Thanks for that Brucie.

For those of you who have not been on board a boat you cannot imagine the runs of piping and cables that run through the whole submarine, interspersed with valves of all kinds, connection boxes, emergancy breathing systems etc etc. plus all the control panels used to steer, operate the blowing and diving systems, and main propulsion.

High power cables carrying power from the main battery to the electric motor-generators, twin HP hydraulic mains that are used to operate the rudders, fore and afterplanes as well as the masts (persicopes, radar, snort induction and exhaust)and hull valves. HP Air mains that provide blowing power. It is a complex and crowded weapon of war and when things go wrong they go wrong quickly. Fires generate massive amounts of smoke and poisonous fumes, inside a boat it is hard to clear the fumes quickly as all you have is the ventilation system to aid clearing it. Imagine having a fire in a basement and only having one small window to clear the fumes through, but you cannot get out yourself.

The freak wave which allowed water into the control room would have penetrated almost any control panel causing a chain reaction. I doubt splash guards would have prevented this happening.

I am glad the captain was cleared, he and his men showed incredible courage and fortitude in preventing even further loss of life and keeping the boat from sinking with all hands.

All these guys would have passed or be ready to pass what we called the Part III exam which is a written exam and a walk through the boat where you are expected to know and demonstrate knowledge of the systems and how to isolate them in emergancy sitations. Once that has been passed you are awarded the coveted 'Dolphins'

Such knowledge is what saved the crews lives.

It would be interesting to get a look at the entire report.