Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1915-10-28
TRAGIC STORY Of
SUBMARINE "A
PARTLY REVEALED
Disaster Due to Corroded Bat
teies and Poor Diving Quail
Ity of Vessel; Crew Made
Struggle for Lives,

3
story Of the battle for NE w8gcd in
tho eompartm nts 500 feet beneath
the surface of the sea by the twenty
one men who persisted in the nayy's
submarine F-4 last March 3t Homo
lulu, IS told ion the fiuol report ON the
loss of the vessel submitted by a
board of inquiry headed by Rear ADJ
mira Buseh and made public TODAY.
Examination of the wrecked hull af-
Ter IL had been brought TO the SUR
face and placed iu dry dock convinced
the board that the disaster was caused
hy leak resulting from a corroded
battery lining and the failure Of the
boat through poor diving qualities to
respond promptly To the rudder
change which should have returned
her to the surface
None OF Crew 10 Blame.
piscarding the theory once adj
vanced that chlorine gas brought
quick relief In death To the crow. the
board from signs within the rusted
and battered hulk pieces out i'm its
report dramatic account Of how the
doomed men struVc desperately to
save themselves as their vessel sank
TO the bottom Fifteen met death In
refuge al the last. six died at their
posts iu the flooded forward COM
partmout Al members of the ships
company are alsolved from blame I'm
this tribute
From the facts established we find
tnat the accident resulting in disaster
to the United States submarine F-4
ON March %, 1915. was not due to
carelessness. negligence. or ineff-
cheney on the part of the officers or
men of the vessel and that further
more the personnel remained at their
respective stations until AN effective
means employed 10 avert the disaster
impending had failed and thereafter
sought refuge
Did Everything Possible.
From its examination of the valves
of the automatic device which was
set 10 oxpel water from the vessels ball
last tanks at q depth OF 100 feet. as
required by departmental regulations.
the board found that the accident
which started the "a ON her down
ward plunge had occurred before the
lOO-foot mark was reached The
most effective procedure for sending
the boat TO the surface was promptly
carried out, diving rudders We're set
10 send her upward, valves opened 70
empty the forward ballast tanks and
tho electric motors started To- drive
her upward, AN without avail II was
thon some members of the crew rush
ed into the engine room and the door
of the bulllhcad was closed. Fifteen
bodies were found there and from this
fact and the position of valves and
.Itt.I
Some member or members of the
were alive and capable Of
action for IT least short time after
the occurrence which Ted 70 the disas-
ter
That board locates the primary
cause OF the tragedy forward of the
engine room bulkhead.
The report continues
"No evidence found that the "a
hdd poor diving qualities prior to her
decking ina February. 1915. when cN-
propellers were fitted
the only known alteration made, and
therefore,
"The experimental propellers so
substituted probably so affected The
influence of the after-diving rudders
as to make IL difficult for the diving
wdder man 10 control the vessel and,
furthermore
Tho poor diving qualities conse-
Queut upon this change of propcllers
were the secondary cause of the dis
astcr\
Air valves found open ON forward
muin middle main, auxiliary and af-
ter main ballast tanks and, therefore,
On the endeavor TO check the yes
aplfs downward momentum the inter