All language subtitles for Planlæg 1 2025-12-26 23-59-21-529

ahead of the battleship. The
conventional diesel -powered submarines

couldn't meet this speed requirement.

So in 1913, the Sexborough steam
-powered submarine, designed by the

Director of Naval Construction, was
passed to Vickers Shipbuilding for a

detailed design.

K -13 was one of 12 K -class submarines
ordered in August 1915.

Construction began at Fairfield's Govan
shipyard in October 1915 and launched on

the 11th of November 1916.

K -13 was notable for its size, 103
meters in length with a beam of 8 meters

a draft of 6 meters.

For propulsion on the surface it had two
water tube boilers, each powering a

geared steam turbine which ran twin
three -blade propellers capable of

reaching 24 knots.

When submerged, the screws were operated
by four electric motors with speeds up

to 8 knots.

It had a diesel generator for charging
batteries on the surface.

The K -13 had an operating range of 12
,500 nautical miles on the surface and

nautical miles underwater.

On the starboard side of the boiler room
was a watertight passage connecting the

turbine room and the torpedo
compartment.

Each end of this passage was watertight
and midway a bullseye looked into the

boiler room.

There were a total of nine watertight
doors and four 94cm boiler room air

having mushroom cupboards.

The K13 is operated by a crew of 52
personnel, including officers.

On Monday the 29th of January 1917, the
K13 is at Gairlock, an open sea lock at

Argyll and Bute, Scotland, carrying out
its acceptance trials, which is the last

step before Fairfield officially turns
over the submarine to the Admiralty. The

K -13 achieved a record speed of 23
knots, earning the honor as the world's

fastest submarine.

It completes a successful dive to 25 .3
meters for around two hours, leaving the

crew and contractors and evaluators
overjoyed. The ship's test is almost

complete. The last item on the checklist
is to confirm the funnel covers and the

boiler room air inlet are in fact
watertight.

The evaluators haven't been able to
check the funnel covers during the dive

because the boiler room has been too
hot. So they schedule a short 15 -minute

dive after lunch.

After they ascend, the crew opens the
boiler room air inlet to allow the room

cool down for the next dive.

As the K -13 prepares for the second
dive, the regular crew of 53 officers

crew are accompanied by 11 Admiralty and
subcontractors, 11 directors and

employees of Fairfield, and two Royal
Navy officers of the K -14, acting as

observers to gain experience.

The submarine's location is a short
distance from Shandon Hydropathic, a

retreat in Helensburgh, Scotland.

The water is calm and the tide is high
as the crew prepares to dive.

The command is given to close all
hatches. Lieutenant Commander Godfrey

captain of the K -13, makes the last
look around before closing down the

tower hatch.

He orders half speed ahead on both
motors.

When they reach a position opposite the
Shandon Hydro, he gives the order to

dive. Setting the hydroplanes to diving
angle, the submarine smoothly slides

below the surface.

Lieutenant Commander Herbert orders trim
level at 6 meters, but the submarine

continues to dive.

An engine room crew member reports that
the boiler room is flooding.

The watertight door to the stern section
is quickly closed and locked, even

though it means certain death for the
men trapped in the compartments aft of

engine room bulkhead.

In the control room, the civilian guests
realize something's wrong. The death

gauge is showing the submarine is
sinking.

far more quickly than intended.

Their ears hurt as the air pressure
changes rapidly, compressing the air

them. Even though the watertight
bulkhead door is shut, K13 has voice

run between compartments. These voice
pipes have their own shuttle valves.

As water floods the stern, the influx of
water compresses the air into the other

compartments through the voice pipes.

Lieutenant Commander Herbert orders an
emergency surfacing maneuver.

The hydroplanes are moved to hard rise
and the ballast tanks are blown clear of

water. But the K -13 continues to
descend rapidly.

Buoyancy in a submarine is controlled
with water in ballast tanks.

More water makes the submarine
negatively buoyant and sink.

To create positive buoyancy underwater,
the submarine pumps air into the ballast

tanks to push the water out.

Essentially, the size of the air bubble
in the tank offsets the weight of the

submarine.

With the boiler room flooding, the
weight of the submarine steadily

and the ballast tanks can't compensate
for the extra weight.

A jet of water comes through one of the
voice pipes and soaks the switchboard,

causing a short circuit which blows the
fuses and ignites the cables.

