Francis Mole of Milner Road, Selly Park, Birmingham, accidentally drowned in Ebsjerg Harbour whilst HMS OSIRIS and OTTER were on a visit to Denmark. His body was recovered from the harbour on 1 December 1970.  According to a report in the Birmingham Daily Post of 8 January 1971, he could have been hit on the head by someone on the quay, or he could have tripped and fallen from the gangways between the submarines or the shore.  He had gone across to HMS OTTER a sister ship, where he had drunk a glass of beer, he was quite sober, when he left at about 0355 apparently to go back to guard duty on OSIRIS which started at 0400.

He was was an excellent swimmer and had been a naval diver.  It was thought might have lost his footing or been blown off the gangway into the water. The coroner said he thought Mr. Mole’s death was probably an accident and that he had died from drowning.

Francis Mole is buried in Lodge Hill Cemetery Section 46 Plot 39378.  Headstone shows date of death as 1 December 1970 but this should read 26 October 1970.