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K Boat Catastrophe: Eight Ships and Five Collisions: The full story of the ‘Battle’ of the Isle of May Hardcover – Illustrated, July 19, 2009

4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 17 ratings

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On 31 January 1918 nine K Class steam-powered submarines sailed with the Grand Fleet to Exercise in the North Sea. The ships left the Firth of Forth at a speed of 21 knots on a cold winter night with the flagship HMS Courageous leading the way. Following in her wake was HMS Ithuriel and the K Class submarines of the 13th Submarine Flotilla and then 5 nautical miles astern of them, four more capital warships.

As they approached The Isle of May navigational confusion broke out, caused by the misinterpretation of ship's steaming lights and mayhem followed. During the next couple of hours five collisions occurred involving eight ships and resulting in the death of 105 officers and ratings. This fiasco and the resulting naval investigation and court marshal were shielded from the general public and kept in secret files until the full details were released in 1994. From this official report, the author now tells the full story of that dreadful night and the proceedings that followed. Background information on the evolution of the ill-fated and much hated K Class submarines is also included together with the investigation and court marshal proceedings of the events surrounding that tragic night.
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"…an interesting read which goes into the personalities and politics of a weapons system which was unloved and feared by their crews."
IPMS/USA

About the Author

NA ‘Tank’ Nash CBE was educated at Latymer Upper School before entering the catering industry with J Lyons and Co Ltd. He enlisted in the Honourable Artillery Company in 1957 and served until conscripted for National Service in 1960; he was a member of the Army Catering Corps for thirty years, rising to the rank of Brigadier. He resigned his commission in 1991. For thirty-three years, from 1973, he wrote humour under the pen name ‘Sustainer’ and his work was published internationally in a variety of military journals. His books for Pen and Sword include K Boat Catastrophe, ‘Strafer’ Gott – Desert General, Chitral Charlie – The Rise and Fall of Major General Charles Townshend and Valour in the Trenches.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Pen and Sword Maritime; Illustrated edition (July 19, 2009)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 224 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1844159841
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1844159840
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.41 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.25 x 0.75 x 9.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 17 ratings

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Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
4 out of 5
17 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on December 18, 2017
Great technical info on a submarine that was ahead of its time. Steam propulsion technology in a submarine was vindicated with the nuclear reactor. But in WW1, it was a horrible idea.
Lots of historical info and the inertia of an entrenched bureaucracy. Sad.
Reviewed in the United States on February 4, 2014
Very well researched and well set out in a clear and lucid manner

Shows the Royal Navy of the Great War, in an unprofessional moment

Top reviews from other countries

David Nash
5.0 out of 5 stars Sad events at May Island.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 7, 2015
First off,as far as I am aware we are not related.This book,unlike Don Everitts" book "The K Boats" which deals with the history of this awfull craft specifically deals with the tragic events at May Island during an exercise.Although this book stands alone,Don Everitts book gives an idea of the foibles of this craft.It is interesting to have a book that deals specifically with this catastrophe as a separate episode in the history of the K Boats and well worth reading for anyone remotely interested in this type of craft.
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Railway Mike
2.0 out of 5 stars Submarine disaster
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 6, 2009
I was hoping this book would throw up a lot of new facts on this episode in the K class submarine history. It says it makes use of historical records released in 1994. What I found was a book that was padded out with lots of scene setting, poor reproductions of photographs and no clear diagrams of what happened. Whilst there are new facts on the naval investigation and subsequent court martial, it doesn't give a very balanced assessment of the actions by the people involved. I was also very surprised that there is no reference to an earlier book (The K Boats by Don Everitt) which gives a very good account of the facts with some clear diagrams of the incident.
K Boat Catastrophe: Eight Ships and Five Collisions: The Full Story of the 'Battle' of the Isle of May
12 people found this helpful
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