in Fremantle to
commemorate the 100 years of submarines in
Australia. The program was fairly relaxed leaving
time to sightsee, chat to friends and make new ones.
The week started off with an evening meet and greet
at the Maritime Museum. This was our first chance
to meet with our hosts over a few drinks and fine
food. During the evening we were invited to watch
the Australian Navy do their ceremonial Sunset with
guard and band.
Saturday Gala Dinner
The Esplanade Hotel hosted the formal dinner for
around six hundred of us. The welcome speech and
grace were followed by the first course. Then we
had the speeches from Rear Admiral Summat and
Vice Admiral Ian MacDougall Rtd. before we were
too drunk. The main course and dessert followed
accompanied by music from the RAN band. After
the meal the band moved to the adjacent room to
play dance music till the early hours.
Sunday was a quiet day with a submariners fair on in
the town hall for people to buy and exchange
submarine memorabilia. This was followed by a
march through the town by 100 submariners and
veterans bumbling along as we do after a dinner time
sesh.
Monday found some of us on a tour of HMAS
STIRLING. The submarine base is on Garden
Island some miles to the South of Freemantle and
can only accessed by causeway or sea. After clearing
security we had a tour of the base and the nature
reserve by bus before returning to the jetty to watch
the American submarine USS HAWAII berth.
Lunch was in the combined senior rates and officer’s
mess followed by a short talk by the base
commander.
The State Governor’s reception in the evening
hosted by the Right Honourable Mr Joe Frances
State Minister for Veterans Affairs (ex-submariner)
and also the Minister of Defence for Australia. This
took place at the State Function Centre Kings Park
in Perth. A number of speeches were given by
dignitaries while we consumed wine and canapes and
made new friends.
Tuesday 11th November. Remembrance Day
Tuesday morning we all assembled at the temporary
Memorial position in front of the Maritime Museum
near HMAS OVENS for the Remembrance Service.
Two platoons of service personal one from the
Australian Navy and one from the US Navy took
part along with a good turnout of veterans from
eight Countries. The service started with the
dedication and unveiling of the new plaque, this was
followed by prayers and readings, the wreath lying
by the dignitaries followed. At 1100 the Last Post
was sounded. The ceremony was completed by The
Ode to the Fallen.
Lunch at the Navy Club
Following the service of Remembrance we all
moved to the Navy Club for lunch. This was a
normal club function, with raffles, auctions, tot time,
speeches and of course a wonderful meal.
Wednesday Farewell lunch at the Navy Club was a
fairly low key event as the Submariners Association
Australia Branch (West) AGM and quite a few were
missing. So it was farewell to the visitors from
Britain, America, Russia Ukraine, Canada, Sweden
and Holland.
_________________________________________
John Keating (Australia Branch) also sent a
Report on the week’s events unfortunately it is too
big to include in its entireity but here is his
introduction:
G’day, We are still recovering from almost a weeklong series of events, to commemorate this
Centenary; we being the Australian Branch, of the
Submariners Association, based here at Fremantle in
WA. Our history is intertwined with the Australian
SM Arm, from their very formation in 1914, with
the arrival of the British built SM’s, HMAS/M AE1
& AE2, complete with a mixed complement RN
Officers & crew, along with some Australian
Submariners (their numbers increased after their
arrival in Australia).
This connection continued with the 6 RN ‘J’ class
SM’s after WW1 (1919-27), followed by OXLEY &
OTWAY, of the original OBERON class between
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the wars (1927-31) & even up to their acquisition of
the former old Dutch SM KIX, during WW2, as the
training SM HMAS/M K9 (1943-44). Her CO &
many of her Officers & crew, were RN personnel.
Post-War to assist the RAN & RNZN, for ASW
training, the RN 4th SM Flotilla, was re-established
at HMAS PENGUIN, in Sydney, NSW, in 1949 &
operated from there until 1969; in 1967, HMAS/M
OXLEY II the first of the 6 new RAN OBERON
class SM’s, arrived at their new base at HMAS
PLATYPUS, at Neutral Bay, in North Sydney; she
was soon followed by OTWAY II, OVENS &
ONSLOW; these first 4 SM’s were later followed by
ORION (1977) & OTAMA (1978). From this
period onwards there was a close connection with
the RN SM Arm, with personnel on exchange in
both countries & former RN personnel coming to
Australia & serving in the RAN.
During 1996 the RAN commissioned HMAS/M
COLLINS, as the lead boat of the type 471 class
Submarine, designed by Swedish builders, Kockums,
to replace the ageing OBERONS. These six SM’s
were all constructed at the Australian SM
Corporation (ASC) site at Port Adelaide in South
Australia. The 5 other SM’s in this class are
FARNCOMB,
WALLER,
DECHAINEUX,
SHEEAN & RANKIN. At this time the RAN SM
HQ was moved from HMAS PLATYPUS in
Sydney, to HMAS STIRLING, Fleet Base West
(FBW), at Rockingham, South of Perth, in WA.
There remains a close contact with the RN, as many
former serving SM Personnel continue to join the
RAN & serve in these SM’s.
Also based at STIRLING are the SM Training &
Systems Centre (STSC) & the SM Escape Training
Facility (SETF) so our Association is in the perfect
location. We have a great relationship with our
brothers in the Submarines Association Australian
(SAA), which has branches in each State (some of
our members belong to both Associations, having
also served in RAN SM’s) & the Submarine Institute
of Australia (SIA), which is also based in WA.
_________________________________________
£270 million contract awarded to upgrade
Royal Navy torpedoes
The UK’s Ministry of Defence (MOD) has awarded
BAE Systems a £270 million contract to upgrade the
Spearfish Heavyweight Torpedo for the Royal
Navy’s submarines.
Following the completion of the design phase,
existing torpedoes will be upgraded by BAE Systems
at its Broad Oak facility in Portsmouth to the new
design with initial deliveries in 2020 continuing until
2024.
The contract secures 100 skilled engineering jobs for
BAE Systems’ Maritime Services business at Broad
Oak, and sustains hundreds more across the supply
chain. Forty new skilled engineering personnel will
be recruited to work on the programme within BAE
Systems.
The upgrade, known as Spearfish Mod 1 extends the
life of the torpedo, improves safety through the
introduction of an Insensitive Munitions warhead
and by utilising a single fuel system and provides
more capable data links between the weapon system
and the launching vessel. This results in capability
improvements for the Royal Navy as well as
significant reduction in through-life operating costs.
The anti-submarine and anti-surface Spearfish
torpedoes are currently deployed the BAE Systems
designed and built Trafalgar and Vanguard
submarines, as well as the Astute Class submarines.
Spearfish can be used in defensive and offensive
situations and its advanced design delivers maximum
warhead effectiveness at high speed with
outstanding manoeuvrability, low radiated noise,
advanced homing and sophisticated tactical
intelligence.
