THIS is Crumlin man Martin Devlin pictured at the harbour in Torrevieja, south of Alicante, where the decommissioned Spanish Navy submarine Delfin is a local tourist attraction.
Martin, a lifelong fan of submarines, was thrilled by the prospect of spending some time on board, exploring in detail the fascinating craft – although he almost spent more time on the vessel than he would have liked after he was accidently locked in.
Martin had gone aboard the submarine, which is part of a ‘Floating Museum Fleet’ exhibition and was checking out the interior alongside another visiting tourists.
However, engrossed in the workings of the submarine, Martin suddenly realised he was alone and when he tried to exit through one of the hatches he realised he was trapped.
“For almost 50 years I have had a fascination about submarines and finding one open to the public here in Spain was like a dream come true for me,” he recalled.
“The attraction is open from 10am till 2pm but someone decided to close up early, at about 12.15, with me still inside. The first I knew of the problem was when I returned to the torpedo room to find the hatch closed.
“As there were three other hatches within the boat I retraced my steps to find they were all secured and padlocked. As I was making my way back to the torpedo room suddenly all the lights went out.
“Fortunately, there was emergency lighting fitted and this gave some level of illumination for me to retrace my steps and climb the stairs to the hatch. While trying to work out how to open it I heard what I thought was someone on the deck outside.
“I started banging on the stair rail and shouting in the hope of being heard. Within a short time, although it felt like a lot longer, the hatch cover opened and the gentleman who had checked my ticket prior to me boarding was peering down on me with a somewhat surprised look on his face.
“I climbed up onto the deck, thanked the man in my faltering Spanish and walked down the gangplank.
“On my way back to the car the realisation hit me that if I had been a little later returning to the torpedo room then this man could have left the boat and it would have been unlikely that anyone would have heard me, never mind being aware that I was locked inside.”
It also dawned on Martin that the possibility of getting a mobile signal inside the sub’s steel hull was remote.
“I dread to think of the upset my partner Marian could have been subjected to if I had failed to return back to the apartment where we were staying as the likelihood of her being able to contact me on my mobile would have been remote.”
Martin drove back to where to where he was staying in La Mata and went straight to the tourist office where he knew the staff spoke some English and reported the incident.
“The official I spoke to was shocked at what had happened and promised to take the matter further by informing senior officials of the incident,” he added.
It transpired that the submarine had closed early on the day, as it had started raining, which Martin found somewhat ironic.
“I mean, the whole point of a submarine is that it is built to be surrounded by water,” he laughed.
