§ MR. EDMUND ROBERTSONI beg to ask the Secretary to the Admiralty whether he can give the House any information with reference to the melancholy disaster to Submarine Al, in addition to that which has already been published.
§ MR. PRETYMANThere is no further information. All the information available has been at once sent to the Press. There is no doubt whatever that the accident occurred through the collision of the "Berwick Castle" with the submarine. This is the latest telegram from the Commander-in-Chief: —"As the exposed position of the wreck of the submarine prevents the usual lifting operations being carried out, it has been decided to adopt the course of first repairing and then floating her by forcing out the water by the agency of compressed air, and a contract has been accordingly made with the Neptune Salvage Company to do this work, which it is hoped will be successfully accomplished in the course of a few days, and the work was begun this afternoon. The wrecked submarine is now lying nearly upright with a list of about 10deg. to port, the "Berwick Castle" having struck her on her starboard beam, and apparently the chief damage is at the conning tower, which was struck by the 251 "Berwick Castle," as the marks of the collision with that vessel are plainly marked at this part of the hull, and the paint has all been scraped off the starboard side of the conning tower of the submarine." No additional information can be obtained until the salvage operations have been completed.