During tests and maneuvers a fire broke out during K-2's first dive; K-3 nearly sank in Stokes Bay; K-4 hit a sandbar; K-5 and her crew of 57 dissappeared. K-13 sank in Gairloch, Scotland: 32 men died.
| Submarine number | Misfortune of the Submarine |
|---|---|
| K2 | Caught fire on first dive |
| K4 | Nearly sank in Stokes Bay |
| K5 | Hit sand bar |
| K13 | Sank in Garloch, Scotland |
In the first trial exercise which took place during January 1919 in Scotland K-14 was run down by K-22; K-22 was hit by the crusier Inflexable; K-6 smashed into K-3 while trying not to hit K-4; K-17 collided with the destroyer HMS Fearless; K-7, unable to turn quick enough, plowed into K-17, which was already listing from the impact of Fearless.
| Submarine number | Misfortune / what it hit or was hit by |
|---|---|
| K-14 | Hit by K-22 |
| K-22 | Hit by the cruser Inflexable |
| K-3 | Smashed into by K-6 |
| K-4 | Had a close miss with K-6 |
| K-6 | Had collisions with K-3 and K-4 |
| K-17 | Collided with HMS Fearless |
| K-7 | Collided with K-17 |
That exercise was to be the K-Boat's last. England's new submarines had resulted in death and destruction. The death of its own submariners and the distruction of its own fleet.
In 1968, in the aftermarth of Sir Francis Chichester's historic single handed voyage round the globe, the conquest of the oceans caught the imagination of the world. Not since the days of Henry the Navigator or Columbus had people been so stired by tails of tough men in ships battling against the lonley sea and the sky; not to explore the world but rather to discover themselves.
Some, with rather more faith than nautical wisdom, climbed into beer barrels and bath tubs and paddled forth to brave the elements - only to be turned back by the first loudhailer from and exasperated lifeboad skipper.
Others set sail in sleek, expensive craft, using the ultimate in twentieth century marine technology, and were never seen again. Donald Crowhurst was one of these. His was one of the most bizarre voyages ever undertaken by a lone sailor.
In May 1967 Crowhurst was not among the crowd who stood on Plymouth Hoe and cheered Chichester's return to fame, fortune and a knightkood from his round the world voyage in Gypsy Moth 1V. At the age of 35, Crowhurst was himself a fairly accomplished sailor. He admired Chichester and read all his books.
But,instead of driving the short distance from his home to see the arrivial of his hero, Crowhurst spent the day in a perverse fit of jealously sailing his own small yacht in the bristol channel. He told friends that he could not understand what the fuss was all about.
What Crowhurst resented most was the money that Chichester was making out of his voyage. He was receiving sponsorship, royalties and advertising contracts from companies who wanted to attach his name to their product. Chichester was likely to become a very rich man while Donald Crowhurst was broke.
Born in India in 1932, the son of an expartriate railway official, Crowhurst had been commisioned into the RAF as an electronics engineer. He was asked to leave after a breech of discipline.
The young Donald promptly joined the Army, was again commissioned and settled down to take a course in electronic weaponry. His new career didn't last long. Aftera night out he borrowed a car to get back to barracks and was stopped by the police.
URL:http://www.ecs.soton.ac.uk/~ajl397/failures.html