Submarines are usually immune to strong winds and high seas, but 100 years ago the British vessel HMS L9 fell victim to a typhoon.
On 18 August 1923, the L9 was part of the 4th Submarine Flotilla based in Hong Kong harbour. The 70-metre (230ft) vessel had a crew of 38, but only four sailors were onboard. A typhoon was forecast and the flotilla was arranged for maximum safety, with L9 anchored and moored to a buoy.
When winds of more than 120mph struck, the cable to the buoy gave way and L9 swung round and struck the harbour wall. PO Gordon, commanding the sub, attempted to let go the anchor, but was thrown about too much by repeated crashes against the wall. He gave the order to abandon ship.
The crew escaped, but the L9 swung again and collided with a moored merchant ship, Ginyo Maru. A bulkhead gave way and the submarine quickly sank. An inquiry found that no order had been given to close the watertight doors separating bulkheads, which would have saved it.
L9 was salvaged from the seabed, and put back in commission to serve a further four years before being scrapped. Modern submarines put to sea and submerge when storms threaten, and crews report not even noticing hurricanes.