The torpedo can operate autonomously from the
time of launch and is capable of variable speeds
across the entire performance envelope. Its high
power density bespoke engine allows it to attain
exceptional sprint speed in the terminal stage of an
attack. The result is an underwater weapon that
provides decisive advantage against the full range of
submarine and surface threats in all operational
environments. Extensive in-water testing will
demonstrate consistently high performance and
outstanding reliability.
Defence Secretary, Michael Fallon, said: “This
contract award is good news for the Royal Navy, the
UK and the city of Portsmouth where around 100
engineering jobs will be created or sustained. He
continued “Portsmouth continues to play a
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significant part in defence as illustrated by this
contract award and has a bright future ahead of it
thanks to recent investment such as the £600M
contract to run the naval base, sustaining thousands
of jobs, and the upcoming £100M of infrastructure
work to prepare the city for the arrival of the Queen
Elizabeth Class Carriers.”
John Hudson, Managing Director for BAE Systems’
UK Maritime Sector, said: “Upgrading the Spearfish
Heavyweight Torpedo will provide sophisticated
advances for the Royal Navy with increased
operational advantage in the underwater domain.”
He continued: “As well as sustaining and creating
jobs in the Solent region, the contract allows the
opportunity to work on one of the most exciting
development programmes in the country,
underpinning BAE Systems’ position at the
forefront of underwater systems development over
the last 40 years.”
_________________________________________
ARMISTICE DAY – FREMANTLE
attachments - from Roger Cooper - the Curator of
the Holbrook Museum at Holbrook, New South
Wales, Australia:
“Greetings to all from Holbrook,
We had a dinner to celebrate the centenary of
Norman Holbrook VC with his crew aboard the
B11 on 13th December 1914.
The guest speaker was Laurence Ryan, author of
‘Holbrook, the Submarine Town.’ He gave a
brilliant talk on Norman’s parents, brothers and
sisters and Norman's life.
From Jill & Robert Simpson (Hull Branch)
I've attached a photograph taken by Jill of four
members of the Hull branch attending Armistice
Day outside the Western Australia Maritime
Museum. At the time of the photo the temperature
was over 30 degrees Celsius (Hot as we normally are
freezing our butts off).
We were proud to represent the Submarine
Association and we duly delivered on the drinking
front.
In the photo from the left are Neil Simpson, Robert
Simpson, Dave Broadly and Keith Wood.
Thought you might put this in the next In Depth.
Regards
Rob and Jill (who made sure we were on our best
behaviour)
_________________________________________
NORMAN HOLBROOK, VC
MEMORIAL DINNER
In Issue 46 there was an article about the recent
unveiling of the Submariners Association ‘Blue
Plaque’ to Norman Holbrook at his old School in
Portsmouth.
Frank (Sandy Powell) has recently received the
following E Mail - and some photographic
Around forty guests attended with a mix of locals
and Submariners. The Holbrook Mayor, Heather
Wilton, gave an address with past GHSC Officer Ian
Gilbert proposing a toast to the Holbrook family with a special mention for Gundula Holbrook who
turned 100 three weeks ago.
It was an excellent night to honour an exceptional
man and his family.”
The picture shows the ‘Oberon’ Class Control
Room (in Red Lighting of course) which was built
inside of the museum using the Control Room
scavenged from HMAS OTWAY before she was
finally broken up. The guy that built it did it from
photographs and was an aircraft engineer.
The photograph below shows the scale model of
Holbrook’s boat B11 just outside of the entrance to
the museum and which is their most recent
acquisition
www.submarinersassociation.co.uk
16
IN DEPTH
.
The Casing and Fin of HMAS OTWAY! Absolutely
amazing – they have done well!
_____________________________________________
Move of MOD Veterans UK website to
GOV.uk
Veterans UK website has moved from a standalone
site to become part of the new GOV.uk superwebsite.
This note is to advise you that with the new pages
now successfully running, redirects from the old to
the new pages will be put in place. Anyone trying to
access www.veterans-uk.info will be redirected to
www.gov.uk/veterans-uk . No-one should receive a
broken link.
MOD Veteran Welfare Service, Veterans UK
The statutory support to Veterans across the UK is
delivered by the Veterans Welfare Service; their
direct web site can be accessed via:
https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/veteranswelfare-service
Whilst this is a positive move and supports better
accessibility/future development of online services,
some content has changed and it may take some
people a little time to get used to the new format
and content locations.
Veterans UK was previously ‘Service Personnel
and Veterans Agency’.
Here are some details you may find useful. Please
pass this information to anyone you think may need
to know:
Veterans UK
Veterans UK HELPLINE - 0808 1914 218
Monday to Thursday, 07:30 to 18:30 Friday, 07:30
to 17:00
www.gov.uk/veterans-uk
E-mail: [email protected]
Veterans Welfare Service, Veterans UK
The Veterans Welfare Service (VWS), part of
Veterans UK, provides one to one support to
Veterans via a national network of welfare managers
across the UK and Republic of Ireland.
https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/veteranswelfare-service
The VWS has 4 Veterans Welfare Centres, providing
advice and support across the UK. Centurion
(London, SE and SW England)
Tel 02392 702232
Email: [email protected]
Kidderminster (South and Central Wales, Midlands
and East England)
Tel 01562 825527
Email: [email protected]
Norcross VWC (NW England, Yorkshire and
Humber, North Wales and IOM)
Tel 01253 333494
Email: [email protected]
Glasgow (Scotland, NE England, NI and ROI)
Tel 0141 2242709
Email: [email protected]
If you are supporting a veteran and need further
advice, the VWS may be able to help. To locate
your nearest centre, call our Veterans UK helpline
on 0808 1914218.
Useful leaflet:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/
uploads/attachment_data/file/330719/VeteransUK
_AFCS_WPS_Leaflet1.pdf
_________________________________________
SUBMARINE SERVICE: FUTURE
BASING PLANS
In the House of Commons on 24th November, the
Secretary of State for Defence confirmed that HMS
TORBAY and TRENCHANT will not relocate to
HMNB Clyde but will remain in Devonport for the
remainder of their operational life. HMS TALENT
and TRIUMPH will base port change to HMNB
Clyde in 2019 and 2020 respectively.
The drivers for this decision are twofold. Feedback
received by the Submarine Sustainable Manning
Programme indicated that the original plan to move
all T-Boats to HMNB Clyde – arising from the 2008
Maritime Change Programme - was now strongly
retention negative. The revised relocation plan will
allow greater stability for Devonport based
submariners and their families and will smooth the
transition to the establishment of a Single Integrated
Submarine Operating Base on the Clyde by 2020. In
addition, it does not represent value for money to
move TORBAY and TRENCHANT so close to the
end of their service lives.
This decision is a sensible balance between the
operational requirements of the Submarine Service
and providing longer term domestic stability for our
www.submarinersassociation.co.uk
17
IN DEPTH
Service personnel and their families as they plan
their futures. It in no way changes our intention to
develop a Submarine Centre of Specialisation in
HMNB Clyde. This facility will host world-class
support and training facilities and will significantly
reduce the amount of time submariners are required
to spend away from their base port in order to
conduct training with an obvious benefit to their
harmony.
