The human body can perform miraculous feats under conditions where
adrenalin and a survival instinct kick in.
These can be in circumstances of
extreme peril to ourselves or others and fortunately most of us would be
pleased that we have never been in such a situation and would hope that this would
always be the case.
So, imagine how you would feel when, after having done something
that no one thought was possible and lived to tell the tale you find that there
are those whose doubts and whispers question the credibility and truthfulness
of your story for the rest of your life.
This was the fate of an Englishman,
John Capes.
He was in the wrong place at
the wrong time and yet by skill, strength, good luck or judgement he managed to
extricate himself so as to be the only survivor in a wartime tragedy.
In
December 1941 Capes, a 31 year old Royal Navy Stoker, was aboard the submarine
HMS Perseus.
It is not clear how he happened to be there as he is not thought
to have been an actual crew member. Perhaps he was hitching a ride after being stranded
after another maritime incident, for example his own ship may have been sunk or
damaged in the Mediterranean theatre of war. Some speculated that he was on a
secret mission. He may simply have been taken on as relief crew.
The Perseus left the besieged island of Malta bound for Alexandria
which involved navigating through a sea corridor patrolled and aggressively
controlled by the Italian and German naval and air forces.
Capes was an unusual
character. He was from a privileged family background being the son of a
diplomat and had been well educated. It was therefore surprising that he was an
engine room operative and not of higher rank, particularly as he was already
into middle age and not very far progressed in a military career.
The hazardous
voyage involved being submerged as much as possible in daylight hours but with
some respite under cover of darkness when surface running was possible to refresh
the crew, air supply and charge up the batteries. Although destined for Egypt HMS
Perseus made a rather exaggerated course and on that December night was just off
the coast of the Ionian Island of Kefalonia, itself under occupation by Italy
as one of the axis powers.
The vessel hit a mine and the damage proved to be
catastrophic.
Capes stated that at the time of the violent explosion he had
been resting in a makeshift bunk converted from a torpedo tube, undoubtedly additional
accommodation for any guests in addition to the standard 50 or so crew.
There
were instant fatalities from the impact, the power had failed and the effect of
the submarine plummeting downward will have been enough to disorientate and
panic the best trained of mariners.
He was trapped in the area of the engine
room. Bulkhead doors were jammed shut from rising water and the noise from the
distortion of the increasing pressure on the hull must have been terrifying.
His
first thoughts were for those around him in the same predicament and he dragged
those still alive towards the escape hatch.
The Escape Apparatus was crude and
largely untested under actual emergency situations. In all of the years of the
second world war only around 28 crew had successfully escaped from stricken
craft using the apparatus. It comprised a rubber lung with oxygen bottle,
mouthpiece and goggles. It was equipment that had only been tested to a depth
of 100 feet and the likelihood was that this had been in fairly safe and predictable
practice sessions.
Capes had seen the depth gauge showing that Perseus was sinking
beyond 270 feet.
Showing a great calmness and strength he had to flood the
escape compartment and release bolts on the hatch which were also damaged. The
crew he had helped were first to be pushed through the hatch followed by Capes
who, before leaving , took a swig of rum from his water bottle which he then
abandoned.
It was a slow ascent to the surface with only the oxygen bottle for additional buoyancy and Capes felt that his lungs would burst before he made it to the
outside air.
He found himself alone on the surface. None of his would be escapees
had made it.
The Mediterranean will have been cold in the winter months and the
effect of shock and fatigue could be a fatal combination. The shoreline of Kefalonia was just in sight
and in the daylight of 7th December Capes was found washed up , unconscious by
island fishermen.
In an occupied area and at great personal risk the locals
took in and hid the navy man for the next 18 months before, in a special operation,
the Royal Navy picked him up.
In a very roundabout route, via Turkey, Capes
eventually made it back to his originally intended destination of Alexandria.
His exploits were awarded with a medal but soon the doubters emerged.
His actual
presence on Perseus was questioned and also his escape method as submarine
commanders had been ordered to bolt down hatches from the outside to prevent them
being ripped off in depth charge attacks. The rarity of surviving a submarine sinking and a violent one produced the main controversy.
There were of course no witnesses and
even Capes' own post war recollections showed some inconsistency on frequent
re-telling.
It must have been a difficult enough time adapting to peacetime but
add to that the constant slurs on character and reputation and you can perceive
that Capes suffered from rumour and innuendo until he died in 1985.
Some 12 years
after his death commercial divers found the wreck of HMS Perseus.
It was preserved enough to investigate the bare
facts of the fantastic escape story.
The depth gauge was found to be broken but
it was adjudged that the submarine had still been at about 170 feet at about the time of exiting under duress. This was well beyond the design parameters
for the operation of the Apparatus.
In the engine compartment the diving team
found everything as Capes had described from the makeshift torpedo tube bed to
the actual discarded water bottle below the gaping hole of the escape hatch.
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