Evening star., 1939-05-25
Engine Room Crew
Sacrificed Lives,
Experts Believe
Chose to Try to Help
Men Fighting to Close
Valves, Is View Here

Possibility that most of those los.
IN the sinking of the submarine
Squalus deliberately sacrificed them
selves rather cut off the only hope
Of escape for those who were fight
ing to close the high-induction
valves believed to have flooded the
undersea fighter was visualized bv
Navy submarine officers here today.
What actually happened during
those fatal minutes between the
time the Squalus started her high
speed test dive and the time she
wound up on the bottom, 24O feet
down, with her after compart-
ments flooded probably can not be
determined until the vessel is
brought to the surface for inspec-
ton and the official board of in
quiry has completed it's work.
There has been no contradiction
Of early reports, however, that the
high-induction valves were to blame.
Whether they were jammed, whether
the valve mechanism failed to func-
ton or whether the human element
resulted in their remaining open
when the submarine began its dive
Is not known, the Navy Depart
ment said.
Reluctant at first to discuss de-
tails of the valve system, as a re-
suit of general Navy ban on dis
closure of any information concern
ing structural details of any naval
vessel Navy officers last night broke
the veil of secrecy.
Used to Supply Fresh Air.
The high-induction valves, they
explained, are for the purpose of
supplying fresh air to the two
Diesel engine rooms in which cur
rent is generated while the sub
marine is on the surface to charge
the storage batteries and provide
current for surface operation. The
valves are so named because the
air intake is located as high as pos
sible above the water line, adjoin-
ing the coming tower, to reduce
the amount of water taken into
the opening in rough weather.
The outer opening is 81 inches
IN diameter and is closed by
piston valve which normally is
closed by automatically operated
gear, but which also may be operat-
ed by hand either from inside of
outside the submarine.
The 31-inch air duct from this
opening is divided into two ducts,
one leading into each engine room.
The inner ends of these ducts are
closed by "flutter valves" manually
operated.
All three valves are normally LETT
open until Just before the instant
of diving, at which time the Diesel
engines are shut off and current
is drawn from the batteries instean
of the generators. Submarine Off
GERS explained that three men are
detailed to man the three valves
on the order to prepare for diving
Closing of either the main outer
valve or the two inner valves is
sufficient to keep water out of the
engine rooms. To flood the SUBJ
marine through this high-induc-
ton system would mean that the
main outer valve and at least one
of the two inner valves would have
to be open.
At Loss For Explanation.
Naval officers here were unable to
explain how two such vitally i'm
portant valves could have remained
open during a dive. There are both
signals and warning lights in the
coming tower to show those at
the main controls the position of
the main valves throughout the
submarine, it was explained
Assuming, however. that two of
the valves were open when the
Squalus began it's fatal dive, sub
marine officers here tried to re-
construct the scene in the rapidly
flooding after compartments. At
least two men, they visualized, were
struggling with the valves to shut
off the tremendous rush of sea-
water through the 31-inch opening
overhead.
Shipmates in the adjoining COM
partments might easily have saved
themselves by closing water tight
doors into the valve compartments.
This, however, would have meant
shutting off the valve men from
any hope of safety. These men,
accordingly, sealed off their COM
partments from the forward part
Of the submarine but left open the
doors to the valve rooms in the
hope that the incoming rush of
water might be stemmed by final
operation of the valves.
This chance they took, accord
ing to the reconstruction of the
scene, knowing that failure of the
valves would seal their own doom
as well as that of the valve men.
Board to Be Named.
A special naval board will be
named after rescue and salvage
operations have been completed to
conduct a thorough investigation.
The possibility that an independent
investigation may be conducted by
the Senate Naval Affairs Commit
tee was indicated by Senator Lucas,
Democrat, of Illinois, a member of
the committee.
THE loss of life is so great" Sem
ator Lucas said, that nothing
should be left undone to ascertain
the true cause"
No action will be taken, he init
mated, unless the reports of the
Navy board are unsatisfactory.