Until TALENT and TRIUMPH relocate, HMNB
Devonport will continue to provide operational
support and platform-specific training to the
Trafalgar Class. Post 2020, Devonport will continue
to support fleet operations under the Maritime
Support Delivery Framework. It will remain the
home of the amphibious assault ships, a significant
portion of our frigate capability, the surveying
squadron and a number of other units, including 1
Assault Group Royal Marines. It will also continue
to provide bespoke deep maintenance facilities for
all ships based there, as well as nuclear submarines.
2SL Fleet Commander
_________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
LETTERS AND E MAILS TO THE EDITOR & THE WEBSITE
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Date:
Nov 2014
Name:
Mike Colton
Email:
[email protected]
Comments:
Cockleshell Heroes Memorial Seat.
Just to let you know that on the 25th April 2015 we
will be dedicating the Cockleshell Heroes Memorial
Seat and HMS TUNA, Royal Marines and French
plaques, which are situated in the Allied Special
Forces Memorial Grove at the National Memorial
Arboretum, Alrewas, Staffordshire, DE13 7AR.
This is an open event.
Hope that this is of interest. Mike Colton, Project
Manager
_________________________________________
Date:
17th Dec 2014
From:
Jim McCrum
Email:
[email protected]
Comments:
Spike Ritchie
I was reading your October Newsletter and noticed
someone was looking for Tom (Spike) Ritchie.
I was on one of the bombers with him, can't
remember which one, but after I left the mob I met
him in the Barrow shipyard late 85 early 86.
The next time I bumped into him was a couple of
years ago in the national art gallery in Edinburgh, he
was, and as far as I know still is, working as a
guide/security in the gallery. We had a bit of a
natter and he told me where he now lived but I'm
afraid I can't remember. I hope that might help your
inquirer.
Regards A J McCrum
_________________________________________
Date: 10th Nov 2014
From: Keith F Willifer
Paxton, St. Neots, Cambridgeshire.
Dear Barrie Downer,
May I first of all say that I very much enjoy ‘In
Depth’ particularly ‘The Diary of PO Kinder’, and
the article on Service Rum. This has likely settled
many disagreements.
It also reminded me of my time on ASTUTE (on
which I was POLTO) - part of which was spent in
Halifax, Canada around 58/59. We still had our ‘tot’
but not in the mixture quoted in the article. The
rum came in clear glass bottles of about a quart and
was, I believe, South African. There were two other
‘A’ Boats there at the same time who, I presume,
had the same rum issue. I didn’t hear any one
complain about it and, as I remember, it was up to
standard.
Regards, Keith Willifer.
_________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
Report from SA Representative on RNSM Advisory Panel Meeting 26th November 2014
From Ted Hogben
RNSM Management: The AP noted that the RNSM is the only National Museum of the Royal Navy museum
without a director on site. A possible consequence of this is that the Board of Directors (BoD) plays a more
active role in the management of the Museum than might normally be expected. Recent examples include the
BoD role in:
•
Ensuring the WW1 exhibition takes place next year.
•
Ensuring that a “lessons learned process" is undertaken.
•
The future of the Alliance maintenance arrangements.
Other views on the matter of the BoD's involvement are being sought.
Strategic Plan: The AP noted that NMRN Strategic Plan is not on the agenda for the Directors meeting. The
BoD therefore are unaware of what plans are being made for the future of the RNSM and Alliance. For example
www.submarinersassociation.co.uk
18
IN DEPTH
opportunities exist for cooperation with other museums (CHD (Ocelot), Courageous, Helensburgh Submarine
Museum, etc), and any plans for further development of the RNSM site are unknown.
Operations:
•
Visitor numbers remain impressive. In the Visitor Figures Report commentary, the increase in numbers
is attributed to "continued success of the All Attraction Ticket (ATT) and waterbus". The AP believes that this
phrase betrays a fundamental misunderstanding and the visitors want to see the attractions (such as Victory,
Alliance, etc), and they don't visit because of ticketing or transport arrangements (which were in place last year as
well), useful as these aspects are. This not a trivial point and, if extrapolated, means that we need to ensure that
Alliance (in our case) remain attractive, putting a premium on its future maintenance, refreshing the RNSM offer
etc.
•
Visitor feedback, is there any negative feedback?
•
Corporate Performance Noted with concern, Dr Jonathon Davies, a member of the AP, has considerable
experience in this area and has offered to assist with reviewing performance, assisting with training etc at no cost.
•
A tactical point that has strategic effect is the RNSM (and wider) response to telephone calls. The
automatic system needs to be updated and configured not to offer to return the caller to the operator as there is
no operator! On Mondays and Tuesdays when the Museum is closed in the winter, callers must be informed and
not left hanging.
Curatorial:
•
We look forward to seeing details of the temporary WW1 exhibition that needs to be in place in the next
few months, their costs and how they are to be paid for.
•
Alliance project progress should be on this agenda.
Finance:
•
The profit and loss (P&L) was received too late to analyse in detail. Admission income remains under+
budget which, in the light of the very good visitor numbers, points clearly to the fact we are not getting enough
from the AAT. The way ahead on this matter would be appreciated.
•
The AP considers that a short brief on the NMRN financial position would helpful.
Admin/Human Resources
•
The delay in setting up an appraisal system is viewed with very considerable concern. This was promised
in the autumn, then December, and it will now be "rolled out in the New Year". A date for the full
implementation of the system needs to be set and held
These comments/remarks are passed to the NMRN Directors meeting, in order that they may become aware of
matters which may not have been drawn to their consideration by other parties. Some concern was expressed that
the AP would be just a "talking shop" but I don't think that view holds any sway now.
The next Advisory Panel meeting is scheduled for Friday 27th February 2015.
“Seasons’ Greeting to All”
Best regards Ted H.
________________________________________________________________________________________
The Otus Foundation to give back
The Crew of HMS Otus (http://hmsotus.com ) announce they will form The Otus Foundation with an aim to
raise funds to buy the Operating Company and its asset HMS OTUS at Sassnitz, Germany over the next one to
two years. The aim being to form a charity to provide funds for retired submariners and their direct relatives.
This will be incorporated early in 2015 and promulgated to all.
They would like the funds to come, in the first instance, as donations from the submarine community and its
supporters, in addition to what they raise themselves and their corporate sponsors. The general public are
welcome to contribute in an effort to support retired veterans.
HMS OTUS in Retirement at SASSNITZ
www.submarinersassociation.co.uk
19
IN DEPTH
A website has been opened to gives full details (http://Supporthmsotus.com ) and a proposal for the arrangement
of the Foundation can be seen in full at http://supporthmsotus.com/Proposal.html .
