World War 2 Submarine Stories: True Stories From The Underwater Battlegrounds by Ryan Jenkins

Author:Ryan Jenkins [Jenkins, Ryan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781507556184
Google: RlUFrgEACAAJ
Amazon: 1507556187
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Published: 2015-01-13T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 9: HMS Perseus and an incredible survivor

HMS Perseus was a kind of Parthian-class of British submarines, which had a ship of the same name. The submarines were built before 1930, and were used during the Second World War. They were capable of achieving a speed of 18 knots when on the surface, and close to 9 knots when submerged. Like other ships produced during the time, she was fitted with a variety of weapons – including a deck gun, two machine guns, and eight torpedoes.

Initially, the vessel had been assigned to a part of China. However, in 1940, long after the submarines had been commissioned, HMS Perseus got reassigned to the Mediterranean waters. The crew was expected to patrol the Greek waters and attack only when necessary. During this time, she had a 59 member strong crew, along with two passengers. One of these passengers was John Capes who was on his way to Alexandria.

It was believed that the Perseus torpedoed a ship on the 3rd of December. However, the real tale was what followed this event. On the cold night of 6th December, Perseus had surfaced so she could charge her batteries while in the darkness, so she could be ready for another day underwater. It was around this time that she hit what is now recognized as an Italian mine – and was destroyed.

She sank, taking all the sixty people along with her. However, John Capes decided to attempt a daring escape – something that was incredibly dangerous, considering the cold, and the depth of the water. He tried as hard as he could to quickly attach the DAVIS Submarine Escape Apparatus, which consisted of a rubber lung, an oxygen bottle, a mouthpiece, and a pair of goggles. He wore the apparatus himself and then proceeded to help others by attaching it to whoever looked like they had survived the attack, even if they had been injured.

There was, in this case, yet another challenge. The apparatus had been tested at the depth of around 100 feet – but here John Capes was, in a sunken submarine, while his depth gauge showed the depth of 270 feet (incorrectly so, as the gauge was broken – even so, the actual depth was 170 feet, almost two times the depth the apparatus had been tested under). The odds seemed impossible; after all, no one was known to have survived after having the bare minimal to keep them alive. Still, he decided to risk the attempt anyway.

After pushing three of his companions up through the hatch, he tried to swim upwards, ignoring the burst of pain he felt in his lungs and body due to the pressure, the depth, and low availability of oxygen. With a burst of resilience, he pushed himself towards the surface while attempting to ignore the sheer fear the great, wide ocean seemed to bring out in him now.

And even as he broke the surface, he realized that his ordeal was not over yet – there was still so much more to deal with.

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