In 1905, three submarines were lost in peacetime. They were:

8 June, the 207 ton British submarine A-8 was lost in Plymouth Sound off England caused by lack of longitudinal stability, and exceeding critical speed. She sank suddenly while running on surface before the hatches could be closed. She went down in 180 feet of water and was later salvaged. Fourteen men were lost and only four were saved.

6 July, the 202 ton French submarine FARFADET was lost off Bizerte, Tunisia. The conning tower hatch was leaking and it was determined that it was improperly closed. When the crew attempted to secure it, the hatch opened. The submarine sank in 100 feet of water and was later salvaged. Fourteen men were lost and only three were saved.

16 October, the 180 ton British submarine A-4 was lost in Portsmouth Harbor in England. She sank in 90 feet of water when a ventilator was jammed open, allowing water to enter. She was salvaged and since there was no crew aboard, there were no losses.

Below is a running tally of submarines lost in peacetime, which will change monthly as we look at other submarine disasters.

England – 3 France – 1 Russia – 1

We will report the peacetime submarine disasters, one year at a time, in our KTB Magazine.