K boat catastrophe : eight ships and five collisions : the full story of the 'Battle of the Isle of May'

On 31 January 1918 nine K Class steam-powered submarines sailed with the Grand Fleet to Exercise in the North Sea. The ships left the Firth of Forth at a speed of 21 knots on a cold winter night with the flagship HMS Courageous leading the way. Following in her wake was HMS Ithuriel and the K Class submarines of the 13th Submarine Flotilla and then 5 nautical miles astern of them, four more capital warships.As they approached The Isle of May navigational confusion broke out, caused by the misinterpretation of ship's steaming lights and mayhem followed. During the next couple of hours five collisions occurred involving eight ships and resulting in the death of 105 officers and ratings. This fiasco and the resulting naval investigation and court marshal were shielded from the general public and kept in secret files until the full details were released in 1994. From this official report, the author now tells the full story of that dreadful night and the proceedings that followed. Background information on the evolution of the ill-fated and much hated K Class submarines is also included together with the investigation and court marshal proceedings of the events surrounding that tragic night. REVIEWS "...an interesting read which goes into the personalities and politics of a weapons system which was unloved and feared by their crews."IPMS USA, 02/2010 img123......Page 1 img125......Page 2 img126......Page 3 img127......Page 4 img128......Page 5 img129......Page 6 img130......Page 7 img131......Page 8 img132......Page 9 img133......Page 10 img134......Page 11 img135......Page 12 img136......Page 13 img137......Page 14 img138......Page 15 img139......Page 16 img140......Page 17 img141......Page 18 img142......Page 19 img143......Page 20 img144......Page 21 img145......Page 22 img146......Page 23 img147......Page 24 img148......Page 25 img149......Page 26 img150......Page 27 img151......Page 28 img152......Page 29 img153......Page 30 img154......Page 31 img155......Page 32 img156......Page 33 img157......Page 34 img158......Page 35 img159......Page 36 img160......Page 37 img161......Page 38 img162......Page 39 img163......Page 40 img164......Page 41 img165......Page 42 img166......Page 43 img167......Page 44 img168......Page 45 img169......Page 46 img170......Page 47 img171......Page 48 img172......Page 49 img173......Page 50 img174......Page 51 img175......Page 52 img176......Page 53 img177......Page 54 img178......Page 55 img179......Page 56 img180......Page 57 img181......Page 58 img182......Page 59 img183......Page 60 img184......Page 61 img185......Page 62 img186......Page 63 img187......Page 64 img188......Page 65 img189......Page 66 img190......Page 67 img191......Page 68 img192......Page 69 img193......Page 70 img194......Page 71 img195......Page 72 img196......Page 73 img197......Page 74 img198......Page 75 img199......Page 76 img124......Page 77 Bogen beskriver en episode i den engelske flådes historie under 1. Verdenskrig nærmere bestemt den 31. januar 1918, hvor en større øvelse skulle tage sin begyndelse. Skibene og ubåde lå til ankers i Forth fjorden, der fører ind til Edinburgh i Skotland. Tidligt på aftenen letter styrken anker for at sejle ud i Nordsøen på øvelse. Bogen beskriver 8 enheder bestående af slagkrydseren Inflexible, krydseren Fearles samt 6 ubåde af K-klassen. Ved indsejlingen til Forth ligger øen May, hvor episoden sker. Den samlede formation er på 20 enheder i kølvandsorden, der strækker sig over 20 sømil. Formationen ledes af slagskibet Courageous, derefter følger destroyeren Ithuriel med 5 K-klasse ubåde i kølvandsorden. Den tredje K-klasse i formationen, K 14 vil ud for øen May undvige et vagtfartøj og får rorsvigt og sejler i ring med det resultat at ubåden kolliderer med den efterfølgende ubåd K12. Da denne information når chefen på Ithuriel ca. 1 time senere vender han hele sin formation for at sejle tilbage til stedet for kollisionen. Det udvikler sig til en katastrofe med 4 kollisioner, hvor to K-klasser bliver sænket samt 3 beskadiget desuden mindre skader på krydseren Fearles. I alt mister 104 søfolk livet. De efterfølgende retsforhandlinger holdes skjult for offentligheden og ender uden dom. Først i 1994 er papirerne offentliggjort, som danner grundlag for denne beretning On 31 January 1918 nine K Class steam-powered submarines sailed with the Grand Fleet to Exercise in the North Sea. The ships left the Firth of Forth at a speed of 21 knots on a cold winter night with the flagship HMS Courageous leading the way. Following in her wake was HMS Ithuriel and the K Class submarines of the 13th Submarine Flotilla and then 5 nautical miles astern of them, four more capital warships. As they approached The Isle of May navigational confusion broke out, caused by the misinterpretation of ship's steaming lights and mayhem followed. During the next couple of hours five collisions occurred involving eight ships and resulting in the death of 105 officers and ratings. This fiasco and the resulting naval investigation and court marshal were shielded from the general public and kept in secret files until the full details were released in 1994. From this official report, the author now tells the full story of that dreadful night and the proceedings that followed. Background information on the evolution of the ill-fated and much hated K Class submarines is also included together with the investigation and court marshal proceedings of the events surrounding that tragic night.