The M1 Submarine Disaster

According to reports of the day the M1 dived tracked the destroyer, then surfaced and fired the blank shell.  As ordered the M1 then evaded detection by diving.  The M1 was never seen again!  Once the exercise was concluded the M1 was reported as missing.

Rescue submarines were not available in 1925 nor were ROVs (Remotely operated vehicles) the M1 was reported to be lost in 210ft of water.  A German naval diver was rushed over to the suspected crash site.  The German diver possessed a deep dive suit, only one of a handful in the world at the time.  Nothing was found not a trace, after two days the search was called off and the M1 submarine was declared a loss.

Letters were sent out to the families of the dead sub-mariners explaining the tragedy.  The sad tale took another twist, a Swedish ship called the S.S.Vidar reported hitting a submerged object on the day of the naval exercise in the English channel.  An investigation  team was sent to Sweden to examine the S.S. Vidar.  Extensive damage was noted on the bow of the Vidar, along with remnants of grey paint identical to British naval grey.  The board of enquiry concluded, “The M1 submarine was lost in a tragic accident between the S.S Vidar and the MI”

Rumours once again rose there heads after the board of enquiry finished.  The wife of one of the sub-mariners claimed there was no survival equipment I.e. breathing apparatus on the M1, she further claimed the sum-mariners were issued with cyanide pills in case of being trapped on the sea bed in deep water! The Navy didn’t confirm or deny these rumours.

The tale leaps forward to 1999 a diving team lead by “Innes McCartney” found the wreck at a depth of over 210ft.  The following year 2000 a BBC T.V. documentary team dived on the wreck and also used ROVs they discovered a startling fact.  The huge gun was not on the wreck or the assembly around the gun. 

This was later suspected as the reason the M1 sunk.  Experts concluded the S.S. Vidar collided with the M1 and the collision tore the gun from its mountings and flooded the front half of the submarine.  The last twist in the tale was, a rear hatch of the submarine was open!  This escape hatch could only be opened from the inside not from the outside.  The rear of the submarine must have been purposely flooded to equalise the pressures to allow the escape hatch to be opened.

This finding lead the experts to conclude the sub-mariners didn’t die instantly they must have had enough air to decide to take their chances of escape.  Having no breathing apparatus their chance of survival was zero at 210ft.  How many used their cyanide capsules instead of drowning will also never be known.  The M1 is covered under the “Protection of Military Remains act of 1986” a memorial plaque was laid by the dive team to honour the sub-mariners.

Lord Banks