Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-07-17
S-4 CREW SAVED"
IN TEST OF DEVICE
Rescue Chamber Successful,
Taking Men to Surface
=: From Submarine.
ON BOARD THE U. s. SUBMARINE

(NANAo-ThiS underSea vessel on
which men have met deaf rests easily
on the bottom of Great Salt Pond. All
II composure and confidence as the
submarine lies securely en- an even
keel in the sand of the ocean floor.
Suficient light filters down through
the SIS feet of water to MAKE the
eyes in the coming tower luminous
spots OF bottle green. The crew sits
about in small groups, smoking ana
talking.
It was not so in 1927. Then. as
now. the rescue tug Falcon rode at
anchor above the S-4 resting on the
bottom During that Winter the yes
sells were participants in tragedy. On
Christmas eve men III the rescue fleet
were saddened by the realization that
the trapped men were dead In the
after compartments "a men hao per-
ished few days before. In the motor
room aft II men lived brief moments
after the crash with the destroyer
Paulding.
Rescue Start Is PhOned to Sub.
But as the sssel rests on the sea
floor now. the signal man at the phone
enjoys small talk with another on the
Falcon Presently, the chatter is inter-
rupted
the side of the Falcon" comes the re-
port. Thus does this rehearsal OF a
rescue commence q procedure calcu-
lated to prevent the enactment oil
tragedies such as often fail SUBJ
marine The S-4 plays the same role
disastrouSlv enacted at Prov!ncetown
It is supposed that the undersea vessel
IL helpless.
Everything depends upon the Falcon.
,k., ~ =
newest device for the saving OF helpless
submariners, is being lowered over the
side
From thu signal mast OF the tug y
red flag flutters, warning other vessels
to keep clear. The rescue chamber,
looking like boys gigantic top Of
steel gray, dips into the water ana the
BOOSTING gear is dis ngaged. Lieut..
Charles g. MomSan. veteran submarine
officer and inventor OF the MomSen
lung" and other underSea safety con-
trivances. waves to Comdr. Palmer H.
Dunbar master OF the Falcon. and
swings over the side of the tag TO the
bobbing rescue chamber He disappears
through the hatch ana the cover swings
shut.
Diving Bell Sinks to Hatch.
The elaborate diving bell begins to
aink below the surface as the men on
the Falcon feed out the air and COM
munication lines
Quietly the men in the submarine
wait Family one can hear a gurgling
sound outside the sub. 1t is The all
motor in the rescue chamber Keeling in
the stout cable previously made fast to
the submarine by a diver. The cable
leads down TO an escape hatch in the
deck Of the S4. A petty officer stands
under the hatch nov
THEY'RE getting down" ne reports
presently. The gurgling OF the air mo-
tor is louder.
There is a dull clank The reScds
bell is on the deck of the submarine.
Only few feet over that round plate
of steel in the deck above "Swede"
Momsen and his men are manipula ting
the many valves blowing out the lower
chamber of he diving bell. rearranging
the buoyancy so that the weight of the
sea will press this bell securely down
on the submarines deck.
Undersea Crew saved"
The petty oticer stands beneath the
hatch. his electric torch bearing d.
rectly on it. In a few moments after
the landing OF the rescue chambers the
Tugs of the hatch begin to pull back
The men from the bell are on the deck
of the submarine, opening the way to
safety.
The submarines hatch swings up
ward Water pours into the ships
motor room. Half barrel perhaps a
barrel, of it thunderS on the metal deck.
Down comes a man from the rescue
chamber. Two men from the S-4
Chamber up the iron ladder and dis
appear through the elongated ma nliole
Lieut.. Momsen can be heard giving
orders above. The man from the res
cue chamber is the last to ~ up: he
swings the hatch down and faSttns it.
The gurgling starts sgain. The bell.
Il on the way 10 the surface
In this fashion, the S-4 and the Fall
ron. partners through common tragic
experience, are conducting rescue eX-
periments here OH Block Island
The rescue chamber largely the in
Nention- OF Lieut.. MomSen. is operated
entirely from the surface. lh-re is no
need of cooperation from The men be-
ing rescued.
GasketS Delay Test.
The tests today are the iii st gwen the
rescue chamber III its present stage of
development. During preliminary
test yesterday men were successfully
transferred from the submarine to tAe
chamber When the chamber went
down for the FIRST time This morning,
marine was temporarily delayed by the
failure OF the saSketS 10 sat properly.
Subsequent efforts, however. we've auc-
cessful.
The rescue chamber can be taken to
the scene vi submarine disaster
quickly. Development VI safety devices
for submarines Is hampered to c+r-
tain exterR by the lAcL that they must
not decrease The efficiency of the uh-
derSea craft as inStrtiIn-niS u naval
warfare. The rescue chamber Requires
only matches on tlIe forward and aIleI
compartments.
The S-4 has been equipped an ex-
perimental ship. She Is simply long
gray and BLACK hull OF steel equipped
with sutficien. machinery 10 dive anu
come to the surface again. Since The
Provincetown tragedy the S-4 also has
been equipped Wi,h an air lock. cham
Der on deck int winch men climb. open
door into ths sea and Then rise
slowly to the surface along buoy me
MAY he Adopted BY 4. ). y.
The air lotk is used IN conjunction
with the "Mor.>en lung" gas mask
affair which p.o. IdeS d supply u air
All submarines III the service were re-
built to incIudt this escape equipment.
Lieut.. Momseu said th"t II tis efn-
cheney OF The % IA. chamber l. GeIi"h-
strated all OF til" Nays unGerSeA boats
also viii be provided With e"~"os
matches.
The S-4 also carries huge ysliow
hu3y. secured TO the at-rn de. ~ 81
rsneei so that j: can b. leased from
w;thin the vessel In caS' OF dlSaSl'r
tine BUOY is free,. riS,s to the sur! 'ce
AND m7rk's the ;eSSels position. Inc
buoy carrie light t. aid locating u ~
night and inside u a iephone con
nectsd with the 4l'er compartment al
the submarine. The AT lock. luI'S
and buoy tr. contriV .nctS which can De
uSed Onlv from within tlIe subma"int.
Officers IN charge II Opcr. t,"i; tp'aH