Monday news

By
Monday, November 15, 2004

*Seminar investigates marsh grass die-off
-Beaufort Gazette, 11-15-04

*Proposed limits show difficulty of cleaning up Savannah harbor
-Savannah Morning News, 11-15-04

*Nourishment plan's impact still sinking in. Now, the storms have left even some of the former opponents demanding sand
-Daytona News Journal, 11-15-04 

Page 3.

It was now dark, and the attending tug had drifted about four miles away from the dive site. Thetis was now on her own for a long and lonely night. Thetis found, and increased level of carbon dioxide in the boat.

At 0745 ( 7.45 AM ) the next morning, the sunken submarine was found by a searching aircraft, and surface craft rushed to the scene, it was now 18 hours since she went down. A destroyer, HMS Brazen arrived, to hammer on the hull to indicate help was at hand. The level of carbon dioxide in the boat was at a critical level, in all, but four trapped men escaped, Oram,Woods, Arnold and Shaw, the poisionous atmosphere putting the remainder to sleep before the 99 men on board died.

Memorial Service.
The Archbishop of Canterbury led a memorial service on the 8th. of June at St Martins in the Fields.

Thetis at the bottom of Liverpool Bay.
The hawsers securing the stern of the submarine parted when the sheer weight of water exceeded their breaking strain, the boat disappeared to sink to the muddy bottom of Liverpool Bay. There she lay from the 3rd. of June, on the 23rd. of August, one of the salvage divers, Petty Officer Henry Perdue was claimed by the "bends" and this accident chalked up its 100th. victim.

Back to the surface 12 weeks after Thetis sank.
Thetis finally saw the light of day once more 12 weeks after her first and only tragic dive. She was towed towards Anglesey, but beached on a sandbank in foul weather, there she stayed for the next 8 days, until the weather moderated.

On the 10th. of September, Thetis made it to Moelfre , but again shocking weather again intervened, and it was 68 days before all the bodies of the dead crew could be recovered, for a mass burial at Holyhead.

Note, in our story about the "Golden Shipwreck Steam Clipper Royal Charter Comes To Grief." that tragedy also took place at Moelfre, but back in 1859.

Thetis returns to her birth place.
Now, on the 18th. of November 1939, designated as Job Number 1027, Thetis went back to her birth place at the Cammel Laird Yard, but as a battered hulk. She was stripped completely, waiting for an Admiralty decision to scrap or refit her, but as Submarines were at a premium to prosecute the war, it was decided to refit, and rename this ill fated submarine.

All traces of her old identity were removed, and on the 26th. of October 1940 she commissioned as HM Submarine Thunderbolt, her new Captain, Lieutenant Cecil Crouch, R.N. The new crew were all volunteers, but they all were well aware they sailed in the old Thetis.

The Thetis Clip.
As a result of this accident, on the rear doors of all torpedo tubes was fitted a" Thetis Clip" a single dog clip, which stopped the door being opened more than a fraction, it allowed a very reduced flow of water, should the bow door be opened, once it became evident that the tube was empty of water, this safety clip could be overridden and the rear door safely opened.

Success as Thunderbolt.
Under her new name and command, this submarine achieved success, sinking an Italian submarine Tarantini, seven ships by torpedoes, and another six by gunfire.

Sixth patrol in the Mediterranean.
On the sixth patrol in the Mediterranean, on the night of the 12th. of March 1943, Thunderbolt lookouts sighted a large Italian convoy, protected by a single Sloop Cicogna, and the submarine Captain must have smacked his lips in anticipation of a slaughter. But, the sloop was commanded by a wily Capitano diCorvetta Augusto Migliorini, himself an ex submariner.

At 0854 ( 8.54 AM ) on the morning of the 14th. the sloop still had Thunderbolt pinned down and dived, Augusto knew she would soon have to surface, and his sound equipment told him he was immediately on top of the enemy submarine. Then, only a few yards away on his starboard bow, a periscope appeared. 24 depth charges were soon sent on their way, the British boat rose from the depths, briefly hung in the air, tipped to almost a vertical position. For the second time, this submarine's stern was thrust into the air, and then she plunged down, down, to a depth of 3,000 feet to the bottom of the Mediterranean. No one survived.

It was exactly four years to the day that the four men, Oram, Woods, Arnold and Shaw had escaped from Thetis in Liverpool Bay.

An Admiralty announcement.
"The Admiralty regrets to announce that HM Submarine Thunderbolt must now be considered lost."

Conclusion.
Thus, the curtain fell on an ill fated submarine that had carried two different names, Thetis and Thunderbolt, but in all, claimed 162 lives.