The control room fills with a white,
choking smoke.

The crew quickly put out the fire with
their bare hands and closed the valves

the three voice pipes leading from the
control room to the aft of the

In quick succession, orders are given to
close all watertight doors and to drop

the forward 10 -sun keel which serves as
a weight.

But that doesn't stop the submarine's
uncontrollable descent.

Moments later, its stern settles on the
muddy bottom of the lock at 15 meters of

water. The K -13 rests on the bottom
with a slight lift to port and an

inclination of 4 degrees up at the bow.

Lieutenant Commander Herbert makes a
crew count and assesses the damage of

submarine. 31 of the men aboard the
submarine are unaccounted for,

drowned in the flooded stern section.

Only one watertight door separates the
remaining survivors from the flooded

compartment.

Located in the stern section is the
engine room with various controls.

Without access to those controls, K13 is
unable to blow any water or oil out of

the aft tank, nor can it release the
other 10 -ton aft drop keel. And the air

supply is low. A considerable amount has
been used up trying to blow water from

the ballast tank.

And a large quantity of air spent in the
previous dive hasn't been replaced.

On the bright side, the batteries are
fully charged so they have light and

can pump water or compress air.

The crew turn on the compressor for a
short period to equalize the pressure

inside the submarine with the water
pressure on the hull. After discussing

chances for rescue, the crew realize
that they have to wait for around 18

before they can expect a response from
the surface.

They are not expected to surface until
1530 and it will be dark by 1600 which

will likely delay any rescue until the
next day.

On the surface, the captain of the E
-50, another submarine on diving trials,

watching the K -13 dive.

The captain notices something's wrong.

He drops a buoy to mark the spot then
reports the incident.

The alarm is raised and a call is made
to Fairfield where a rescue and salvage

team is immediately organized.

Six hours later, a gunboat and two
salvage tugs leave for Gerlach.

The gunboat Gossamer arrives on scene at
midnight.

It has a diving suit but no diver, so
the team has to wait a few hours for a

rescue diver.

When he arrives, he quickly dons the
suit and goes into the water.

But the suit is old and it hasn't been
maintained.

It leaks and the diver almost drowns.
The tugboat Thrush also arrives on scene

but it has neither suit nor diver. So
the rescue team has to wait for a dive

suit to be brought to the site.

Inside the K13, Professor Percy
Hillhouse, the naval architect from

calculates the remaining air and how
long it lasts.

He believes the 48 survivors only have
eight hours at most.

To extend their air, they make use of
the submarine's compressed air supply.

With the use of the air compressor the
crew allows a small quantity of used air

to escape into the torpedo room and
forces the used air back into the air

cylinders. What I think they're trying
to do is keep the pressure at a constant

level and cycle the air. This provides
new air but with increasing levels of

carbon dioxide.

Since the air is foul breathing gets
harder and more laborious. They keep

movement to a minimum so they use less
oxygen in the air.

Some try to sleep to conserve air.

The following day at 0800, the crew of
the K -13C streaks of light through the

periscope. Looking through the port
window on the side of the conning tower,

they make out the wire guard rail of the
submarine's top side.

They decide to raise the mast of the K
-13, hoping it'll indicate their

when it breaks the surface.

But as they raise the mast, the top hits
one of the salvage vessels and is bent.

and the rescuers don't see the signal. A
short while later the crew hear heavy

footsteps and tapping outside the hull.
They respond to the tapping sound to

establish communication by means of
Morse code.

They don't hear a reply and so they
dismiss the tapping sound as a possible

hallucination because of the bad air
they've been breathing.

The crew go back to waiting and hoping
someone will come to rescue them. But

diver hears the tapping from inside the
submarine and heads to the surface to

report his findings.

As the crew waits, they start the pump
to clear water from the midship torpedo

room to reduce the weight in the
submarine and prevent water from

batteries under the control room.

Lieutenant Commander Herbert and
Commander Francis Goodhart, captain of

sister vessel K -14, who's there as an
observer, discuss a plan for one of them

to reach the surface.

Lieutenant Commander Herbert, who's
captain of the K -13, has to be the last

on board to make sure everyone gets out
before him. So Commander Goodhart will

attempt to reach the surface.

The men prepare the conning tower for
Commander Goodhart to escape.

The conning tower is a heavy brass
casting above the control room.

