Evening star., 1939-07-10
Lifting Of Squa|us Due
To Start Wednesday,;
! Pontoons Not Tied
Surge Of Air Bubbles to
Surface to Be Signal Of
Success in Long Job

Wv OWN ~ L II, ~ H., oaAy
A surge of air bubbles breaking
the surface of the Atlantic has been
set as a signal of success this week
by weary crew of Navy men Is
miles off this port-a signal that
the sunken submarine Squalus
finally has been lifted from the
ocean floor.
Navy spokesmen said today the
bubbles would signify that the
seven pontoons being used for the
raising were performing sattsfac-
torily, blowing out air bubbles as
they rose, and that in a matter
Of minutes three of the pontoons
would break the surface.
Only two pontoons remain to be
attached to the Squalus, and Navy
officials believe the first lift will,
be made Wednesday.
At that moment, the SQualus
would lie dangling 155 feet below
the surface of the sea and IS feet
of the bottom, ready to be towed-
still under water-four miles toward
Portsmouth. This would be the
first of three operations designed
to get the 1,500-ton undersea craft
into a navy yard drydock.
4Sth Day. of Preparation.
To the officers, technicians and
heroic divers who today were in
their forty-eighth day of prepara-
ton for this ponderous and techni-
cally delicate lift, it would be a
near-climaX to one of the most
amazing rescue and salvage Jobs
IN history. Thirty-three of the SO
men aboard were rescued May "a
and the task of salvage has con-
tinued ever since.
The final salvage plan was told
by 1t. Comdr. John B. Longstaff.
aide to the commandant of the
yard, and Capt. William F.. Amsden,
In charge of yard operations.
There is, first, the 30O-foot- long
submarine 240 feet below the sur
face. Its rear half. containing
heavy machinery, as we'll as the
bodies OF 26 men, is flooded and is
considerably heavier than the for
ward half.
Directly above, on the surface, will
be the salvage ship Falcon, its decks
maze OF men and complicated
equipment.
AS the moment comes for raising,
f1ve OF the big pontoons, each with
a lifting power of 80 tons, will be
chained to the heavier tail and two
attached to the nose. They will be
at different depths, with three of
them only IS feet down. These three
are the crucial pontoons-the only
ones destined to break the surface.
Some so lines will run from the
Falcon to the pontoons and to the
submarine, each vital link in the
operation. Thirteen air hoses, three
descending lines for divers and two
connecting lines will run to the
Squalus, while on each pontoon will
be two air hoses and connecting
heavy wire cables.
Extreme care must be used in
blowing out the ballast tanks of the
Squalus as well as the pontoons,
especially those chained to the for
ward part of the submarine.
"The ticklish part" said Comdr.
Longstaff, lis to keep lifting power
under control at all times. If too
much lift is put on the bow, which is
unf1ooded and is light, this end NAV
rise straight up out of water, with
the aft end still on the bottom"
Then" continued Comdr. Long
stan, we would have to flood the
forward section to get the bow back
down."
In addition. the bow suddenly
knitting up out of water could en-
danger the Falcon or any other
nearby craft.
To Be Towed as One Unit.
Once the Squalus has been lifted
65 feet off the bottom, both the
FALCON and the submarine would be
towed as one unit-a weird sort of
double decker"-until the undersea
craft grounds again, approximately
four miles nearer Portsmouth.
1T won't hurt her when she
grounds" Comdr. Longstaff said.
'The instant she touches bottom
the automatic steam winch on the
Navy towing tug Wandank will pay
out more line and gauges will indi-
cate just what has happened
Then, he explained, the first
step would be repeated. The three
surface pontoons would be lowered
again to IS feet and the Squalus
again lifted. This time she would
lie only 10 feet below the surface,
and the second tow would bring her
two nautical miles closer to Ports
mouth and ground her again.
After that step, our job will be
like going to grammar school after
getting college degree" "said Capt.