We greatly regret to have to record the loss on
Friday week of the Submarine 'A7,' with her crew of eleven officers and men, in Whitaand Ray, off Plymouth. Thu ' A7 ' was engaged in torpedo exercises, and the officers of the attendant ship noticed that she had been submerged longer than usual. Search wax immediately made, but it was not possible to disccver her position, though it was beyond doubt that she had sunk. Sweeping operations were continued until Wednesday, when the position of the wreck was discovered. There has been much discussion as to the desirability of retaining the old ' A ' class of submarines in the Service. Of the thirteen vessels of this class, four have been lost. The papers of Tuesday published a letter from Colonel R. H. Morrison, father of Sub-Lieutenant R. H. G. Morrison, who was lost in the 'A?.' Colonel Morrison described the vessels of the 'A' class as coffins, and said that the 'd.7' sank recently while exercis- ing off Plymouth, and the crew bad to work hard for an hour to raise her to the surface again. On the other hand, official statements have been issued that the 'A' class are perfectly suitable for the instructional work for which they are used.
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