Subsmash (The Mysterious Disappearance of HM Submarine Affray)

In April 1951, the disappearance of HM submarine Affray knocked news of the Korean War and Festival of Britain from the front pages of national newspapers. Affray had gone to sea on a routine peacetime simulated war patrol in the English Channel. She radioed her last position at 21.15 hours on April 16th, 30 miles south of the Isle of Wight—and preparing to dive. This was the last signal ever received from the submarine. When divers eventually discovered Affray, they found her resting upright on the sea bottom with no obvious signs of damage to her hull. Hatches were closed tight and emergency buoys were still in their casings. It was obvious that whatever had caused Affray to sink and end the lives of all on board had occurred quickly. Fifty-six years later, in this compelling maritime investigation, Alan Gallop uses previously top secret documents, interviews with experts, and contemporary news sources to explore how and why Affray became the last British submarine lost at sea—and possibly the greatest maritime mystery since the Marie Celeste. This is a fascinating recreation of the last mission of this doomed submarine, the effect it had on the families of those who perished, and on British public opinion at the time.