In short it will be a Charitable Foundation by submariners: For submariners and their direct relatives. Anyone
may donate as much or as little as they want. HOWEVER – There is a FOUNDER scheme for those who can
donate a certain amount (£500) that will get individuals a special status and benefits. Submariners can nominate
themselves, themselves and Oppos or just Oppos. In all cases that includes wives and immediate family. If the
submariner has passed the bar then the immediate family qualify as Founders. Non submariners can nominate
people they know are submariners. It’s all for the benefit of a submariner and/or their family. There may be a T
Shirt!
Submariners giving back to their own and their families - for life - seemed the noblest thing to do with profits
available and if this keeps the boat alive and seen by millions, as it has so far, then that is just as good a reason as
any charity.
The website will take PLEDGES TO DONATE immediately (which is not giving REAL money, just a promise)
which will be converted into donations when the Foundation is established as a legal entity in the New Year. The
Foundation will even take Founder payments by instalment through Direct Debit as well as through the usual
channels.
Please share with any social media page you might feel appropriate. You may print and distribute this text in any
way you feel may benefit the cause. Tell your friends, your acquaintances and your oppos down the pub. GET
THE WORD OUT AND KEEP IT OUT. If you’re a business and you wish to donate please contact us through
the email below.
For further details e mail: [email protected] or call (852) 68916516
BOOKS
.
TWIXT THE DEVIL & THE DEEP
BLUE SEA
shot by the Germans to being assisted by the Rome
Escape Line, from being sheltered by Italian families
to joining the partisans, their stories of escape, of
flight, of capture, are as varied as the men
themselves. But their shared goal was to return
home safely to their families and sadly some never
did.
ISBN 978 1 3260 63207
By Janet Kinrade Dethick & Anne M. Corke
Publisher:
Dethick & Corke
Pages:
218 (Paperback)
Price:
£9.99
_________________________________________
TERROR ON THE ALERT
Submarine Thriller Plunges Into Cuban Crisis
(This review is taken from the December 2014 edition of
the WARSHIPS International Fleet Review magazine)
During her distinguished career, submarine HMS
Saracen was responsible for sinking thousands of
tons of Axis shipping. But in August 1943 her luck
ran out when she was mortally wounded by depth
charges from two Italian corvettes, the last Allied
submarine to be sunk by the Italians. Forced to
surface, she was scuttled by her crew who were
taken prisoner. But HMS Saracen's story is more
than the story of a submarine. It is the story of her
crew and their experiences both before and after her
loss. From the cat and mouse games of war at sea to
their harrowing escape from their stricken ship,
from being sent to Dachau to finding themselves on
a POW train bombed by the Americans, from being
‘Terror on the Alert’ is a Cold War thriller set at
the height of tensions between the West and the
Soviet Union during the Cuban Missile Crisis of late
1962.
Written by Canadian retired submarine officer
Robert W. Mackay, the novel takes us aboard the ‘A’
Class diesel boat HMCS ALERT. Her mission is to
seek out and shadow Russian submarines and be
prepared to destroy them if necessary.
There is high tension from the start, with the main
character, a junior officer named Ted, troubled by
trauma-induced claustrophobia resulting from a
recent car accident in which he was trapped in
burning wreckage.
Ted’s condition gradually worsens and threatens his
ability to function. To add to Ted’s misery, his XO
is the last man on earth he would wish to have as a
www.submarinersassociation.co.uk
20
IN DEPTH
superior officer. There is a mutual dislike going
back to when they trained together.
At sea, though, the business of hunting hostile
submarines seems to overcome such differences.
When a Soviet boat is detected a deadly cat-andmouse game ensues and not only do tensions rise
between ALERT and the other boat, they also reach
an explosive state between Ted and the XO.
While the Russian submarine, aware of Alert’s
presence adopts an increasingly aggressive stance,
the plot takes a bizarre turn for the worse with the
XO running amok after secreting weapons about the
vessel.
Without doubt Mackay exhibits a compelling writing
style and brings his experience as a submariner to
bear with great effect. The way he conveys the
deadly game of hunter versus hunted under water
oozes suspense and is totally believable. However,
events between ‘our hero’ and the XO, stretch
credibility too far. The rest of the story, particularly
ALERT’s encounter with her nemesis, makes for a
really good read and delivers thrills aplenty."
Paperback: 240 pages. Available from Amazon in
Paperback (£10.79) and Kindle (£5.99)
Publisher: TouchWood Editions
ISBN-10: 1771510811
ISBN-13: 978-1771510813
_________________________________________
DIVE TRUK LAGOON
(By Rod MacDonald)
The Publisher’s pre-issue publicity for ‘Dive Truk
Lagoon’ was included in Issue 46 but I was a bit
dubious about whether the book (when published)
would live up to expectations and how much interest
there would be for SA Members. However, having
previously reviewed ‘Force Z Shipwrecks of the
South China Sea’ covering diving on the wrecks of
the PRINCE OF WALES and the REPULSE, by
the same author in Issue 40 it deserved a look.
It is a remarkable book in a number of ways - there
is a brief but interesting discussion of the causes of,
and the lead up to the war in the Pacific before the
author moves on to the main subject of the book
which is the remote Japanese WWII bastion of Truk
Lagoon (now renamed Chuuk Lagoon) which Rod
MacDonald describes as the ‘Gibraltar of the Pacific’
and which is full of divable wrecks.
The book specifically covers the events of Operation
Hailstone during which, in the two days of
17th/18th February 1944 and a further two days on
29th/30th April 1944, US Naval Aircraft attacked
Chuuk Lagoon and sank some 48 ships (mainly
cargo vessels), but including at least one patrol
vessel, one destroyer, one submarine and many small
harbour craft and also shot down or destroyed on
the ground some 360 Japanese aircraft for the loss
of 60 of their own. Shortly after the second strike
the Japanese effectively abandoned Chuuk and it
became a backwater for the remainder of the 20th
Century.
Had the US Navy not conducted a prior
photographic reconnaissance it is possible that they
could also have been presented with a large number
of important Imperial Japanese Naval ships as
targets
Moving on to the present day the Lagoon has
become one of the world’s premier diving sites for
both recreational and technical divers as the wrecks
of the sunken ships and aircraft are within the reach
of both in clear and warmer conditions compared to
home waters.
The bulk of Rod MacDonald’s book is given over to
detailed description (with photographs and detailed
drawings/sketches) of 38 of the more important and
reachable wrecks describing current condition as
well how the ships were sunk. Although most
wrecks are of Japanese built ships there is one 7,000
ton motor vessel built by William Denny of
Dumbarton. A number of aircraft wrecks are also
covered. The level of detail is impressive.
This well researched book will be of particular
interest to all divers as well as to those who are avid
readers of naval history - with the submariners not
forgotten - and is recommended as a good
Christmas present to the enthusiast.
