the escape of any other crew members. The incident attracted legal action from one of the widows, who brought a claim of negligence against the shipbuilders, for not removing the material blocking the valve. The Admiralty successfully invoked Crown Privilege (now termed Public Interest Immunity) and blocked the disclosure of, amongst other items, 'the contract for the hull and machinery of Thetis as evidence in court, on the basis that to do so would be 'injurious to the public interest'. The case is one of interest in English law, as the judges in this case accepted the Admiralty's claim at face value with no scrutiny, a ruling later overturned. The Liverpool & Glasgow Salvage Association were commissioned to salvage the sunken submarine. On completion of the salvage operation the bell from Thetis was presented to the Liverpool & Glasgow Salvage Association by the Admiralty. It is now at the Merseyside Maritime Museum, along with the plate from number five torpedo tube and the officers' wardroom clock. One further fatality occurred during salvage operations, when one of the divers died from "the bends" on 23 August 1939. On 3 September, Thetis was intentionally grounded ashore at Traeth Bychan, Anglesey. It was the same day that war was declared. Human remains that had not already been removed by the salvage team were then brought out to a naval funeral, with full honours. The loss went beyond that of a submarine's crew. Among the dead were two naval constructors and several of the submarine team from Cammell-Laird. These were experienced designers and builders of submarines who would have been needed during the war. Among the letters of condolence was one from Hitler. The Thetis disaster was in marked contrast to the successful rescue of the survivors of , which had sunk off the coast of New Hampshire just a week previously. Squalus however, unlike Thetis, sank on an even keel, allowing a diving chamber to be used. A memorial to the crew was unveiled at Maeshyfryd Cemetery, Holyhead on 7 November 1947. A second was unveiled on 1 June 2014, at the River Walkway, Woodside, Birkenhead. As HMS Thunderbolt After being successfully salvaged and repaired the submarine was commissioned in 1940 as HMS Thunderbolt under the command of Lt. Cdr. Cecil Crouch. During the next 18 months, she saw service in the Atlantic Ocean: In December 1940 she was on patrol in the