It measures 1 .6 meters long, 1 meter
wide and 1 .2 meters high.

To climb into the conning tower,
Commander Herbert climbs up through a

the control room with a watertight hinge
cover opening upwards into the tower.

Inside the conning tower, the aft
portion of the roof has an exit hatch

balanced watertight cover opening upward
into the wheelhouse.

The forward portion of the conning
tower's roof has a dome with a height of

meter. The dome has a projector compass
which projects the compass bearings onto

the glass, allowing the helmsman to see
the compass bearing when he's looking

out to sea.

To prepare for the escape, the projector
compass is removed to create more space

in the conning tower and dome.

As the commanders prepare the escape
plan, Professor Hillhouse takes a tin

cylinder casting and puts a note in it.
The note lists the names of the

survivors, the description of their
condition and their needs.

The tin cylinder is covered with red
bunting to make it visible at the

waterline. He instructs Commander
Goodheart to bring this with him and

it as soon as he clears the wheelhouse.

This is their backup plan in case
Commander Goodheart doesn't make it.

After finishing their escape plan
preparations, both commanders removed

their clothes, entered the conning tower
and closed the lower hatch below them.

The men inside the control room lock the
lower hatch and open a high -pressure

air valve to pressurize the conning
tower.

Without this pressure, the water
pressure would keep the outer hatch

The crew hear a rumbling and gurgling
sound inside the conning tower which

signals that the outer hatch has been
opened and water flows in.

Inside the conning tower, the two
commanders open the upper hatch and

the dome as the conning tower fills with
ice -cold seawater.

The sound of the high pressure air
deafens their ears and a thick fog fills

upper space.

The dome creates an air pocket where
both men wait until the conning tower

the wheelhouse are flooded with sea
water.

As the water reaches waist level,
Commander Goodheart signals to

Commander Herbert and plunges into the
cold water making his way to the upper

hatch. This leads to the wheelhouse
where he plans to swim towards the aft

where the exit door is located.

Lieutenant Commander Herbert follows to
close the upper hatch behind him. As he

steps past the upper hatch, the
compressed air pushes him upwards into

wheelhouse. By pure luck, he's carried
by the escaping air aft and up through

the hatch in the aft end of the
wheelhouse roof.

As he struggles to swim, he's carried by
the ascending air to the surface.

He surfaces close to the salvaged ship
Thrush, and strong hands grab him and

pull him on board.

Lieutenant Commander Herbert's first
words are, Where's Goodheart?

The rescuers didn't see Commander
Goodheart, nor the tin cylinder.

As Commander Goodheart steps out of the
conning tower's upper hatch, he's shot

violently upwards by the rushing air,
hitting his head on the roof.

of the wheelhouse which knocks him out.
His body is stuck in the forward part of

the wheelhouse and he drowns.

At the control room the men are waiting
for Lieutenant Commander Herbert's

tapping signal so they can drain the
water inside the conning tower.

Once the water in the conning tower has
been drained they can unlock the lower

hatch so he can rejoin them. But the men
don't hear Lieutenant Commander

Herbert's signal.

After a period of waiting they assume
that both commanders have escaped to the

surface.

At the surface, Lieutenant Commander
Herbert loses no time briefing the

about the details of the submarine and
the survivors.

The first -hand report of conditions
inside K -13 informs the rescuers how to

proceed. The priority is to supply air
to the sunken submarine to keep the men

alive. With additional air, pressure can
be built up to support the leaking

engine room bulkhead. If the bulkhead
gives way, water will flood through the

forward compartments and drown the
survivors.

Experts from Fairfield are consulted and
plans are drawn up.

Armoured hoses are prepared that will
fit into the existing forward high

pressure air connection.

These openings have valves or watertight
covers that are accessible from the

inside and outside the submarine.

Hose fittings and adapters are made by
the engine department at Fairfield and

the high pressure air hose is supplied
by the submarine E50.

At 1800 on Tuesday, the crew hear Morse
code tapped on the hull to let them know

that a high -pressure hose is connected
to K -13's air system.

The crew slowly opens the inboard valve
connected to the high -pressure hose,

but seawater pours into the submarine
instead of air. They tap out a message

inform the divers what's happening. The
crew waits again while the diver

disconnects and overhauls the air pipe.

The problem is traced to ice blocking
the line.

