sep 25, 1925 - 1925 Sep 25th S-51 Sinks

Description:

The United States' newest and safest submarine,
the S-51, sinks off the Atlantic coast. The coastal
steamer, City of Rome, brings three surviving sailors to Boston. Tabloid reporters get aboard the ship and interview the survivors and crew before the incident is hushed up by the Navy. The official story is that the steamer accidentally rammed and sank the submarine. Some questions are never answered: how an aging steamboat could sink a modern submarine; why only three survivors were recovered; why the steamer left the scene immediately; and why the damage apparent on the steamer does not correspond to the type of damage expected from impact with another vessel.