288 pages hardback. £30
ISBN 978-184995-131-9
Available from Whittles Publishing, Dunbeath,
Caithness, Scotland, UK KW6 6EG
Tel: 01593 731333; Fax: 01593 731400
E mail [email protected]
www.whittlespublishing.com
_________________________________________
The Diary of Petty Officer Henry Kinder (RAN) of Submarine AE2
(Continued from Issue No. 45)
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Imagine our surprise on Thursday, 29th April (1915)
to see first the periscope and then the conning tower
of a submarine rising about a quarter of a mile away.
E14 had made her appearance. The captain ran over
close to her for information as we could get no
communication by wireless. We then separated for
the night, the captains making an appointment to
meet the following day, a day which was to prove a
very unlucky one for us and the last for the AE2.
On the morning of the 30th we caught sight of E14
about eleven o’clock being chased by two gun-boats
and a destroyer. Shortly after she dived out of the
way and as AE2 was surface running the Turkish
boats made after us.
www.submarinersassociation.co.uk
21
IN DEPTH
When they nearly got in range the captain ordered
AE2 down but after running for about ten minutes
AE2 started to go down by the bows. The captain
ordered full speed ahead on the motors and the
hydroplanes hard to rise but the boat made no
response. It kept sinking by the bows until AE2 was
nearly on its beam end.
It was impossible to stand on the deck. The crew
had to get their feet on some of the side fixtures
with their backs against the decks to carry out the
orders.
To make matters worse, everything
moveable in the boat started to slide and roll to the
bows. Some of the heavier things such as boxes of
spanners took some dodging and it sounded like
bedlam let loose.
It was hard to hear the orders above the noise of
breaking crockery, rolling mess tins and the rest of
the moving articles. The main diving gauges had got
beyond registering the depth. Orders were carried
out with great difficulty owing to the awful angle of
the boat.
The main motors had been reversed at full speed
and all the ballast tanks blown to try and stop the
boat from going to the bottom.
The air pressure when blowing the tanks showed the
boat to be down 175ft although we were in 240 ft of
water by the reading on the chart. It was impossible
to take the boat to the bottom (even if the hull
could have withstood the pressure of 120lbs to the
square inch) as the angle at which the boat was
sinking would have driven her bows into the mud
making it practically impossible to rise again.
On the other hand, the Turks were waiting on top.
So it was a case of between the devil and the deep
blue sea with one of them to win. Still, it seemed
better to take the chance with the devil in the form
of the Turks as there was no chance the other way.
With all the tanks blown and the motors racing full
speed astern it seemed a long while before AE2
started to rise and whilst she was rising, the captain
tried to gain control again. However, our luck was
out and AE2 came to the surface with a whoosh.
Orders were again given to flood the tanks as there
was still a fighting chance but on submerging she
sank by the bows worse than before and was going
down fast.
It was a terrible mess and disorder reigned but the
crew stuck to their stations although it was hard to
carry out orders when the depth gauges got beyond
registering.
Orders were again given to blow the tanks and the
motors reversed. All hands had their eyes on the
depth gauges and it seemed ages before they started
registering at 120ft.
This time when AE2 broke surface the Turkish
destroyer was so close it was practically impossible
for them to miss the stern of AE2 which was well
out of the water. The German gunner managed to
get three shells through the hull near the engine
room but the captain had already given the order to
flood the tanks and AE2 had started to submerge
for the third time.
Word was passed along to the captain that there
were several holes in the hull and water began to
pour into the engine room. If we didn't soon get
AE2 to the surface we were caught.
The watertight door leading into the engine room
was closed after a hard struggle owing to the angle
of the boat. The engine room was now isolated. All
the available air was turned on so sufficient pressure
could be maintained to get the water out of the
tanks as quickly as possible.
The great trouble was the difficulty we had in
carrying out our orders. We began to wonder what
the results were going to be as no-one knew how
fast the water was pouring in through the shell holes.
As AE2 weighed 900 tons, once she began sinking
she took a lot of checking and it was not long before
we were down to 60ft, then to 80ft, then the
indicator began to slow down and AE2 was
suspended. But would she rise to the surface?
Everything had been done and it was just a matter
of watch and wait for results. Things were
beginning to look serious and it meant a struggle for
life or death.
If any of the water pouring into the engine room
came in contact with the motors and short circuited
them it would be all up. As it was, the motors were
working far beyond their safety load and the
electricians were standing by with spare fuses in case
others blew out. I think it would have been useless
as AE2 was just holding her own and a lot depended
on whether the water was being blown out of the
tanks faster than it was pouring into the engine
room. The boat was vibrating so much it seemed as
though she would shake to pieces.
At last the gauge indicated that we were rising to the
surface but very slowly: would the air pressure last?
All the air pipes were frosting so it was being used
up fairly fast.
Many things flashed through my mind in those few
minutes. I could picture AE1 and her crew under
similar conditions fighting for their lives with all the
boat in disorder - although they couldn’t have lived
long. AE1 was believed to have gone down in a
thousand fathoms of water which is well over a mile
deep and the boat’s hull would soon have been
crushed under the enormous pressure.
This
increases by about ½lb to the square inch for every
foot the boat descends. Still, they must have
suffered agonies in those few seconds.
We would be lucky if we did not share the same fate.
AE2 was rising but we were not out of the mill yet.
It was obvious that AE2 had received her death
blow so as soon as the boat got to the surface the
captain gave the order to abandon ship: every man
www.submarinersassociation.co.uk
22
IN DEPTH
for himself. We now fully realized that AE2’s end
had come and if we were lucky enough to get out we
would have to take whatever was coming to us from
the Turks.
AE2’s conning tower was just above water and the
crew could only go out one at a time. It took some
minutes for thirty-three men to go up. The wireless
operator, the first to go up, didn’t seem to like the
look of things as the two gun boats were still firing
and shells were falling all around us.
My turn didn’t come till near the last. I spent my last
few minutes looking around the boat. The clock
said five minutes to twelve, a time which made me
think of the rabbit pie in the oven. By this time pie
and oven would be all mixed up with the engines. I
went to my ditty box and got 16/- and a photograph
of my wife. I thought the money might come in
handy. I was sorry I had paid in a few pounds to the
canteen the night before we left.
AE2 looked a proper wreck with everything in
disorder. The captain had been collecting the ship's
papers and destroying charts. The last thing I
noticed was the charge of gun cotton which was
kept handy under the diving gauges to blow the boat
up. This would prevent her from falling into enemy
hands. I often wonder (if the boat had remained on
the bottom) whether the captain would have been
game enough to have used the charge and blown the
boat and crew to their final resting place. I think he
would have.
At last my turn came. I had kept one eye on the
depth gauge to make sure that the boat was not
sinking and with one last look around, came up on
deck to start a new life in an unknown country. It
was like leaving home. The chief engine room
artificer and the three officers were still to follow
me.
