Scotland

Crew of sunken 1917 sub remembered

32 men who died when their submarine sank in 1917 have been remembered in memorial services at HM Naval Base Clyde and in Glasgow.

The steam propelled submarine K13 sank in the Gareloch during her sea trials.

80 men were on board: 53 crew, 14 employees of a firm of Govan ship builders, five Admiralty officials, a pilot and the captain and engineer of the still to be completed K14.

K13’s captain, Lieutenant Commander Godfrey Herbert, and K14’s captain, Commander Francis Goodhart, tried to escape using the space between the inner and outer hatches of the conning tower.

Herbert made it to the surface but Goodhart was trapped within the casing. A separate wreath was laid at his grave in Faslane Cemetery on Sunday.

On Saturday, HMS Neptune chaplain Richard Rowe led the service in Govan’s Elder Park for the Glasgow workers who died. On the Sunday, Faslane Flotilla chaplain Mark Davidson conducted the services within the Base and at Faslane Cemetery.

Representing the Royal Navy were Commodore Mike Wareham, the Naval Base Commander, and Captain Phil Buckley, Captain of the Faslane Flotilla.

There were more than 60 representatives of the Submariners Association in attendance along with 15 Sea Cadets.

K13 was salvaged in the March of 1917 and recommissioned as K22.