Evening star., 1932-02-26
NAVY WILL LOSE DIVING EXPERT
BECAUSE OF PROMOTION CURB
C. L. TibbaIS, Co. Inventor of
Lung" Will Enter
Civil Research.
Hero of Submarine ReScues
Will Accept Greater
Opportunity.
BY REX COLLIER.

Sluggish naval promotion routine Is
| about to deprive the Navy of its fore
most deep-sea diving expert. Chief
| Gunner Clarence L. TibbaIs, veteran of
| many marine and submarine rescue and
salvage exploits.
Tfbbals, internationally known as CO.
| inventor of the Navy's submarine escape
device, the lung" and noted for his
| supervision OF heroic efforts of divers
to save the crews of the Ssh and S-4
will forsake the Navy shortly for more
| lucrative pursuits in civil life.
| Blocked by naval procedure from
gaining further promotion except by
/ special act Of Congress, which the Navy
Department opposes as a precedent, !"
the stocky adventurer of the deep will
leave the naval service April | next TO
devote his time to private research and
industry. He will carry with him
| numerous honors, including the Dis
tinguished Service Medal and the Navy
Cross.
His application for retirement has
been approved with regret" by the
Navy Department, to take effect on that
date. He is at his home here on fur
Tough pending formal retirement.
Friends Ask Promotion,
In the meantime a group of his
friends, in Congress and out is en-
deavoring to obtain special legislation to
promote Tibbals to lieutenant, the
temporary rank he held during the
World War, over the reluctant opposi-
ton" of Navy officials. Although high
naval officers are objecting to the pro-
posed act las matter of policy" it is
| understood they personally would like
to see Tibbals rewarded prior to his re-
tirement.
Under naval regulations Tibbals will
be retired with the rank of lieutenant,
but without the retirement pay for that
grade. He must be promoted prior to
retirement in order to receive the addi-
tional benefits.
Tibbals has had an unusually colorful
record. His reckless disregard of his
own safety in experimenting with de-
compression tanks and oxy-helium in
halations for treatment of bends"
squeeze and other diving hazards
brought repeated warnings from his su-
periorS. He made himself the subject
of many dangerous experiments and
thereby contributed vastly to the
cure.
At one time, in a test to determine
the efficiency of an oxygen helmet for
aviators, he subjected himself to a
vacuum approximating conditions a
flyer would meet if he could ascend
47,000 feet in II minutes. He lost con-
sciousness during the test and was
saved by colleagues observing the ex-
pertinent through portfolios in the va
cuum tank.
Faced Great Danger.
In response to a report from Tibbals
on some similar experiments conducted
with cooperation of the Bureau of
Mines at Pittsburgh, the Navy Depart
ment advised him that the danger in
volved in these experiments is fully
realized" and suggested that "the
greatest care should be exercised in
subjecting men to new and untried
tests"
Tibbals collaboated with Frank M.
Hobson, civilian engineer of the Bureau
of Construction and Repair, Navy De-
partment, in early studies which pre-
ceded development of the lung" This
pair, with Lieut.. c. B. Momsen, finally
invented the breathing-bag device, which
is now standard escape equipment on
all American and number of foreign
submarines Tibbals and Momsen were
awarded Distinguished Service Medals
for their part in this work. and Hobson,
not being eligible for service decoCa-
ton. was given years extra pay
The citation which accompanied Tib-
balls medal stated that Chief Gunner
Tibbals, one of the inventors, furnished
much Of the information needed in the
design of the lung from knowledge
gained during his long years of expert
ence as an expert deep-sea diver, and
later, during the first tests of the ap-
paratus, he repeatedly courageously and
y0lr fa od OF
personal risk in order to prove the cor
rectness Of the theory and construction
of the apparatus"
Courage Praised.
when the practicability of the ap-
paratus was being tested" the citation
said, ''he made many escapes and as
sisted others in making escapes from
the U. S. S. S-4, submerged to depths
as much as 206 feet 1t is in a large
measure due to the knowledge, courage
and high sense of duty of Chief Gunner
TibbalS that the development of the
lung which has been pronounced the
greatest single contribution to sub
marine escape, has reached a success
full conclusion, and the device has been
adopted as part of the regular equip
ment of all of our submarines"
He was awarded the Navy Cross in
1923 FOR distinguished service to the
Government in a duty of responsibility
as chief diving supervisor throughout
the salvage operations of the U. S. S.
S-4, sunk as a result of a collision off
Provincetown, Mass, December IT,
1927" The citation pointed out that
his great experience in diving, his ex-
cellent judgment, ZEAL energy and I'M
firing devotion to duty was an impor-
tant factor in the final success of the
operations"
TibbalS also was chief diving super
visor during salvage operations on the
S-51, which sank after collision with
the steamship City of Rome.
Salvaged Oil Tanker.
The Navy Department commended
Tibbals for his daring and efficient
salvage of the u S. S. Alameda, a Navy
oil tanker, which caught fire at sea and
was abandoned by her crew in 1921.
Tibbals was in command of the salvage
vessel. Falcon, and directed grilling
ANSWERING BUR(