When I got on deck the two gun boats were still
firing and the destroyer that had hit us was quite
c1ose and b1owing her siren for the other boat to
cease fire. They were firing fairly wide so there
wasn't much chance of being hit. AE2’s crew had
taken to the water and were scattered all over the
place. Most of them were wearing life belts in the
form of a padded waistcoat. These had been handy
to wear in the boat to keep warm.
I stood by the conning tower to warn the captain,
(who was still in the boat shutting off the air and
opening up the Kingston valves) to make sure that
AE2 would sink fast. He just got on deck when she
took her final dive. For a few seconds I could see
her moving through the water like a big, wounded
fish, gradually disappearing from sight. I felt sorry to
see AE2 come to such an end but she had died
fighting.
There was only one casualty, a large rat that the cat
at Garden Island had chased on board one morning
when we were lying alongside. He fell into the
engine room and although he made several attempts
to get out he never succeeded and no attempt was
made to catch him. We fed him to stop him eating
our foodstuff.
He didn’t like submarine life and perhaps he knew
by instinct that the boat was doomed. The watch
keepers told us that the night before AE2 went
down the rat made frantic attempts to climb up the
conning tower ladder.
To be continued in In Depth No. 48 with:
CAPTIVITY!
OBITUARIES
LIEUTENANT ROBERT AITKEN, DSO
Robert Aitken, who died on 22nd October 2014 at the age of ninety one, took part in Operation Source, the daring
attack by midget submarines on the German battleship Tirpitz in its lair in northern Norway and which was told
in the 1955 film ‘Above Us the Waves’.
www.submarinersassociation.co.uk
23
IN DEPTH
In Operation Source, Aitken was one of two divers in the four-man crew of midget submarine X-7, commanded
by Lieutenant Godfrey Place, one of six midget submarines (or X-craft) which were towed across the Norwegian
Sea to attack the battleship in its heavily protected anchorage at Altenfjord in September 1943.
Aitken recalled that as Place set off shortly after midnight on September 22 he saw a German ship pass through a
gate in the anti-submarine netting surrounding Tirpitz. X-7 dived into its wake, but while below periscope depth
became unsighted, and found itself in another net. While Place manoeuvred violently to shake off the net, he
ordered Aitken to prepare to exit the boat to cut it free. In the event this was unnecessary, as the midget sub
managed to work itself clear.
The gyro compass and the trim pump were broken, but Place brought his craft slowly to periscope depth, sighted
his target and dived under Tirpitz. They managed to drop two side cargos of explosive under the battleship, then,
as Aitken recalled: "The CO set a course for home. But we didn't get very far because we hit the nets again."
Now alerted to an underwater attack, the Germans began to drop depth charges, and at 08.12 a huge explosion
shook X-7 as the explosives which Place had laid blew up. X-7 bobbed to the surface where bullets penetrated
the ballast tanks. Unable to control the boat, Place opened the hatch and waved a white sweater to indicate
surrender. The small arms fire stopped, but as Place climbed on to the casing his boat hit a raft, and water
flooded in. Aitken slammed the hatch shut, but the boat plunged to the bottom at 08.35.
Aitken and the remaining crew, Lieutenant Lionel ("Bill") Whittam and Engine Room Artificer Bill Whitley,
thought that running the engines would attract more depth charges, so they decided to attempt an escape using
the breathing apparatus, and flooded the boat so that they could open the hatches. As water reached the batteries
they shorted out, giving off chlorine, and the three men had to start breathing oxygen earlier than planned.
As Aitken felt around in the black interior of the boat, he stumbled over a body, and bending down he found
Whitley, who had run out of oxygen. When the water pressure inside the boat allowed him to open the hatch
Aitken made his exit and slowly surfaced. As he did so he searched for Whittam, but there was no sign of him.
Looking up he was disappointed to see Tirpitz still afloat, and only later did he learn that the battleship had been
severely damaged.
Aitken was picked up by a motorboat and held prisoner in Tirpitz, where he was interrogated. But he also recalled
that after a rating had placed a bowl of soup on the table in his cell, the man had turned and flicked a packet of
cigarettes on to the table - a "friendly gesture which reminded me of the comradeship of those who sailed the
seas". He spent the rest of the war as a Prisoner of War.
Churchill called Operation Source a naval episode of highest importance: Place and Donald Cameron (the
Scottish captain of X-6) were awarded the Victoria Cross, while Sub-Lieutenants Richard Kendall and John
Lorimer, and Aitken himself, were each awarded the Distinguished Service Order.
The son of a Norwich doctor, Robert Aitken was born on 1st January 1923 and was educated at Oundle, after
which he was articled as an accountant. As soon as he was able he volunteered for the Navy as a seaman. He
passed out of HMS KING ALFRED in 1942 at the top of his class and volunteered for special duties. It was in a
classroom at HMS DOLPHIN in Gosport, that Aitken and a group of officers and ratings were told that they had
volunteered to be ‘charioteers’ (crew of two-man "human torpedoes"). He enjoyed the training, later observing:
"If you give a teenager what is essentially an underwater motorbike, that's great fun." He was persuaded by the
offer of leave to transfer to the slightly bigger X-craft.
Post-war, Aitken completed his articles and joined a firm in London. In the 1950s he moved to R Hunt & Co, his
wife's family's agricultural engineering firm at Earls Colne in Essex, where he became managing director. Robert
Aitken married Anne Hunt in 1951. She died in 1992, and he is survived by a son and three daughters.
________________________________________________________________________________________
CAPTAIN THOMAS NOEL CATLOW
A joint Memorial Service was held in St. Mary’s Church at Kirby Lonsdale, Cumbria on Friday 5th December
2014 to celebrate the lives of the late Captain Thomas Noel Catlow and his wife, Jean Meriel Catlow (nee Nuttall)
– the day after what would have been Thomas Catlow’s 100th birthday. Thomas Catlow (known as Tommy)
‘Crossed the Bar’ at the age of ninety nine on 23rd August 2014 and Jean died in December 2010. Tommy Catlow
married Jean Nuttall in 1947 - she had been in the WRNS and he had known her for some time and she was, at
one time, senior to him!
Steve Palmer, who attended the service as did Richard (Dick) Glenister, reports that it was a packed church with
family and friends and a very moving Ceremony. He says it was a glorious sunny morning with just a cloudburst
to contend with as they hurried to the church - apparently Tommy was an accomplished practical joker and Steve
suggests it would be nice to think that he (Tommy Catlow) was looking down and, spotting that no-one carrying a
burberry, thought it would be good to play one last merry jape to show that he was watching.
The eulogy by Godfrey MacDonald was a complete and thoroughly absorbing tribute to the lives and
achievements of two remarkable people. The service itself was indeed a celebration, and the hymns and readings
www.submarinersassociation.co.uk
24
IN DEPTH
had obviously been so well chosen. Steve says that "Eternal Father" is probably the only hymn at which he is
almost word-perfect, but his voice always seems to fail him as the third verse is reached!!! An amazing couple,
Jean and Thomas, and the tribute was so interesting and very well presented by Godfrey Macdonald. What a
family to be so proud of.