At 0400 on Wednesday, 37 hours after the
accident, the air hose is connected

again and clean, dry air flows into the
submarine.

The crew allows a little air to
circulate into the hull and then they

their exhausted air cylinders.

At 0500, once the crew finish filling
several banks of cylinders, they start

blow out the forward ballast tanks.
These are the seven foremost external

and the internal tanks forward of the
boiler room.

As they blow out each tank, they watch
the bubble on the fore and aft spirit

level to see if the bow is lifting.

As tank after tank fills with air, they
watch as nothing happens.

When they pump air into the last tank,
the bubble finally moves.

The bow slowly ascends and breaks the
surface of the water.

The stern of K -13 is stuck in almost 4
meters of mud, so the submarine balances

at a steep angle.

The crew can't move around inside the
submarine.

They lose their footing and slide to the
bottom of the compartment.

The rescuers latch a steel wire
underneath the hull of K -13 and lift

until it's standing clear above the
surface.

Left -handed Commander Herbert sees an
opportunity to bring the survivors out

through the torpedo tubes, but K -13
slips back slightly, leaving the bottom

the tubes just below the waterline.

At 0630, another wire is attached to the
hull and a flexible 10cm protective

hose is attached to the submarine.

A suction hose is passed through to draw
out the stale air which is black and

foul. The crew can finally breathe in
fresh air. But as they draw out the air,

there's a reduction in pressure and the
boiler room bulkhead begins to leak

rapidly. The 10cm protective hose is
large enough for the crew in the

and the topside rescuers to shout
messages back and forth.

It's also big enough to pass small
pieces of food.

The rescuers send a bottle of brandy to
warm the spirits of the crew. And they

send milk and chocolate.

Lastly, they send a high -pressure air
hose to add to the existing air supply.

This fills the cabin with more fresh
air.

The crew learn that Lieutenant Commander
Herbert is safe, but Commander

Goodheart didn't make it.

Inside the submarine, a connection on
the compressor comes loose.

While reconnecting it, one of the men
accidentally makes a short circuit which

blows the main fuse and everything goes
pitch black.

The crew have to use hand torches to see
what they're doing.

At the surface, the rescuers are trying
to make a plan to rescue the crew. The

torpedo tubes can't be used because
they're partially submerged below the

waterline. The rescuers decide to cut a
hole in the foxhole or raised deck at

the bow of the submarine, pump out any
water between the foxhole and the main

hull and cut another hole directly below
it in the main hull.

The water can be removed in about 20
minutes and the holes can be cut by the

oxyacetylene torch in a few minutes
more.

The crew are told to move forward and
prepare to exit at the bow. The crew in

the submarine tear open a wood lining
and climb up on top of the torpedo

then wait for the hole to be cut.

But 20 minutes turns into an hour and
the cutting doesn't start.

At the top side, the rescuers are busy
pumping out the water. As they pump

out, more water fills the compartment.

The crew wait restlessly in the dark and
then they hear a rescuer shout, have

you closed the flap valve?

The submarine's superstructure has four
square openings just above its

attachment to the main hull so that it
will easily flood and drain when the

vessel submerges and emerges.

To prevent these holes from letting in
water while sailing at the surface, flap

valves are fitted and controlled by hand
wheels inside the vessel.

These were open for the diving trials.

The crew tighten the valves and the
water level starts to drop quickly.

In a few minutes the inner hull is
pumped dry.

Rescuers used the oxyacetylene torch to
cut a 45cm square hole.

At 1500, 57 hours after K -13's trial
dive, 46 survivors emerged

through the escape hole.

Of the total 80 crew members, officials
and civilian visitors, 31 were trapped

and drowned in the stern section.

One died during the escape attempt and
two were reported missing.

John Steele, Fairfield's foreman
engineer, and Lieutenant Lane, an

-13, managed to open the engine hatch
and swim for the surface.

Lane's body was found about two months
later.

Steele's body was never recovered.

The diver discovered that the four air
inlets to the boiler room were fully

open. These should have been closed
before the signal engine room closed was

in the control room.

The accident wasn't a defect in the
design or construction, it was operator

error. When the vessel was examined, the
lever controlling the air inlet covers

was open.

The K -13 was salvaged on March the
15th, six weeks after the accident.

It was overhauled and recommissioned as
K -22.

K -22 was eventually sold for scrap
metal in December 1926.