Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1920-09-03
Rescue Crew of 80 Men
Imprisoned 48 Hours in
Flooded Underseas Boat


and twenty six men, crew Of the United
States submarine SIS. were safe today
after submersion in their disabled vessel
almost forty -eisgh hours off the Della
ware capes.
radio message received at the Brook
lyn navy yard said the merchant ship
AIantheus was towing the disabled un-
dersea boat to the Delaware breakwater.
The plight of the S-5 was discovered
when the George ". Goethals, an Ameri-
can vessel, saw telephone buoy noated
from the submarine.
+ The buoy was ringing and q small boat
was lowered from the Goethals-
The telephone operator in the sub
marine said the vessel had been disabled
then for thirty-five hours.
She was almost vertical, making 1t i'm
possible to release any Of the crew
through the torpedo tubes, which are in
the bow.
A later message from the telephone
operator said the submarines air was
being exhausted.
MERCHANT SHIP
DISCOVERS PLIGHT.
Details of the accident which came
within a hairs breadth of becoming
naval catastrophe, coming in by wire OF
the rescue ship, unfolded tale OF heroism
at sea.
Thirty-hve hours after the SIS en- route
from Boston to Baltimore on a recruiting
expedition, had slipped to the bottom of
Cape Henlopen, the steamship General
Goethals broadcasted a radio S. o. S.
The message said the submarine was
caught beneath the surface and that help
was urgently needed to raise her, or cut
a hole in the hull through which the
crew might be removed to safety.
David L. Moore, an amateur operator
at Pennington, Conn, sitting beside his
instrument, picked the cry for help out
of the air.
He communicated at once with Bos.
ton navy yard and with navy officials
at New Haven.
Destroyers were dispatched from Bos-
ton and from the southern drill grounds.
where the message was relayed to the
battleships as they cruised through the
night.
The battleship Ohio turned northwsrd
at once.
Other destroyers darted out from navy
yards along the coast and headed toward
the spot in the general vicinity Of 1886
north, long, west, about fifty miles
east Of Delaware capes, where the sub
marine with its human cargo was re-
ported resting on the bottom.
The word also was conveyed TO the
navy department at Washington. which
evidently did noe know anything about
1t, until 5hirty hours after the So hal
gone down.
While navy rescue ships plunged
through the darkness to the aid Of the
submarine the General Goethals stood by
to lend what aid it could.
The submarine was found to be at a
sharp angle down by the bow so the
stern was much nearer the surface.
It was evident that the Goethals would
not be able to get the submersible to the
surface before the air within 1t was ex-
hausted
Men from tie rescue vessels attacked
the task Of bring a hole through the
submarine and Introducing hose
through which fresh air could be pumped
while the work of raising the S5 went
ahead.
This endeavor was perilous. but the
men went at it with a viii and soon a
stream Of clean. fresh air brought new
hope to the sailors inside and STAYED of
the smothering death which had come so
close.
After the So was brought to the sur
face her sailors and officers, one by one.
climbed out and were taken aboard the
Alanthus.
As each one appeared. haggard and
worn, blinking at the early morning sun
light after the many hours OF darkness,
the rescuers cheered.
A cable was passed to the waIlowing
submarine, one end OF it sticking out Of
the sea, the other pointing toward the
bottom and the slow trip toward land
was begun.
INDIANA SAILOR
GUNNER ON SIS.
The SIS was in charge Of Lieut. Com
mander Charles NJ. Cook Jr., Of Ar
kansas
Other officers detailed to the SIS on
Aug. l were Lieut.. J. T. Gresham, En-
sign 3. J. Bailey Longatff of Nebraska,
and Gunner Robert Holt of Indiana.
The accident to the So occurred when
she made crash dive" which caused
her to be partially flooded, a later dis
patch stated
This was Commander Cooks second
thrilling experience with a submarine.
He was commander of the submarine
E-2 in 1915 when a battery exploded on
that ship In Brooklyn navy yard, caus-
ing several deaths.
A court Of inquiry exOnerated Com
mander Cook, placing the blame for the
accident upon faulty construction