K14's jammed helm began a collision sequence involving K22, the battlecruiser Inflexible, Fearless, K17, K6, K4, and K7. K17 and K4 sank, 103 men died, and the heavily damaged K14 remarkably survived being struck during the confusion. The sortie placed submarines, battlecruisers, and uninformed minesweepers in close quarters at night without adequate procedures. This occurred well after Jutland had exposed the Royal Navy's weaknesses in night operations. The disaster chiefly reflects failures of communication, standards, and institutional learning rather than proof that the K-class hull alone doomed the boats.
Chapter · 43:32-48:59
The Battle of May Island as a coordination failure
A chain of collisions killed 103 men after minesweepers were not warned about a night sortie and ships lacked adequate close-formation procedures.