A MEMORIAL service marking the 71st anniversary of the HMS Thetis submarine disaster will take place tomorrow.

The service, at the Royal Naval Association's branch in Park Road East, Birkenhead, starts at 1pm.

It will be conducted by Rev John Williams, chaplain to the Royal Navy.

The Thetis left Cammell Laird on June 1, 1939, for its first sea trials.

Disaster struck within a few hours when the vessel began taking in water because a torpedo door had been opened. In total, 103 people were trapped and just four managed to escape.