Smyrna times., 1929-12-25
Navy READY FOR
sub DISASTERS
Divers and Equipment
Prepared to Meet Future
Major Accidents.

Washington.-The navy is pre-
pared TO meet the next major sub
marine accident, should one occur,
with far more promptneSs and Ell
ficiency than was possible when the
S-51 and S-4 sank with a large loss
of life. A score of expert divers
stand ready to provide the human
element necessary to using the
''hookeyes," marking buoys and
"Iung" which offer mechanical
means of rescue.
In large water-filled cylinder
at the Washington navy yard from
20 to % divers are constantly IN
training under artificial pressures
Stimulating those to be found at
from $50 to 300 feet below the sur
face. These men, trained by
Lieut.. Henry Hartley, assistant in
charge of salvage operations on
the S-4 and Sol. are graduated
after three months and are dis
tributed around the coast at all
places where submarines operate.
TWO Get U. S. Medals.
After stringent tests to deter
mine their physical and mental tit
ness for deep sea diving, they are
trained to work with tools far be-
low the surface. Attaching pom
toons, connecting airlines and other
hazardous tasks are taught them
thoroughly.
The idea of such diving
school originated with Lieut.. q.
B. Momsen, Chief Gunner Q. L.
Tibbals and Lieut.. Henry Hartley.
The former two recently received
the distinguished service medal
from President Hoover for develop
ing the "lung" device which en-
ables men to breathe while rising
from a sunken sub"
The need for better trained div
ers-and more of them-had been
impressed on the navy by the Sol
tragedy. When, IN December, 1927,
the S-4 met with a similar fate,
plans for this training were ac-
celerated.
With limited funds a diving tank
was built at the Washington navy
yard. the men training part in De
cember and the rest September "A,
1923. and were graduated Febru-
arv. 1929. The inal tests revealed
five of them we're capable of work
ing at a depth Of 80 feet, two at
175, one at 200, one at go, and IL
at 300 feet.
This means, according to naval
officers, that there are always
available trained divers capable OF
working in any depth of water in
which a submarine crew can be
rescued.
Three Months Course.
The Navy department keeps
list OF all these men, what their
diving record is, and where they
may be reached. Should sub
marine sink, a lOng-distanoe tele-
phone call or telegram would bring
to the aid Of the sub" diver ca
pable of utilizing the mechanical
devices the navy has developed in
any depth down to 300 feet.
No attempt, it was said, was
made to train divers to descend to
lower depth, for, with the present
structure of submarines, they
would be crushed should they go
below 500 feet and attempts to res
cue would be useless.
Present plans of the navy call
for classes Of % men at the diving
school constantly. The course re-
quires about three months.
Enrolment in the course, it was
-, Iix-nrC
far, have been recruited mostly
from the petty officer class. No
commissioned officers are included
among the schools present alumni.
Within one year, it was said,
work on the problem of submarine
safety - carried out largely by
Momsen, Tibbals, and Frank NJ.
Hobson-has produced what the
navy regards as almost sure saliva
tion for submarine crews-the
'slung." Light and compact, they
can be stored easily in the limited
spaces aboard undersea craft. The
navy has ordered enough of them
to provide one for each man on
submarine duty.
The lung" is merely a breathing
apparatus, with q rubber tube
which may be attached to the nose.
It does not slip over the head as
dc diving helmets. And, by as
cending slowly while using the de-
vice, one may avoid the much
dreaded cramps" it is said.
In addition TO this invention the
navy now has well designed ''hook
eyes" TO which pOntoons may be at
tached TO raise sunken craft. Mark
er buOys have been developed also.
These, simple to release, mark for
surface boats the spot where the