Thomas Catlow joined submarines as Sub Lieutenant on 31st Aug 1936 and, after training was appointed to the
Submarine Depot Ship HMS MEDWAY (4th Submariner Flotilla) at Hong Kong ‘for HMS ROVER as 3rd
Hand’, on his return home he was appointed to HMS DOLPHIN ‘for HMS TRIDENT as 3rd Hand – standing
by whilst completing’ at the Cammell Laird Yard at Birkenhead. Whilst there he was told that he would be going
to sea in the sister Submarine THETIS to gain experience. On the morning of the THETIS Sea Trials he was told
that there were too many passengers, and that he should “Go and play golf”. The next morning he learned that
THETIS had sunk, with only a handful of survivors. Catlow then had the difficult task of sitting with the families
while rescue attempts were made and, later, telling them that there was no more hope. He completed two patrols
in TRIDENT before being appointed as 1st Lieutenant in firstly SALMON, then STERLET and then SEALION.
On his last patrol during the invasion of Norway, SEALION sank a German troopship. He was appointed to the
Submarine Commanding Officers Qualifying Course on 12th Jan 1941 – his Teachers was Lieutenant
Commander H P de C Steel. On completion of the course he was appointed to Submarine HMS L23 ‘in
Command’. Tommy Catlow then travelled to Gibraltar by Submarine en route to Malta when he was ordered to
complete the journey to Malta by air. On 16th February 1942 Catlow was in the hold of a Wellington bomber
which was taking him from Gibraltar to Malta when he realised that the aircraft was flying not eastwards towards
Malta but northwards to the enemy-held Sicily. Two German fighter aircraft then moved in and opened fire
shooting down the Wellington. When he woke up after the crash he was captured and was taken to Rome and
later to Germany where he spent ten weeks in solitary confinement undergoing interrogation before being sent to
a prison camp at Sandbostel. He was then moved to a camp for naval PoWs at Westertimke. From here he
tunnelled his way out and made it as far as Denmark where he sought help at a farm only to be turned in by to the
Danish Police and the German authorities by the German family at the farm. As a result he was then sent to
Colditz in Saxony, the high-security prison for incorrigible escapers where he assisted in many escape schemes
although not escaping himself. He was released by the Allies in April 1945
Tommy Catlow did not return to Submarine service but stayed in the Navy. In 1949 he was 1st Lieutenant in the
heavy cruiser LONDON during the Yangtze Incident when the frigate AMYTHEST was trapped upriver by
communist forces. LONDON was badly damaged in an attempt to extricate AMYTHEST with several wounded
and killed before withdrawing. During the Korean War Catlow was second-in-command of the Aircraft Carrier
OCEAN when she launched a record 5,601 aircraft sorties. While refuelling in Kure in Japan a fire broke out in
OCEAN but Catlow’s effective action saved the ship without affecting her patrol programme. His other
appointments included Command of the Royal Navy’s Leadership School; Captain of the frigate LOCH INSH in
the Persian Gulf and Naval Attaché, Rome.
In retirement in Lancashire he was a sheep farmer and President of the Rough Fell Sheep Breeders’ Association
and he enjoyed shooting, fishing and golf. He was Captain of Royal Lytham St Anne’s Golf Club in 1979 when
Seve Ballesteros won the Open there. Tommy Catlow wrote an autobiography ‘A Sailor’s Survival’ which was
published in 1997, was characteristically modest and humorous in tone, and has been reprinted three times.
________________________________________________________________________________________
REAR ADMIRAL DAVID J COOKE, CB, MBE
The untimely death has been announced of David Cooke at the age of 59 from complications following surgery
and a long illness. David Cooke served in Submarines from 1976 to 2009 and completed his ‘Perisher’ in 1984 his Teacher was Commander D L P ‘Dai’ Evans. He then commanded the Submarines HMS ONSLAUGHT (86
to 88) and HMS TORBAY (92 to 94). After promotion to Captain he also commanded the Type 22 Frigate HMS
CUMBERLAND (2000-01), was Director of Equipment Plans in the MOD (2001-04), was Deputy Commander
Strike Force NATO at Naples (2004-06) and, after further promotion to Rear Admiral he was appointed Fleet
Commander (Ops), Rear Admiral, Submarines & Commander Allied Submarines, North and served in this
appointment from 2006 to 2009 when he left the Service
Many Association Members will remember Rear Admiral Cooke from Annual Reunion Dinners where he was the
Guest of Honour and updated us on the state of the Submarine Service during his after dinner speeches.
A private family funeral has been held in St. Mary's Church Alverstoke. It is planned to hold a Service of
Celebration and Thanksgiving for David's life in Alverstoke early in the New Year - Submariners Association
Standards will be welcome at this service. The Service will be followed by a reception at the Submarine Museum.
Dates and times for the Memorial Service and Reception will be advised as soon as possible.
www.submarinersassociation.co.uk
25
IN DEPTH
MEMBERS ‘CROSSED THE BAR’ 1st OCTOBER 2014 to 20th DECEMBER 2014 (** WWII Service)
NAME
Paul Whitfield
Rod Winstanley
John Babington
Alan Heaume
DATE/AGE
RANK/RATE
BRANCH
Dennis Gittins
Peter Silas (Sam)
Serbert
Reginald Stokoe
L (Pat) Cullum
March 2014 aged 76
