Submarines - John Vincent

[londons]

Hi,

This is a bit of a long shot!!

My great grandfather had a brother John Vincent. No one knows a single thing about him except he served on a submarine during the War and a story of a major incident of the submarine starting to dive and sea water flooding in causing gas to be released from the batteries and the commanders having to hold the men back from escaping with revolvers.

As a relative layman I would guess that there weren't too many subs in WW1??

Does anyone know of anything to do with the subs during the war, any names, how many there were, where they were based or even of such an incident?

Hope you can help.

Many thanks,

Lee

[DirtyDick]

Lots of RN submarines in WW1 and lots of books on the subject matter (although at first it doesn't seem so). "Britsub" would be a good, basic grounding in the different classes then in use.

Flooding through an open conning tower hatch leading to water seeping into the battery space under the floor of the control room was a frequent occurrence, since conning towers of WW1-era British boats were on the whole little more than a man's height tall, and British-designed battery casings were pretty poor leading to water mixing with the electrolyte and forming chlorine gas. There were also accidents whereby hatches and ventilators were inadvertantly left open upon diving - for they were still learning and coping with new designs and demands. Water also used to enter in stormy weather, and often in very significant amounts, prompting similar concerns.

I have not heard of the incident during my studies on the subject, but am intrigued by it: is it a family tale or have you encountered any other substantiation?

I ask since it seems a little at odds with the actions of the other crews reported on in such situations, so would make for good reading. Officers and men generally had very close working relationships among these small crews and were hand-picked, and there was a recognition of and respect for (on the whole) the judgement and ability of each crewman. Added to this are the practicalities: there were usually only three officers and they, and the crew, would be needed to respond to a potential catastrophe without any other distraction; and the small arms locker was often in the control room compartment in full view of the crew.

Cheers

Richard

[londons]

Hi Richard,

Thank you for your interesting reply.

It is a family story. John Vincent was my grandfathers uncle and the story was told to him by his grandfather. My grandfather has no recollection of ever seeing his uncle after the end of the war but his name isn't on the CWGC website. I believe that sub crewmen had a number prefixed with a K? Although I am not sure. From this I believe that he probably survived. The only other details I have are that he was from the Islington area of North London and was born in 1890. His full name was John Benjamin Vincent.

Thanks again,

Lee

[DirtyDick]

Hello Lee

The K prefix merely denotes that he was a stoker in the RN during the WW1-era and enlisted sometime after c.1907 (when the service numbers changed).

You might wish to contact the Archives at the RN Sub. Museum in Gosport (address on-line), stating full name of person, since they might have some records on him (best to ask for Submarine Service Card).

You could also get his service papers from The National Archives under ADM188 if you know his full name (more tricky without number but it is possible).

Cheers

Richard