§ Mr. AMMONasked the First Lord of the Admiralty the number of submarine accidents since 1920, attended with injury and loss of life, to members of the crews, British and other Powers, respectively?
§ Mr. BRIDGEMANSince 1920, four British, three American, two Japanese and one Italian submarines have been sunk. During the same period there have been accidents involving loss of life to one submarine of each of the British, American, Japanese, French and Swedish Navies.
Major HO RE-BELISHAasked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether Admiralty experts are conducting experiments with a view to discovering devices whereby disabled submarines may give an indication of their position to service 588W craft and communicate with their salvors, either by means of a telephonic buoy or some other measure?
§ Mr. BRIDGEMANAutomatic telephone buoys and similar appliances have been considered on many occasions by the responsible authorities. It is, however, found that no device of this nature is satisfactory under all conditions, and the alternative arrangements already provided in His Majesty's submarines are considered superior to any invention of this nature. The alternative arrangements are numerous, and if any of the crew of a submarine which is disabled and unable to rise to the surface are alive, they can use some of them to indicate the position of the submarine and the others to communicate with surface vessels. The existing arrangements are:
- (1) Fessenden underwater signalling apparatus.
- (2) Discharging from various fittings tins containing messages.
- (3) Discharging torpedoes with messages attached.
- (4) Discharging oil.
- (5) Discharging air.
- (6) Hammering on the hull, and others which, owing to the use for which they are primarily installed, are of a confidential nature.