Las Vegas optic. (East Las Vegas, N.M.) 1908-1921, 1914-01-16
The HULL is PUNCTURED
THIS is INDICATED BY BUBBLES
ARISING TO SURFACE OF
THE WATER
WHILE AT THE MANEUVERS
ACCIDENT TO THE VESSEL oc-
OURS A SHORT DISTANCE
FROM PLYMOUTH

Plymouth, Jan. 49,. The failure of
the British submarine AT" with 16
men on board to rise to the surface
after she had dived to the bottom Of
Plymouth Sound during maneuvers
caused intense anxiety mere today.
After the maneuvers were over,
two sister submarines noticed that
their companion vessel did not come
up, and Immediately signalled for ast
sistance to Plymouth and Deyonport.
Salvage vessels hurried to the
scene. Bubbles were seen rising to
the surface in Cawsand Bay, and
grapplers we're thrown out to bring
the wrecked vessel to the surface, al
though the bubbles indicated that her
huh had been penetrated and caused
despair for the salvation Of the crew.
A short time afterward, however,
the parent vessel, the Onyx, got into
communication with the sailors, all of
Whom were alive.
At 9 o'clock the crew had not yet
been rescued. AS the submarine had
gone down some time before noon
shs HsId Deen Ate
six hours. The last signal from the
enombed men was heard at 5:15
O'Clock. The vessel lies in water
about 100 feet deep.
Admiralty officials declare that the
crew consists Of Lieutenant Albert NJ
Wilman, another officer and IA men,
making total Of 16.
The submarine "A-79 foundered off
here today, and the authorities say
there is little hope Of her crew being
saved.
The submarine was engaged in a
series Of maneuvers in the sound with
number Of her sister vessels. She
failed to come topthe surface with the
other boats when the maneuvers were
brought to an end.
The CAT was one Of a class Of
rine boats numbered "A-5" to "A-13".
She was built in 1894, and measured
150 feet in length Her submerged
displacement was 2O4 tons. Her en-
gines developed an indicated horsepow-
er Of 600, giving her surface speed
of Is knots, and submerged speed
Of nine knots.
The "A-7" lies at the bottom OIL
Cawsand Bay on the western shore
Of Plymouth sound. Two other yes
sells Of exactly the same type have
met with disaster. the "A.5" at Queens
town in 1905, with loss Of four lives.
and the "A-S" at Plymouth in 1906,
with a death list Of lJ
The British navy has also lost a
number Of other submarines within
recent years. The "A-1'' was wreck
ed in 1904 when IL men were drowned.
mo. 4" was lost in 1905. but all were
saved; the "C-Ss in 1907, when four
were drowned: the eli" in 1909
when 1S were drowned; the "A-S" In
1912. with the loss Of II lives. and the
"B-2" in the same year, with a death
! list Of Is.
The submarine was executing diving
maneuvers with the rest Of the first
flotilla stationed here, consisting Of
1.-THE '.A-7." "A-S" and "A-2." When the
other boats rose to the surface the abb
sence Of the eA-7' was noticed. sig
mails were at once made to Plymouth
and Devonport. and these brought the
depot ship ONYX and several salvage
Esteamers to the scene at full speed.
i The salvage vessels made speedy ef-
forts to grappel the submarine; whose
approximate whereabouts was ind--
Gated by bubbles The hopes Of saw
ing life, however, were regarded as
small the rising % the bubbles show.
| ing that water had penetrated the
submarines hull