Radio Superviser
Dolphin
24th Sep 2014
Leading Cook
Former Manchester
30th Sep 2014 aged 86 Stoker Mechanic
Hull
Sep 2014 aged 68
Radio Operator 2 Cheltenham & West
Midlands
28th Sep 2014 aged 94 Able Seaman (LR2) Medway Towns
**
5th Oct 2014 aged 90 Able Seaman (SD) Northern Ireland
**
9th Oct 2014 aged 103
Lieutenant
New Zealand
Commander **
14th Oct 2014 aged 79 Leading Electrical
Australia
Mechanic
16th Oct 2014 aged 80 Leading Seaman
Middlesex
(ST)
18th Oct 2014 aged 80 Leading Seaman
Australia
(UW2)
18th Oct 2014
Chief Petty Officer Essex & Colchester
Coxswain
20th Oct 2014 aged 72 Petty Officer M(E)
Norfolk
Oct 2014 aged 75
Chief Petty Officer
Gosport
(SA)
26th Oct 2014 aged 93 Leading Seaman **
Dolphin
27th Oct 2014 aged 89
Able Seaman
Australia
Radar/ST **
26th Oct 2014 aged 85 Leading Seaman
Merseyside
1st Nov 2014 aged 77
Charge
Eastern States
Chief(EL)(M)
4th Nov 2014 aged 88
Able Seaman
Royal Berkshire
11th Nov 2014 aged 81
LM(E)
Australia
Robert L Cantley
John Hopkins
Roger E Pescodd,
BEM
17th Nov 2014 aged 79
Able Seaman
Nov 2014 aged 84
ME1
2nd Dec 2014 aged 67 Chief Petty Officer
(TASI)
Peter William Charles
Elliot, MBE
Charles McCulloch
Connell Percy (Con)
Thode, OBE
John Boycott
R E (Bob)
Burtenshaw
Brian Vine
Maurice E Campion
Ray Metcalfe
J (Paddy) Corkill
John Anderson
David Gilbertson
Richard ‘Jan’ Mead
5th Dec 2014 aged 64
Warrant Officer
Marine Engineering
Artificer
SM SERVICE
SUBMARINES
1958 to 1972
1956 to 1961
Sep 46 to Apr 48
1968 to 1973
SCOTSMAN (58-59), ALCIDE (60-62), ALLIANCE (63-67) & ONSLAUGHT(69-70)
SLEUTH, TRUNCHEON, TIPTOE, TACITURN, ASTUTE & TUDOR
TANTALUS, TRENCHANT & TEREDO
NARWHAL
Nov 1942 to Jan 1946
H44, H50, SUNFISH, VISIGOTH & TEMPLAR
1943 to 1945
H43, OTWAY, TRESPASSER & SEADEVIL
1941 to 1945
Feb 1955 to Sep 1965
PROTEUS (41-42), TORBAY (42), H28 (42), H50 (42), ULTOR (42-43), TUNA (43),
H33 (CO 43) & SCYTHIAN (CO 43-45)
SEA SCOUT, SLEUTH, AMPHION, EXPLORER, ARTFUL & THERMOPYLAE
1956 to 1966
SEASCOUT, TEREDO, SEADEVIL, TAPIR & TOKEN
May 1953 to May TRADEWIND, SEA DEVIL, TRUNCHEON, EXPLORER, TALENT & AUROCHS
1974
Mar 1965 to Feb 1984 ALDERNEY, NARWHAL, OSIRIS, REPULSE, RESOLUTION (S) (1st Commission),
REVENGE & TALENT
1963 to 1969
ALCIDE, AENEAS & OLYMPUS
1972 to 1982
ONYX, OBERON, OSIRIS & CHURCHILL
Feb 1941 to Apr 1946
Jun 1943 to Dec 1946
TRIBUNE, UNA, SPORTSMAN & SEAROVER
UNRIVALLED, TIRELESS & TAPIR
1949 to 1954
ALDERNEY, TURPIN & TRESPASSER
Nov 1956 to Jul 1977 ANCHORITE, TELEMACHUS, ALARIC & DREADNOUGHT (1st Commission) &
COURAGEOUS (1st Commission)
1947 to 1950
ALLIANCE, TRUCULENT, SENTINEL, TRUMP, TRADEWIND &TURPIN
Jul 1953 to Mar 1963 SLEUTH, TACITURN, THOROUGH, TELEMACHUS, SUBTLE, TRENCHANT,
TAPIR on re-commissioning Jan 1961 & TABARD
Apr 1954 to 1960
AENEAS (54), ACHERON (54-57), TAPIR (58-59) & TALLY HO (59-60)
1958 to 1964
AMBUSH, TEREDO & TOKEN
Aug 1965 to Nov
SEALION, RESOLUTION (P) (1st Commission Crew), CONQUEROR,
1986
COURAGEOUS, VALIANT & STWG
West of Scotland
Sussex
Merseyside &
Courageous
Association
Barrow in Furness Mar 1968 to Oct 2001
OTUS (2nd Commission), CACHALOT, SOVEREIGN (twice), SCEPTRE,
VICTORIOUS (S) (1st Commission) & VENGEANCE
www.submarinersassociation.co.uk
26
IN DEPTH
OBITUARIES – OTHER SUBMARINERS ‘CROSSED THE BAR’ 1st OCTOBER 2014 to 20th DECEMBER 2014 (** WWII Service)
ASSOCIATION
NAME
DATE /AGE
RANK/RATE
SM SERVICE
SUBMARINES
Non Member
John Gallagher
October 2014
Fleet Chief Electrical Mechanician
From 27th Sep 1962
Non Member
Kenneth E Young
September 2014
TBA
Non Member
Robert Glaiser (Bob) Little
3rd Oct 2014
Chief Ordnance Electrical
Artificer
Fleet Chief Radio Electrician
Sep 1953 to 1977
Submarine Officers
Association
Non Member
Submarine Officers
Association
Non Member
Resolution
Association
Non Member
Submarine Officers
Association
Submarines
Association of
Australia
Non Member
Robert Aitken, DSO
22nd Oct 2014
Sub Lieutenant, RNVR**
WWII
AMBUSH (62), WARSPITE (68), RESOLUTION (2nd
Commission)
WARSPITE (1st Commission) & REPULSE (P) (1st
Commission)
ASTUTE, ALLIANCE, THOROUGH, AUROCHS on 17th
May 1958, TELEMACHUS, ANDREW, TABARD (Jul 1961) &
REPULSE (S) (1st Commission)
X-7 (Tirpitz Raid)
Allan Simmonds
Geoffrey A Everett
21st Oct 2014 aged 72
13th Oct 2014 aged 83
Ordnance Electrical Mechanic
Temp Lieutenant, MESM
1963 to 1968
TBA
TOKEN (Part 3) & AURIGA (65 to 67)
OPOSSUM, OLYMPUS, WALRUS & DOLPHIN
James Gatrell
A Ellis
25th Oct 2014
1st Nov 2014
Charge Chief WEA
Fleet Chief Medical Assistant
TBA
TBA
REVENGE & RENOWN
REVENGE (P) (1st Commission) & RESOLUTION
Clive Fiford
Norman James Duncan
Enoksen
Peter J Girard
2nd Nov 2014
17th Oct 2014 aged 73
TBA
Temp Lieutenant, WESM
TBA
71
Submarine Service in the 1950s
SEALION, OTUS & ONSLAUGHT
19th Nov 2014
Commander, WESM
1966 to 1980
TRUMP (66/67), SWIFTSURE (68 to 74), Submarine School &
FOSM Staff
Geoffrey Ronald BrillEdwards, MiD
20th Nov 2014 aged 96
Stoker Petty Officer**
Submarine Officers David John Cooke, CB, MBE 1st Dec 2014 aged 59
Association
Non Member
Brian Harold Lithgow
12th December aged 77
Braidwood
Rear Admiral
Lieutenant Commander
1st Apr 1940 to 15th Nov L23 (7th May 1940 to 26th Sep1941, P46 (UNRUFFLED),
1944
MEDWAY (SC 1st May 1944 to 17 Sep 1944) & DOLPHIN
(SC 18th Sep 1944 to 15th Nov 1944)
1976 to 2009
ONSLAUGHT (CO 86 to 88), TORBAY (CO 1992 to 1994) &
RASM (2006 to 2009)
Mar 1959 to Dec 1961
EXCALIBUR, ORPHEUS & ALLIANCE
www.submarinersassociation.co.uk