§ Sir R. GOWERasked the First Lord of the Admiralty how many accidents involving 1780W loss of life or injury have occurred to British and foreign submarines, respectively, since 1928; and how many persons have been killed or injured, respectively, in or arising out of such accidents?
Sir B. EYRES MONSELLThe following four accidents, involving loss of life or injury, have occurred to British submarine since 1st January, 1929. These are :
- (1) Collision between "H.47" and "L.12," 9th July, 1929, in which one officer and 23 ratings lost their lives.
- (2) Sinking of "Poseidon" by a Chinese steamer, steamship "Yuta," 9th June, 1931, in which 20 ratings lost their lives.
- (3) Loss of "M/" in West Bay on 26th January, 1932, in which 7 Officers, 51 Naval ratings and 2 Royal Air Force ratings lost their lives.
- (4) Battery explosion in "L.26" on 8th October, 1933, in which 2 ratings lost their lives and 15 ratings were injured.
The total numbers of persons killed or injured as a result of the above accidents are :
Killed or drowned : 8 Officers, 96 Naval ratings, 2 Royal Air Force ratings.
Injured : 15 Naval ratings.
With regard to foreign submarines, the information available is not sufficiently complete to enable an accurate reply to be given, or to form a basis for comparison.